Anyone visiting Gold Star Dads or reading this weblog knows the “War on Terror” is REAL! We have the tears and emotional scars to prove it. Each of us has lost a son or daughter in this war. These were special kids who made a conscience decision to step up and be counted!

Most of them were 19 – 25 years old and they chose to do something most young people only see in the movies or on their computer games. They chose to put themselves in harms way to bring a better life to someone they didn’t even know. To fight evil and run towards the worlds trouble while complete nations were looking for a place to hide. (continue reading…)

I just thought you would like to know what kind of young people we have serving in Iraq.

I was feeling kind of down today and feeling sorry for myself, thinking about my son Rhys. Of all the bright shining stars, why did God chose my son at that moment in time?. Then while checking email for the twentieth time today, I got this from Gunny Donor at the Patriot Guard.

After reading it, I remembered, with great pride that Iraq is full of bright shining stars. Patriots of the Highest Order! I knew than that my son was where he was suppose to be and now he is right at home. It was originally written by Chaplain Jim Higgins on 5/14/2007 the same day we got the knock on the door.

I recently attended a showing of “Superman 3″ here at LSA Anaconda at the Balad Airport in Iraq, north of Baghdad. We have a large auditorium we use for movies as well as memorial services and other large gatherings. As is the custom back in the States, we stood and snapped to attention when the National Anthem began before the main feature. All was going as planned until about three-quarters of the way through the National Anthem the music stopped.

Now, what would happen if this occurred with 1,000 18-22 year-olds back in the States? I imagine there would be hoots, catcalls, laughter, a few rude comments, and everyone would sit down and call for a movie. Of course, that is, if they had stood for the National Anthem in the first place.

Here, the 1,000 soldiers continued to stand at attention, eyes fixed forward. The music started again. The soldiers continued to quietly stand at attention. And again, at the same point, the music stopped. What would you expect to happen? I would imagine laughter as everyone sat down and expected the movie to start.

Here, you could have heard a pin drop. Every soldier stood at attention. Suddenly there was a lone voice, then a dozen, and quickly the room was filled with the voices of a thousand soldiers “And the rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. O’ say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

It was the most inspiring moment I have had here in Iraq. I wanted you to know what kind of Soldiers are serving you here. Chaplain Jim Higgins.

Thank you Chaplain for that reminder.
Gold Star Dads

RICHFIELD, Minn. (AP) The last survivor of the first American flag-raising over Iwo Jima during World War Two has died. Charles Lindberg of Richfield, Minnesota, was 86. He grew up in Grand Forks.Lindberg died yesterday at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina (ee-DYE’-nuh), according to the director of the funeral home that’s handling arrangements.

Lindberg spent decades explaining that it was his patrol, not the one captured in the famous photograph by Abe Rosenthal of The Associated Press, that raised the first flag over the island. In the late morning of February 23rd, 1945, Lindberg fired his flame-thrower into enemy pillboxes at the base of Mount Suribachi and then joined five other Marines fighting their way to the top.

He was awarded the Silver Star for bravery.

After his discharge in January 1946, Lindberg went home to Grand Forks until 1951, when he moved to Richfield and became an electrician. In an interview with the A-P in 2003, Lindberg recalled two of the men found a big, long pipe there, “tied the flag to it, took it to the highest spot we could find and we raised it.” The moment was captured by Sergeant Lou Lowery, a photographer from the Corps’ Leatherneck magazine, but three of the six men never saw his photos. They were among the 59-hundred Marines killed on the island.

Last month, Lindberg attended groundbreaking at the site of a new veterans memorial in Richfield. Funeral arrangements are pending.