I Will Never Forget

"The sky is lit up like the Fourth of July!" I shouted from my safe confines. "There are explosions all around me. You can hear the thundering of the F16s overhead. Even through the noise and turmoil these soldiers continue their attack and they are ruthless." I was the reporter shouting back the 'play by play' of Operation Desert Storm to my close friend who was behind a desk in some news studio back home. I was full of excitement and energy; the kind that you can only get from a heated battle. I had never witnessed death first hand. This was sure to be a spectacle that I would never forget and, to date, I have not.
"The explosions are more than a mile away and I can feel the impact of each one. Using this amount of ammo, we are sure to win the battle. It won't be much longer before they run screaming and beg us to stop." I reported. "We are losing very few men and morale is high!" My friend replied, "Thank you for the update, and now, your local weather."
"The forecast looks good, a bit colder than yesterday but not much snow through the weekend." I explained, now taking the role of the weatherman.
At twelve years old my swift imagination put me closer to the action than the T.V. ever could. My friend and I were recreating the news cast we had just watched. The war seemed more comparable to a violent story book than reality; it was so surreal. We laughed and played while soldiers fought. War, at this point, meant that people I didn't know, went somewhere I couldn't go, to do things I couldn't do. I had no clear picture of what really happened during Desert Storm. Even now though, I enjoy those childhood imaginings of being a journalist.

The Impact of a Tape

My hands trembled slightly as I inserted the freshly stolen batteries into my mother's tape player, which I had conveniently lost two days prior. My body was flooded with the excitement of getting caught and the thrill of being disobedient as I continued my task of getting the tape player to work.
Surrounded by lush trees and a canal, I was certain that no one would ever find out what we were doing. The only other person that knew what was going on was a very close friend of mine, Patrick, who supplied the tape of George Carlin that, I was assured, would provide a sore gut from laughter. I never thought that almost 2 decades later I would write it down for the world to read. I continued my struggle with the tape player and finally, with it operational, we inserted the tape. My naive mind became inundated with so much vulgarity that it was difficult to capture what he was actually saying. But I recall several lines from the tape that day, some of which, although unknowingly, changed my opinions of war and the directors thereof. The most vivid of these is, "I see [war] largely as an exercise in dick-waving. That's really all it is: alot of men standing around in a field waving their dicks at one another. Men, insecure about the size of their penises, choose to kill one another." What a profound impact this had on me, because as the innocent pre-teen that I was, I had no conceivable notion as to the reason for such activity.
However, it contorted my conception of war, in that; war was no longer a serious thing. It suddenly became a contest of which country had larger genitalia, which I found very humorous. It wasn't until much later that I realized the all too serious and dramatic aspects of war.

If I Knew

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
and pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
that I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
and call you back for one more

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise
I would video tape each action and word
so I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time
I could spare an extra minute
to stop and say "I love you,"
instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more
so I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
to make up for an oversight,
and we always get a second chance
to make everything just right.

There will l always be another day
to say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
to say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
and today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
and I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
you get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
you'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
for a smile, a hug, or a kiss
and you were too busy to grant someone
what turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
and whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
and that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
you'll have no regrets about today.

Vietnam???

It seems like every day in English we are watching a movie or have a projector in the room for some shit or another. Does it ever end? I thought we were suppose to be doing a research paper, but as of yet I have not seen an assignment. All we have been doing is reading and watching movies and listening to lectures. I spose it's good tho because it gives us a good background on the Vietnam War. This is the topic of our "Research Paper"
If you know something about it PLEASE send me an email or reply to this post. Even if all you have is an opinion, please post it. I need as much input about the war as possible. I have seen and read horrific things about the war, but none of them come from a first hand or second hand source. Those are the kind I need. What did you do during the war? Did you even know it was going on? Note: For those of you who were not alive during the war... It should go without saying that you probably don't know much about. However, if you have an opinion, I would like to hear it.
Thanks to all who participate.

We Will NEVER Forget!!

REMEMBERING September 11th.

"Today, we've had a national tragedy. Two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center in an apparent terrorist attack on our country.

"I have spoken to the Vice President, to the Governor of New York, to the Director of the FBI, and have ordered that the full resources of the federal government go to help the victims and their families, and to conduct a full-scale investigation to hunt down and find those folks who committed this act.

"Terrorism against our nation will not stand.

"And now if you [would] join me in a moment of silence.

"May God bless the victims, their families, and America.

"Thank you very much."
It's hard to believe that it's been almost five years since George Bush addressed the country from the Emma Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida, on September 11. The attacks changed the way our world looked on the outside and the way we all felt inside.

Our hearts broke for those who lost their lives and for their families. Even before the dust settled, we pulled together to send support. And everywhere you turned – on cars, buildings, boats, and homes – you would see it, the American flag, the symbol of freedom.

Time passes by. The rubble has all been cleared. The flag still flies high. Widows remarry. Life goes on, and yet…

"I've left things otherwise the way they were after September 11," a Pentagon worker said of her office. "A lamp shade is tilted sideways, pictures are still crooked. I keep them that way as a reminder; some things we shouldn't forget."
And we should not forget.

Friends

A girl asked a guy if he thought she was pretty, He said...no.

She asked him if he would want to be with her forever...and he said no.

She then asked him if she were to leave would he cry, and once again he replied with a no.

She had heard enough. As she walked away, tears streaming down her face the boy grabbed her arm and said... You're not pretty you're beautiful. I don't want to be with you forever, I NEED to be with you forever. And I wouldn't cry if you walked away...I'd die...

SO NOW I WILL SAY:

I like you because of who you are to me...A true friend.

Remember:

"A good friend will come bail you out of jail... But a true friend will be sitting next to you saying

WE screwed up! "

Proud to be your Friend!

I've learned...that life is like a roll of toilet paper.

The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned...that we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned...that money doesn't buy class.

I've learned...that it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...that under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned...that the Lord didn't do it all in one day.

What makes me think I can?

I've learned...that to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned...that the less time I have to work, the more things I get done.

It's National Friendship Week.

Show your friends how much you care.

HAPPY FRIENDSHIP WEEK TO YOU!!!!!!

YOU ARE MY FRIEND AND I am honored.