I’d encourage everyone to take “A Pittance of Time” to remember their sacrifices.

On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store’s PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the store’s leadership role in adopting the Legion’s “two minutes of silence” initiative. He felt that the store’s contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven o’clock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the “two minutes of silence” to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terry’s anger towards the father for trying to engage the store’s clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, “A Pittance of Time”. Terry later recorded “A Pittance of Time” and included it on his full-length music CD, “The Power of the Dream”.

Corporal Bernard P. Corpuz, you have not been forgotten.

Thank you to all of those who continue to support those of us that have served, or are currently serving in the Armed Forces.

DoD Announces Force Adjustments

The Department of Defense announced today the alert of replacement forces scheduled to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The announcement involves three brigades from the Army National Guard consisting of approximately 8,000 personnel.

These brigades will have a security force mission and be assigned tasks which will assure freedom of movement and continuity of operations in the country. Those tasks will include base defense and route security in Iraq and Kuwait.

These units are currently scheduled to begin deployment in the summer of 2009. They are receiving alert orders now in order to provide them the maximum time to complete their preparations. It also provides a greater measure of predictability for family members and flexibility for employers to plan for military service of their employees.

Specific units alerted are:

32^nd Brigade Combat Team, Wisconsin National Guard

41^st Brigade Combat Team, Oregon National Guard

155^th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi National Guard

Unit deployments reflect the continued commitment of the United States to the security of the Iraqi people. The Department recognizes the continued sacrifices of these units and their family members.

DoD will continue to announce major unit deployments as they are identified and those units are alerted. For information on the units announced today or other units involved in this rotation, please contact Mississippi National Guard Public Affairs at (601) 313-6271, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs at (503) 584-3886 or Wisconsin National Guard Public Affairs at (608) 242-3050.

If you haven’t already seen it, take 11 minutes to watch the following Veteran’s Tribute, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.

I’ll be taking a moment to salute my fellow Veterans, and those that have passed before us. Please do the same.

You should check it out.

While I rib on my buddies in the Marines, they are just as important as the Army

Semper Fi David, Joe, and Marines Everywhere!

• Will I ever start working on CSPCorner.org? I’ve been wanting to start a resource for CSP Collectors that has the potential to be just as good as The Internet Guide or OA Insignia. I think I’m hoping someone beats me to it, unfortunately I believe all of the sites that started showing potential have since been abandoned.

• I passed the State Social Work exam for my Certification on Friday, now I have to study for and pass the National exam. I’m nervous.

• Should I get a personal trainer to help motivate my change in lifestyle? I keep telling myself I need to get in better shape and I keep having the military tell me I need to get in better shape, but I procrastinate. Maybe I’ll see where I am in December.

• I wanted to buy a couch this weekend, but I refuse to shop during a Veteran’s Day Sale.

“I realized, oh my gosh, I’m sitting here, I’m a fat 50-year-old mom and I’ve managed to scoop al-Qaida,” said Mansfield, who uses that name as a pseudonym because she receives death threats.

Read the whole story.

My favorite quote form the story:

“It gets really challenging when you’re trying to do that and cook spaghetti at the same time,” she said.

What I want to do:

• Learn Arabic. Whether it is on my own or at DLI it doesn’t matter anymore.
• Get in Shape. I’m tired of struggling to pass the APFT, I’m tired of being out of shape.
• Become a Lifeguard. I don’t know exactly why, but I want to. Maybe its the tan.
• Revitalize Missing Arrow Publishing. I want to get back into my computer programming hobby.
• Get Organized. My room is a mess, so my life is a mess.
• Travel. I want to see the world, see the country, see the state.
• Read More. I need to learn more and stay away from the television.
• Stay connected with my extended family.  There is one person in particular I need to strengthen my relationship with but I have been neglecting all of them.

It is stories like this that remind me why I cringe everytime I hear someone say we just need to nuke em’ all. While yes that would remove the threat, it is not a very humane solution to the situation and a lot of good people would be lost. I especially love it when I hear statements like that from supposed god fearing Christians…

When I was deployed to Afghanistan I tried to treat everyone I met like a decent human being. Granted there were some exceptions, but trust me, they deserved it. In Afghanistan we need to win the hearts and minds of the people. Where we accomplish that mission we have less problems and they don’t let the Taliban and other extrimist organization seek refuge.

While the traditional media makes heroes out of celebrities, we can count on the family and friends of those deployed to make the world aware of some of the unsung heroes.