CP Affiliate Military Heroes Newsletter

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"We know not whence he came, but only that his death marks him with the everlasting glory of an American dying for his country." "Only the dead have seen the end of the war."

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired,tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's; but he has never collected unemployment either. He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and 155mm howizzitor. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.



He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.



He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death then he should have in his short lifetime. He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.


PURPOSE: The purpose of this newsletter is twofold. One, as we have found in board travels....a hero can be anyone, and sometimes right under our noses. The heroes we have chosen to spotlight are those who have served time in the military. There is no greater sacrifice, no greater act of selflessness.

Our second thought was to reach more people on an affiliate level and thank those that have made a choice to defend our flag, our families... without any intention of board allegiances, alliances, or politics.

We thank the men that have volunteered for our first newsletter, and hopefully you will consider it worthwhile as we'd like to get more boards involved in the next issue. Information on how to do that will be enclosed at the bottom of this newsletter.

How it Came about: This is really the brain child originally of DaveTroll, CP Mod & Writer. Dave serves in the Air Force and has always wanted to do something on this level. It has taken on a life of it's own. It started with a weekly HERO Of The WEEK SPOTLIGHT, and it expanded into a Military Heroes Forum.

And now we're taking it one step further.

What we hope to accomplish and how : Our intent is to spotlight three affiliate heroes a month....a national
hero....and links and helpful information. We hope to accomplish an awareness...rememberance during our busy lives, our busy days, of those who have chosen freedom as a career. We can't change the world...but we can talk to one person at a time.


The first person we had a chance to talk to was Teemont. Teemont is outspoken, a diehard Steelers fan and involved member at steeleraddicts.com.
This is what Teemont had to say and we thank him for his time...

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Quote: How many years have you been in the service? I have been in for 5 years now, I just re-upped for 4 more, so I will get out in 2012 (the 4 years begins next year). How many times have you been deployed? I have been deployed 8 times, usually for 60 days a pop. I have been to Qatar, Kyrgzstan, Kuwait, Djibouti, and El Salvador. Is it hard to come home for the holidays and go back...I know you have a little boy and have seen his pictures. He is a adorable. This is actually the first time I have been home for Christmas since I have been in the AF. It can be pretty hard b/c obviously everyone wants to go home. What kind of effect does American support/non-support have on troops morale? Personally, I can take it or leave it, but I am not in the shiat. I get to fly high above the shiat, while the real hero's are down getting bullets shot at their head. I do think the majority of servicemen/women will tell you they don't care what your stance on the war is, they just appreciate people who support the troops no matter what. Some people may call us blind b/c we serve without question, but if we didn't, this country would be in a world of shiat. When I see people like that loony far-right church who protests troops funerals, they can go right to hell as far as I am concerned. Have you seen any USO shows with celebrities? I got to see Drew Carey a few year ago when he came to Qatar, and Robin Williams as well. Right after SB, 50 Max Starks came on a tour of OEF bases, and I actually got to eat lunch with him, and talk to him for like 3 hours. He was a really cool guy. I just wish he could get a mean streak. Have you seen/been part of any action that you felt was heroic? Please explain, without revealing anything dealing with operational security/classified missions. No, I don't think I have done anything special. My job is to get gas into the guys who are dropping bombs, which is pretty cool. I have directly supported several TIC's (Troops in Combat) and bombs have been dropped after I did re-fueling, but its all pretty much day to day stuff. I was actually part of the biggest offensive against the Taliban about 2 years ago, so that was pretty cool. I can get you pictures of refuelings if you want. Do you have a message to the readers? I know I have been kind of outspoken against this before on SF, but if you see a soldier in person, just give them a hand shake. Some of us don't like it, but it really can make a huge difference in some guys lives. Lots of dudes lose a lot more than friends over there. I have seen guys depressed b/c their wife left them, or a friend died at home, and there was nothing they could do about it. The war is just the tip of the spear. Any shout outs? Anyone here who is a service member or stationed at Manas or Fairchild. How long have you been a Steelers fan? Almost 26 years...since birth I guess is the canned answer. Steeleraddicts is just a special place...to what do you attribute that? For me it's how close everyone is here. It's almost like a second family. Availability is huge too. Sometimes it's hard to talk about the Steelers when you live in WA or even overseas, so it's nice to be able to log in and bullshiat, or even just check in if you don't have enough time. In closing, thanks for serving...protecting us....keeping our families and friends safe. God Bless you. You're welcome, but as I have said before, it's just a job. I hope the time never comes when I literally have to keep people safe.

Next up is CarMike...co-owner of hailredskins.com. Mike served in the Coast Guard and this is what he had to say.....

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Quote: Deb: So Mike... how long were you in the Coast Guard? I was in the Coast Guard for 4 years. April of '92 through April of 96 Deb: Where were you stationed? Out of bootcamp, which is in Cape May, New Jersey, I was sent out to San Pedro, California. Just outside of Long Beach. I was out there for almost a year. In April of 93 I went MK school. [Diesel Mechanics school] That was in Yorktown, Va. From there I got orders to small boat Station Curits Bay. Which is located just outside of Baltimore, Md. Deb: I really didn't know this till today but the Coast Guard is part of homeland Security. This branch of the military is complex because you are not only protecting lives, security, but the environment, precautionary safety measures as well. Just so much falls under it..... When I was in the Coast Guard, it fell under the department of Transportation. After 911 did the Coast Guard fall under the Homeland Security. Deb: What is a normal day like in the CG? I have pulled a dead body out of the water. A guy jumped from the Key Bridge and killed himself. A week later we find his body. There was a time when two jet skiers collided. One guy had a broken back and we had to air lift him to a hospital in Baltimore. We rescued an older gentleman from his boat that had lost all power. He was disoriented and had lost his bearing. I fought a boat fire. Saved the two people that were on the boat. Numerous safety boardings. BWI's and such. [Boating While Impaired] Deb: have you ever flown a helicopter? No, I never flew a helicopter. I did get to fly in one twice. Deb: Would you mind telling a story from when you were in? Once when I was meeting up with my ship for the first time. My ship was coming back Japan and I met them in Adak, Alaska. On their way in they happened to pass a Chinese ship that they boarded. A ship that size, it took 3 days to do a complete boarding. [looking for stowaways and illegal immigrants] Instead of leaving at Kodak, they sent a helo after me and 3 other guys. Then once when I was in Baltimore we were doing Search and Rescue drills. They put me in the water and the helo would drop the basket and i'd get in. They would then raise me up to the cabin of the helo. Deb: Mike thanks again for participating, being so open and being a friend. And thank you for serving

Last but not least... we want you to meet Drover...CP Historian and Writer, who served in Viet Nam...and we asked him to share any thoughts on what is like to be a soldier at the holidays...

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Quote: I was asked a few days ago if I might have a story to tell about spending the holidays while being in the service. Well, let me start off by saying it is not the greatest thing to do. After all, being away from your family and loved ones is awful trying yet being overseas. In 1973, I was on the USS Oriskany in the Tonkin Gulf where my squadron were flying missions. After spending the last two Christmas’s away from my family and especially the last one over here, my mother could tell by my letters just how low my and my fellow squadron members morale were. She then realized how to brighten up some of these people. Being an elementary school teacher, she headed up a Christmas drive with all the students. They were to send just a simple present..either a letter or a Christmas Card, maybe some candy or even a picture. Well the response was gigantic!! So, our squadron personnel officer was flooded with gunny sacks after gunny sacks of mail addressed to VF 194. It was so big that it went from my squadron to the ship's company. Every serviceman that wanted to was to take a package or letter and they were to write the child back. This was one of the greatest gestures I had ever seen. I think we received over 1,300 letters and packages and every one was opened and every person kept in contact with that person even some years later. It really touched me as well as my friends and crew. No one and I mean no one would have ever thought how many people that this touched. That Christmas brought a lot of people together and helped us through a rough year. It really made us feel loved and not forgotten. I prayed that God bless each and everyone that participated in that drive that year. Now getting to our troops that are overseas, I know how they feel and I want everyone of them to know that I as an ex-serviceman will be praying for them and will always support them, and am wishing them the best Christmas that they could possibly have over there. God bless them all!! I hope everyone out there will do the same even if it is a 30 second prayer... just thank them and ask God to watch over them. Need info on where to write our soldiers ?

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Cowboys Pride is a proud supporter of Any Soldier Inc. This non-profit organization's mission is based on the concept that many people want to send their support to a soldier in harm's way, but have no idea of what to send, who to send it to, or how to send it. That's where they come in.

Any Soldier Inc. started in August 2003 as a simple family effort to help the soldiers in one Army unit; thus, their name. Due to overwhelming requests, on 1 January 2004 the Any Soldier® effort was expanded to include any member of the Armed Forces in harms way.

How Does It Work?

Simply either click on any of text and graphics links here or go to http://AnySoldier.com. They have soldier contacts on the "Where to Send" page. Click through the names and select the one(s) you wish to support.

They list what the folks they represent want and need. They even have a search capability so you can easily identify what the troops need most.

All the soldiers involved in this effort are military volunteers stationed in areas that are in harm's way. You send your support (letters and/or packages) addressed to them and when they see the "Attn: Any Soldier" line in their address they put your letters and packages into the hands of soldiers who don't get much or any mail first. Everything is shared.

They have "What to Send", "How to Send" and "FAQ" pages to help you properly send letters and packages, please read these. Be sure to also read their "New & Stuff" and "Success Stories" pages. This effort is 110% voluntary. You send your support, and maybe some stuff, directly to whatever unit or units you want, you don't send Any Soldier, Inc anything.

We at Cowboys Pride urge you to heartily support this outstanding avenue to support our troops who are in harm's way.


In Closing: We have started what we hope to be only the beginning: Of spotlighting the people...the soldiers, that have served...are serving...so unselfishly on the boards we visit every day.

If you would like to be in our next newsletter, or if you know of someone...please PM DaveTroll at Cowboyspride.net or let the admin know on your homeboard


The Christmas Truce


The Truce began on Dec. 24th, 1914 when German troops began decorating
around their trenches, placing candles in trees and singing Christmas Caroles....the British soldiers in the trenches across from them responde by singing Caroles in English. The two sides exchanged greetings, and small gifts. The artillery in the region fell silent that nite. It allowed time to bury the dead from the previous nite. The truce spread to other areas in the line and there are stories of football games played. In some areas it lasted through the nite and in other areas it lasted through New Year's Day.

Merry Christmas To Everyone and we hope you enjoyed our first issue. This is only the beginning........and if you know
any of our Heroes today...Teemont, CarMike, or Drover..
..please thank them.

Thanks to the affililate members that contributed from the following sites...

Teemont courtesy of steeleraddicts.com
CarMike courtesy of Hailredskins.com
Drover courtesy of Cowboyspride.net

Affiliate sites:

Steeleraddicts.com
BillsAddiction.com
NCAAFanZone.com
CarolinaPanthersDen.com
NFL-Fanz.com
hailRedskins.com
Tribe247.com
LionsRedZone.com
ThePewterConnection
BigBlueOnline
TheBumpDraft.com
Otero Designs
LoneStarstruck.com
DallasCowboysFanz.com
TheDallasCowboyshow.com
TINO
PackerAddict.com
DCFanatic.com
Pats247.com
Dallas Cowboys Fan Club