Here is an e-mail I recieved. Heart touching as it is, pause and give it some thought will you. Then wear something red.
The daughter of a Soldier
Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference.
While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people
behind
me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and
witnessed
one of the greatest act's of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their
camo's, as they began heading to their gate everyone (well almost
everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and
cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being
applauded and
cheered for it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red blooded
American who still
loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these
young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for
us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.
Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our
service men and
women a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the
male soldiers. He kneeled down and said "hi," the little girl then she
asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young
soldier,
he didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and
what
did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed
the
neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then
kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughters name was
Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had
been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her
daughter, Courtney, missed her father, the young soldier began to tear
up. When
this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of
the
soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other
servicemen pulled out a military looking walkie-talkie.
They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked
back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, "I spoke to your
daddy
and he told me to give this to you." He then hugged this little girl
that he
had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying
"your
daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is
coming
home very soon."
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as
the young soldier stood to his feet he saluted Courtney and her mom.
I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event unfolded.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people
resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around,
their were
very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act
of
selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear
rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their
families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the
day, it's good to be an American.
Red Friday
Just keeping you "in the loop" so you'll know what's going on
in case this takes off.
RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people
wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops
used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and
are
voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.
We are not
organized, boisterous or over-bearing. We get no liberal media coverage
on TV, to reflect our message or our opinions.
Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want
to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.
Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops
with dignity and respect starts this Friday -and continues each and
every
Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message
that.. Every
red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear
something red.
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States
on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the
bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this
with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long
before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops
know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever,
certainly
more than the media lets on.
The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to
make things better for you?" is...We need your support and your prayers.
Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by
example; and wear something red every Friday.