Red Fridays

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

This says it all - wouldn't it be cool to see everyone wearing RED on Fridays. Maybe Congress would hear us.


WEAR SOMETHING RED EVERY FRIDAY

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 acts of patriotism I have ever seen.

Moving through 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 hero es 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 knelt 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, 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 as it unfolded.
As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause.

As I stood there applauding and looked around, there 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.

[moopups]

While this may be the way things are going today, why did it not happen back in the 60's and 70's, when we that served in Viet Nam were spat on and called 'baby killers', ect. when we were in airports?

Could this be the reason so many Viet Vets are still homeless today? Or live on the streets? Or have the highest divorce rates ever? Thank you public, for destroying a complete generation of service men.

[debra in ks]

Several years ago one of the teachers in my old home town had her class write thank you letters to all the veterans still living there. That included my dad who was a Seabee in WWII and my brother who served in Vietnam. Dad kept his letter proudly displayed on the fridge until he died last year. My brother still has his taped to one of his kitchen cabinets. It's now old and yellowed, but I expect it will stay there until he passes away or it falls apart. My brother's letter was very short and said something to the effect of "Thank you Mr. _____ for serving our country. Because of you I live in a free country and you will never be forgotten." If there are any teachers here, this would be a great thing for your class to do. It means a LOT to those who receive such letters.

[wr]

Unfortunately Mitch, you can't change the past but with education and public awareness, possibly we can make the world easier for the young people serving now. I certainly do appreciate your point because I had family members subjected to the treatment you mention - let's hope it's easier for those who have returned or will be returning from another unpopular situation.

[seedspreader]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/redfriday.asp

(just cause I know someone will post it) It's NOT a hoax, it's a suggestion.

[rileyjo]

The schools here all promote "Wear Red on Fridays" to support the Canadian troops serving in Afganistan. They also raise money to send Tim Hortons gift certificates over to give the soliders a taste of home since there is a Timmies on the base in Kandahar. The schools also have collected sweets and magazines to create care packages to send over. A few houses in town also sport yellow ribbons. It is not a big topic of conversation here, but generally people are supportive of the people who serve.

[willow_girl]

Mitch, I am sorry for your experience. I think it was different in the area I grew up in ... I can remember when my kindergarten class went to sing patriotic hymns on the lawn of a soldier who had just come home after being a POW.

My DBF is a 'Nam vet while he doesn't talk much about it, he has given me an inkling. War is indeed hell. Beyond simply wearing red, let's hold our elected representatives' feet to the fire and demand that our men and women in uniform get a fair shake -- especially the ones who end up in military hospitals. I for one am going to fire off some letters right away.