For those who serve the US in times of war and peace...
A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval
conference that included Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian,
Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself
standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of
those countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their
drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, 'Whereas Europeans
learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He then asked, 'Why is
it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than
speaking French?'
Without hesitating, the American Admiral
replied, 'Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans
arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German.'
You could have heard a pin drop.
When in England at a fairly large
conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our
plans for Iraq were just an example of 'empire building' by George Bush.
He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the
United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril
to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have
ever asked for in return was enough to bury those that did not return.'
You could have heard a pin drop.
There was a conference in France where a
number of international engineers were taking part, including French and
American. During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room
saying, 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an
aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he
intended to do, bomb them?'
A Boeing engineer stood up and replied
quietly, 'Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several
hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical
power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to
feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand
gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen
helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their
flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?'
You could have heard a pin drop.
A group of Americans, retired teachers,
recently went to France on a tour. Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of
83, arrived in Paris by plane. At French Customs, he took a few minutes to
locate his passport in his carry on.
'You have been to France before, monsieur?'
the customs officer asked sarcastically.
Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to
France previously.
'Then you should know enough to have your
passport ready.'
The American said, 'The last time I was
here, I didn't have to show it.'
'Impossible. Americans always have to show
your passports on arrival in France!'
The American senior gave the Frenchman a
long hard look. Then he quietly explained, 'Well, when I came ashore at
Omaha Beach on D-Day in '44 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find
any Frenchmen to show it to.'
You could have heard a pin drop.
What Is a Veteran?
A 'Veteran' -- whether active duty,
discharged, retired, or reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life,
wrote a blank check made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an
amount of 'up to, and including his life.'
That is honor, and there are way too many
people in this country today, who no longer understand that fact.
