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Showing posts with label Troop Support. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Troop Support. Show all posts
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Humble Service
I have had the wonderful opportunity to be around great people who serve this great nation. What I am most impressed with time and time again is the humility in which they serve. Recently a young man asked some Veterans how they felt when civilians acknowledged their service and whether it motivated them. All the Veterans responded by saying they didn't serve for recognition and then when they were thanked publicly it was almost overwhelming for them. I am awe of the humility displayed by most of our Troops. The young man who has never served but hopes to one day could not understand, he still wanted a real answer. But I think they did answer, it just wasn't one he understood yet. It reminded me of this interview with our latest Medal of Honor Recipient, SSG Giunta. Watching this clip still chokes me up because he truly speaks for many who wear the uniform. I just felt it deserved to be seen again.
Friday, December 24, 2010
A Christmas Toast to the Troops!
As we gather as friends and family this holiday season,May we remember those who serve far from home.
May we remember those families with an empty chair at Christmas dinner.
And as we fall asleep tonight...
May we remember those who stand for us as the sword against the darkness.
TO THE TROOPS!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Troop Appreciation - Osage Beach
We had the best weekend! A few weeks ago Kevin got an email talking about a Troop Appreciation event down in Osage Beach. It was a day full of events all done to honor our Troops and their families. At Christmas time we went to another event sponsored by the same people and had a not so great experience so I admit I was a bit nervous. But there was no need, we had a GREAT time with GREAT people. The sentiment of supporting our Troops was so awesome.
Everything was free except for our room, but we got a GREAT discount on it, so worth it!
We started the day by getting to Bridal Cave . We had a great time walking through the cave and listening to the facts about it. The kids loved it. We had 3 cameras and took 655 pics total of our entire day but I'm only sharing a few. Looking through our pics we all got a chuckle at all the water spots on our clothes from the drips that would fall on us. Lots of people get married in the caves, that doesn't really appeal to me.
Daniel was so cute when they were talking about this wishing area. The tour guide Jeff told us that twice a year they collect the money in it and donate it to the area school to present to a deserving student. Daniel asked if they dried the money first. I love that kid!
We had a great tour and the people were so nice. Thinking about how they shook hands of the Troops and said thank you gets me a little choked up. We are so grateful for their kindness and generosity.
After our tour to Bridal Caves, we went and checked into our hotel. Like I said we got a great discount on our room. I thought it was awesome when we ran into some young Soldiers from Kevin's unit who told us they were given their rooms free of charge. I love when people take care of our young Troops.
Our afternoon consisted of hanging out on the lake and at Pier 31. The entire event was hosted by Mariners Pier 31. Many boat owners donated their boats and time to take Military Families out on the boat. We had a the pleasure of having a Vietnam Era Veteran take us out. Wayne was so gracious, we kept thanking him for his time and generosity and he would wave it way and thank us. We had a great time just riding in the boat. I found myself getting pretty emotional.
This is just what we needed, just time together. The last decade has found Kevin away for most of it and usually it's just the boys and I who are out and about doing things. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time like this as a family. When I think where we were last year (separated) I am grateful for the kindness of others.
We got dropped off at Ha Ha Tonka State Park. We had a good time walking around. I'm not going to lie though, the stairs to get to the different parts were killer! My calves are still sore! It was really nice, there were volunteers there handing out drinks to everyone.
After a couple hours, we headed on back to the Pier where the kids got to do some fishing. Each of the boys caught at least one fish even if they were rather small. It was catch and release so no fish came home with us but the kids had a lot of fun! They even got to take home their fishing poles and a little baggie of tackle gear. They were very happy and again, we were amazed at the generosity of others.
We also got dinner which I didn't even take pics of. In my defense, we were starving! But they put out an awesome spread for us. Chicken, fish and the biggest steaks ever! Plus sides but really we all chowed on the meat. Plus ice cream for dessert. It was DELICIOUS!
The day ended with each of the Troops receiving a plaque that said:
Everything was free except for our room, but we got a GREAT discount on it, so worth it!
We started the day by getting to Bridal Cave . We had a great time walking through the cave and listening to the facts about it. The kids loved it. We had 3 cameras and took 655 pics total of our entire day but I'm only sharing a few. Looking through our pics we all got a chuckle at all the water spots on our clothes from the drips that would fall on us. Lots of people get married in the caves, that doesn't really appeal to me.
Daniel was so cute when they were talking about this wishing area. The tour guide Jeff told us that twice a year they collect the money in it and donate it to the area school to present to a deserving student. Daniel asked if they dried the money first. I love that kid!We had a great tour and the people were so nice. Thinking about how they shook hands of the Troops and said thank you gets me a little choked up. We are so grateful for their kindness and generosity.
After our tour to Bridal Caves, we went and checked into our hotel. Like I said we got a great discount on our room. I thought it was awesome when we ran into some young Soldiers from Kevin's unit who told us they were given their rooms free of charge. I love when people take care of our young Troops.
Our afternoon consisted of hanging out on the lake and at Pier 31. The entire event was hosted by Mariners Pier 31. Many boat owners donated their boats and time to take Military Families out on the boat. We had a the pleasure of having a Vietnam Era Veteran take us out. Wayne was so gracious, we kept thanking him for his time and generosity and he would wave it way and thank us. We had a great time just riding in the boat. I found myself getting pretty emotional.This is just what we needed, just time together. The last decade has found Kevin away for most of it and usually it's just the boys and I who are out and about doing things. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend time like this as a family. When I think where we were last year (separated) I am grateful for the kindness of others.
The boys were fascinated with the "bathroom" on the boat.
Of course after seeing it, Daniel suddenly had to go to the bathroom! (I only took the pic because you can't really see anything.)
We got dropped off at Ha Ha Tonka State Park. We had a good time walking around. I'm not going to lie though, the stairs to get to the different parts were killer! My calves are still sore! It was really nice, there were volunteers there handing out drinks to everyone.
After a couple hours, we headed on back to the Pier where the kids got to do some fishing. Each of the boys caught at least one fish even if they were rather small. It was catch and release so no fish came home with us but the kids had a lot of fun! They even got to take home their fishing poles and a little baggie of tackle gear. They were very happy and again, we were amazed at the generosity of others.
We also got dinner which I didn't even take pics of. In my defense, we were starving! But they put out an awesome spread for us. Chicken, fish and the biggest steaks ever! Plus sides but really we all chowed on the meat. Plus ice cream for dessert. It was DELICIOUS!The day ended with each of the Troops receiving a plaque that said:
HERO AWARD
This is awarded to ________________ for volunteered service rendered to your country. You and all others who have served are our TRUE HEROES. We know that FREEDOM IS NOT FREE & we sincerely appreciation you putting your life on the line to protect our country and our freedoms. May God Bless and be with you and your family always.
We really had a great time. Kevin got free t-shirts, hat and a few other small things but that is not what made this day so awesome.
It was the time we got to spend together as a family. We are so grateful to everyone who worked so hard to put this together for our Troops and their families. We are truly blessed by the support given.
When Mr. Simmons gave his closing remarks he got choked up. He thanked everyone again but really we are the ones who are grateful.
This is awarded to ________________ for volunteered service rendered to your country. You and all others who have served are our TRUE HEROES. We know that FREEDOM IS NOT FREE & we sincerely appreciation you putting your life on the line to protect our country and our freedoms. May God Bless and be with you and your family always.
We really had a great time. Kevin got free t-shirts, hat and a few other small things but that is not what made this day so awesome.
It was the time we got to spend together as a family. We are so grateful to everyone who worked so hard to put this together for our Troops and their families. We are truly blessed by the support given.
When Mr. Simmons gave his closing remarks he got choked up. He thanked everyone again but really we are the ones who are grateful.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Christmas at Main Street Music Hall
Last night the family attended Christmas at Main Street Music Hall in Osage Beach, MO. They invited Military members and their families as special guest. Last week Kevin came home with a flier and we thought it looked interesting so we went. When we got there, they gave Kevin a plaque called a "Hero Award" with his name on it thanking him for his volunteer service to our country. We got pretty good seating in the theater and we were told to make sure afterwards to come by and get gifts for the kids.
The show was AWESOME! At the beginning, I was real emotional as they sang "I'll Be Home for Christmas". For those who have been reading this blog for the last couple months you know I'm so happy and grateful to have Kevin home so yes I get to be a big emotional sap. They sang traditional Christmas songs and fun Christmas songs and had some silly acts as well. After intermission right as the second act was about to start, they honored the Military. I was surprised that not as many active duty military took advantage of this special event but it was pretty neat to have so many people clapping and honoring Kevin. They even took a moment to honor our Veterans and I got to stand.
The second act was so good, they focused on the real meaning of Christmas and sang some of my favorite hymns. They had the most beautiful rendition of "Mary, Did You Know", oh it brought tears to my eyes. It was just beautiful.
After the show they told the Active duty military to stick around and get some gifts that were donated. This is where the evening took a turn for me. On the flier we got, it mentioned that kids 10 and under would receive free gifts. I thought this was kind of weird but okay...not a big deal. As we were waiting to let Daniel get his gift, they handed Kevin a big gift bag with some tools in it. They were handing out gifts to the Active Duty Military. That was pretty nice. Well as Daniel was getting his gift, people were kind of being crazy and pushy. Some of the toys were kind of pushed all over and so Neil picked up a box of shoes to move them so they wouldn't get stepped on. At that moment, one of the men in charge said VERY rudely to Neil, "Put those shoes down, you are not under 10!" and then he shoved the remaining toys back so no one else could reach them. Now...was that really necessary? I don't think it was. Poor Neil was so stunned, that he looked like he was going to cry. I had to step away because I really wanted to let that man have it! I took the boys and went to the back of the crowd, I was talking to Neil, making sure he was okay. Neil is my most sensitive child who has to deal with some emotional issues/disorders. He has really come into his own the past couple years, but incidents like this can really make him backslide.
At that point, I was just going to chalk the situation up to the man being overwhelmed with the situation because so many people were hanging around. Oh, can I just mention here that the theater we were at is not huge, when they asked the Active Duty military to stand up, there weren't that many. However, there were TONS of people afterward claiming the free gifts. Integrity people, integrity.
So one of the ladies was talking to Kevin, the boys and I were waiting towards the back when all of a sudden we saw kids OLDER then Neil walking around with some of the free gifts, 2 and 3 of them. Neil looked even more hurt then before. I was SO angry. There were many gifts leftover that they started to just hand out to people waiting. Things that older kids would have enjoyed, why couldn't they have just given those to kids over 10 to begin with? It really was a confusing situation for my boys.
Please don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the gesture and Kevin and Daniel got some really nice things. But when you tell a Military Family that you are going to honor their "FAMILY" you need to make sure you include all of them. Oh and let me add here, that after the show they got all the active duty military to stand on the stage for a group picture. Some of the performers we walking through shaking hands and a couple totally snubbed the females. It was CRAZY. I guess they thought they were spouses, but hey people, WOMEN SERVE TOO!
There was no reason for that man to be as rude as he was, none. You null and void a kind gesture when you follow it with rudeness, I should call him Mr. Grinch because he stole some light from my children. Last night was yet another reminder to me that people lose sight of what Christmas is about.
We had a good night up until that point, the show was AMAZING, we definitely want to go check them out again. As far the Grinch, I will be writing him a letter. If it was unintentional and he was overwhelmed with the situation then an apology to my son should not be a big deal. If it's too much, then that will let me know that we don't need to return back to that venue ever again.
Here are a few pics..it was dark, I have a crappy digital..lol
The show was AWESOME! At the beginning, I was real emotional as they sang "I'll Be Home for Christmas". For those who have been reading this blog for the last couple months you know I'm so happy and grateful to have Kevin home so yes I get to be a big emotional sap. They sang traditional Christmas songs and fun Christmas songs and had some silly acts as well. After intermission right as the second act was about to start, they honored the Military. I was surprised that not as many active duty military took advantage of this special event but it was pretty neat to have so many people clapping and honoring Kevin. They even took a moment to honor our Veterans and I got to stand.
The second act was so good, they focused on the real meaning of Christmas and sang some of my favorite hymns. They had the most beautiful rendition of "Mary, Did You Know", oh it brought tears to my eyes. It was just beautiful.
After the show they told the Active duty military to stick around and get some gifts that were donated. This is where the evening took a turn for me. On the flier we got, it mentioned that kids 10 and under would receive free gifts. I thought this was kind of weird but okay...not a big deal. As we were waiting to let Daniel get his gift, they handed Kevin a big gift bag with some tools in it. They were handing out gifts to the Active Duty Military. That was pretty nice. Well as Daniel was getting his gift, people were kind of being crazy and pushy. Some of the toys were kind of pushed all over and so Neil picked up a box of shoes to move them so they wouldn't get stepped on. At that moment, one of the men in charge said VERY rudely to Neil, "Put those shoes down, you are not under 10!" and then he shoved the remaining toys back so no one else could reach them. Now...was that really necessary? I don't think it was. Poor Neil was so stunned, that he looked like he was going to cry. I had to step away because I really wanted to let that man have it! I took the boys and went to the back of the crowd, I was talking to Neil, making sure he was okay. Neil is my most sensitive child who has to deal with some emotional issues/disorders. He has really come into his own the past couple years, but incidents like this can really make him backslide.
At that point, I was just going to chalk the situation up to the man being overwhelmed with the situation because so many people were hanging around. Oh, can I just mention here that the theater we were at is not huge, when they asked the Active Duty military to stand up, there weren't that many. However, there were TONS of people afterward claiming the free gifts. Integrity people, integrity.
So one of the ladies was talking to Kevin, the boys and I were waiting towards the back when all of a sudden we saw kids OLDER then Neil walking around with some of the free gifts, 2 and 3 of them. Neil looked even more hurt then before. I was SO angry. There were many gifts leftover that they started to just hand out to people waiting. Things that older kids would have enjoyed, why couldn't they have just given those to kids over 10 to begin with? It really was a confusing situation for my boys.
Please don't get me wrong, I am grateful for the gesture and Kevin and Daniel got some really nice things. But when you tell a Military Family that you are going to honor their "FAMILY" you need to make sure you include all of them. Oh and let me add here, that after the show they got all the active duty military to stand on the stage for a group picture. Some of the performers we walking through shaking hands and a couple totally snubbed the females. It was CRAZY. I guess they thought they were spouses, but hey people, WOMEN SERVE TOO!
There was no reason for that man to be as rude as he was, none. You null and void a kind gesture when you follow it with rudeness, I should call him Mr. Grinch because he stole some light from my children. Last night was yet another reminder to me that people lose sight of what Christmas is about.
We had a good night up until that point, the show was AMAZING, we definitely want to go check them out again. As far the Grinch, I will be writing him a letter. If it was unintentional and he was overwhelmed with the situation then an apology to my son should not be a big deal. If it's too much, then that will let me know that we don't need to return back to that venue ever again.
Here are a few pics..it was dark, I have a crappy digital..lol
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