Fourth of July is right around the corner, and this year, as we remember and recognize our troops who have are serving their fourth year in the Iraq war, many are thinking of ways that we, as citizens, can honor them. Well, Tiger Woods is leading the way. Tiger Woods had donated 30,000 free tickets for military personnel, to attend the inaugural Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am Tournament. Held in Bethesda, Maryland, the military will also be featured as extraordinary guests with exceptional seating and special hospitality tents.

Tiger Woods has shared his sentiment that clearly expresses his firm commitment and support to our troops. He has expressed that his father was a Vietnam veteran and by honoring his fellow servicemen, he is honoring his father. He is quoted as saying,

“They put their lives on the line so that we are able to enjoy our freedom, and we’d love for them to come out and enjoy a few days of relaxation. Our intent is to honor and really thank the people that protect us.”

In addition, Tiger Woods will be playing a round with female Sgt. Major Mia Kelly of 1st Information Operations Command at Fort Belvoir, Va. Not only will they be playing, but also Sgt. Andy Amor of Andrews Air Force Base and the chairman of AT&T, Randall Stephenson. If this isn’t special enough, none other than President Bush himself will also join them on the 15th or 16th hole, who will play for the remainder of the round.

The event is sure to inspire everyone with commitment to the troops, and this will no doubt be displayed with the unveiling of the American flag to the backdrop of God Bless America. The scenery will also include an Air Force drill team, four hundred additional flags that spectators will be given, and patriotic tunes filling the air throughout the day. The highlight of the event, no doubt will be when Specialist Vicki Golding sings the national anthem at 11:26, followed by a grand display performed by the Army’s Blackhawk Helicopter Wing. This is sure to be a grand event and Tiger Woods is to be commended for honoring our nation’s troops with such extravagance and excellence.

Though we all can’t honor the troops with such elaborate grandeur, this Fourth of July celebration should be a time where we all stop to honor the troops in our own way. First, we should stop and take the time to consider all that our troops have accomplished for us in this country. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to defending our rights against terrorists, our troops have been there, every step of the way, defending our right for liberty, justice, and the pursuit of freedom. Our troops have paid for our right to freedom with their blood, sweat, and tears. Many of our troops have paid the ultimate sacrifice and given everything they have. We need to take the time to stop and acknowledge all the people who have given their lives so that we may enjoy ours.

Tiger Woods is doing that this Fourth of July. How about you?

This is a montage I put together as a way of expressing my appreciation for our soldiers, particularly those serving now in the Middle East. We cannot thank them nor support their families enough.

The Marines of Regimental Combat Team 6 are asking for your support. RCT-6 is currently in Iraq and engaged in some heavy fighting. They are on the front lines in the war and they need to know that America supports them. No matter what side of the war you are on, our troops deserve to know that we stand behind them. If you have ever wondered how you can let the men and women who serve this nation know that you appreciate them and the sacrifices they are making, here is your answer. RCT-6 is asking for emails. They are hoping to collect 6,000 emails, one for every Marine. They are printing out the emails and will distribute them to Devil Dogs. So take a minute to send your words of support.

To give you some inspiration, I am including an excerpt from the email my hero Matt at Blackfive sent over to the Marines and later shared on his blog.

“Dear Leatherneck McJarhead,

Grim here at Blackfive asked us all to send messages to you folks serving in Iraq. I would have had this done sooner but my daughter was using our children’s dictionary and since this was going to Marines I wanted to make sure you could…well you know.

I had always wanted to be a United States Marine, but sadly failed to post a low enough score on my ASVAB and got bumped to the Army….

The Marine Corps imagery as well was very impressive. I mean the blue dress uniform is far and away the smoothest of all the services, and that pin with the chicken sitting on a beach ball, fishing and yelling Go Navy accentuates it perfectly. The proud tradition of the Naval Infantry still attracts the finest among us to spend time in tight quarters with seamen.

So Semper Fi, Do or Die! Eat the Apple…awwww you know how that ends.

Cordially,

Matty O’Blackfive”

As of today, RCT-6 is about halfway to their goal. That leaves 3,000 emails to go. A few minutes of your time and your typing skills can make a difference to a Marine serving in harm’s way. Let them know they are not forgotten. Sending an email may not seem like much to you, but getting a letter of support from a stranger who just wants to thank them for a job well done may be just the boost in morale a tired and dirty Marine needs to make it through one more day. Here is their email address: RCT-6lettersfromh@gcemnf-wiraq.usmc.mil and you can also check out the unit’s blog at http://fightin6thmarines.vox.com/

I have been doing a great deal of traveling lately and my adventures have taken me to many of our fine military bases here in the United States. Recently I had a pretty good excuse to go to Southern California. I was able to spend time at the Marine Bases in Dan Diego and out at 29 Palms. It was during this trip that I had the great fortune, and truly the honor, to attend Family Day at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego.

For those of you who haven’t been through boot camp, Family Day is held the Thursday before graduation. The men who have managed to survive the late nights and early mornings, the relentless screams and constant demands for perfection from their drill instructors, the back breaking humps and arm killing push ups and the test of endurance and strength that is The Crucible, are only a day away from graduation….and from freedom from the al seeing eyes of their drill sergeants. Family Day is the first time they have been allowed to see their families since they boarded those buses all those weeks ago. It is also the first time they have been allowed to wear their service uniform. Instead of the familiar cammies, they meet their families in the green service uniform of a Marine, complete with the prized Eagle, Globe and Anchor.

On this day, I was able to sit and watch these reunions. Mothers who had waved goodbye to boys, were suddenly faced with men. Fathers who berated their sons for staying out past curfew or failing a class were shaking hands with changed men. Gone were last year’s high school graduates, and in their place stood our newest Marines. They walked with pride, shoulders back and chests stuck out whenever someone called them “Marine.” I saw mothers, wives and girlfriends clinging to the arm of their loved one as they walked around the base. More than once I saw a Marine gently move his mother or wife to his left side so his right hand would be free to render a salute. I saw the confidence, even the arrogance, of young men who were now a part of one of the greatest legacies this country y has ever produced, the United States Marine Corps.

But even as I smiled and shook the hand of young man in a crisply pressed uniform and highly polished shoes who just last year had been renting a tuxedo for prom, I knew I was also looking at men who would more than likely be covered with sand and dirt in Iraq next year. These are the men who will continue the fight, the men who have volunteered to defend this nation, the men who have already given their blood and sweat for the honor of becoming a Marine. Semper Fideles and congratulations Marines.

It is never easy for the families left behind when a loved one deploys. The daily duties of running the household, taking care of the children, paying the bills and dealing with the constant stress and worry of knowing your spouse may never come home again can be overwhelming for military families. Families of active duty service members who live on or near base have access to the many resources and services available to military families. They can go to Community Services, base counseling, The Red Cross, legal aid, even the service emergency relief societies if the need arises. But what about the families of National Guardsmen or reservists who may not live near a military base? What about the wife of an Army reservist who lives in Evenston, Wyoming hundreds of miles from a commissary, exchange or volunteer network?

One Army wife has been thinking about the wives who are so far from military support and she is working on a plan to make sure they have access to the same services and support networks as the active duty families who live in the middle of base. Laura Stultz is married to Lt. General Jack Stultz, the Chief of the Army Reserve, and she is committed to making sure that wives who do not have in person access to military support, will be able to access a “virtual installment” to find the support they need. And her husband is on board with the idea. Having gone through numerous deployments with her husband, Laura knows how important it is for military families to find support during those difficult days.

The virtual installment idea would enable wives who are separated from military services to access the resources available to them, but potentially out of reach. Perhaps it is the wife of a reservist or perhaps the wife of an active-duty service member who decided to leave base during the deployment. One idea is for these families to be able to use the internet to connect to this virtual installation. A second idea is to set up soldier support centers around the country. These real life centers would be hubs for military families in the community.

In recent years, the military has made a concerted effort to address the needs of those who are all too often forgotten, the military families who sacrifice so much to support their loved ones. These virtual installation ideas will bring the resources military families need to those who may need the most.

There are many different organizations that have been created since the beginning of the War on Terror to support our troops and their families. I have done my best to tell you about organizations that I have discovered that offer a legitimate and valuable service to our troops. It has always been my hope that you will find an organization that sparks your interest, speaks to your talents, or touches your heart so that you may be inspired to get involved. You can offer your time, your skills or even your money to support those who support our troops.

Recently I was introduced to an organization that addresses a need that quite frankly, I hadn’t thought of before. Operation Special Delivery is a non-profit organization that was started after September 11th to provide free labor support to wives of deployed service members. Even when husbands answer the call to serve and deploy overseas, babies are still being born. Wives who spend their days worrying about their husbands and whether they will ever come home to meet their child, also face the daunting and often frightening prospect of going through childbirth with no one there to hold their hand or offer them support. Operation Special Delivery is there to make sure no one has to go through childbirth alone. Their motto is “a hand to hold, until they all come home.” And these women are true to their word.

Operation Special Delivery is an entirely volunteer organization. It is run by volunteers and the women who attend the births and support the military wives provide their services free of charge. Volunteering to support a military mom during childbirth entails long hours and little sleep. These women have stepped up because they want to support our troops and they believe that one of the best ways to do that is by taking care of the families left behind. The women of Operation Special Delivery come from different walks of life and backgrounds. Some of them are childbirth professionals, some are other military wives who want to help their communities, and some are simply women who have seen a need and want to help. No one should go through childbirth alone, but many military wives are asked to do just that when their husbands are deployed. Operation Special Delivery cannot bring their husbands home, but they can give these mothers a hand to hold until they all come home.

Today I was thinking about ways to give tribute to our fallen troops and found this video, it made me think in all the tears, the families, the courage, and all the legacy they leave behind.

It brings me back to my soul.

I hope you can enjoy it as much as I did.

The first Marine to hold the post of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will not be nominated for a second term. General Peter Pace will step down when his term is up in September, 2007. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will reportedly recommend that Admiral Mike Mullen, chief of Naval operations, be nominated as the next chairman. Speaking from the G-8 summit in Germany, President Bush praised General Pace’s work over the past two years.

It is not a shock that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is being replaced. It is a position that is by nature subject to turnover. What is disappointing is the stated public reason for the replacement. Senator Carl Levin, a Democrat from Michigan chairs the Senate committee that will hear the consideration of Admiral Mullen and would have considered General Pace’s renomination. Senator Levin said that the process to renominate General Pace “would have been a backward-looking debate about the last four years.” Defense Secretary Gates essentially agreed and said that a confirmation hearing on General Pace would have been “a backward-looking and very contentious process.” Senate Majority Leader, and staunch anti-war politician, Harry Reid (D-Nev) issued this statement on the decision to replace the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Joint Chiefs: “Both men must be advocates for our troops, not for a failed policy. It will require strong leadership to transition the U.S. mission in Iraq so our troops are not policing an Iraqi civil war. They must also refocus on the resurgence of Al Qaeda, rebuild the readiness of the United States military, and fix major problems with the delivery of health care to our troops and veterans.”

It is sad that a man such as General Pace, a qualified and distinguished officer, is being replaced because of the politics in play over the war in Iraq. Of course playing politics is part of the job description in Washington, DC, even for military men. But it is clear that those in Congress who tried to defeat the Iraq War through cutting funding and forcing deadlines are still using what leverage they have to push their anti-war agenda. Senator Reid is continuing to use the troops as his excuse for speaking out against the war, but instead of asking the troops what they need and how we can best support them, he and his anti-war allies are still using them to further their own agenda.

Military families serve in silence. Their sacrifices and the many ways they support our troops and our country are often overlooked. When a service member is killed the surviving spouse is suddenly left alone. They lose not only their husband or wife, but they often lose an entire life. They lose the military community to which they belonged. If they lived on base, they will have to move and start over. Many military spouses have put their own careers on hold to support their spouse’s career. Now, suddenly alone and possibly the sole source of support their children, these surviving spouses must find a way to carry on.

One father of a fallen soldier has been working to help fulfill his son’s wish to return the support his wife had given him by supporting her dream to go to college. Robert Stokley has made it his mission to see his son’s hope of sending his young wife to college become a reality. Sgt. Mike Stokely was killed in Iraq on August 16, 2005. His wife was now a widow and he would never live to see her pursue her dream of finishing her college education. But his father Robert knew how important that dream was to both Mike and his wife. And now that dream is within reach. Robert Stokely has helped created the Georgia Hero Scholarship which will provide funds for the spouses of fallen service member to attend college. His willingness to carry out his son’s wishes will provide hope and resources for all the spouses of fallen heroes.

Sgt. Mike Stokely was a National Guardsman and he had been married to his wife Niki for only ten days when he was deployed to Iraq. Mike was killed when he stepped on an IED. The last letter he wrote home to wife was dated August 13, 2005, only three days before his death in service to his country. In the letter he told his wife that he “can’t wait to come home and help you finish your education.” Through the actions of his father Robert that hope will become a reality.

It never ceases to amaze me that families who have lost so much can still work so hard to bring good out of their suffering. It is an supreme act of dignity and courage to take the devastation of losing a loved one to war and turn that grief into something positive. Even after the death of a loved one, many military families are still serving, and that is incredibly humbling.

I have written previously about a group of people who choose to protest at military funerals. This group is made up of members of the Westboro Church in Topeka, Kansas and they travel to military funerals across the country to stage demonstrations. They are not there to protest the war or the policies of the current administration. Instead, they gather at the funerals of our fallen heroes to hold signs that read “Thank God for dead soldiers” and “God hates fags.” This group uses military funerals to push their twisted views that these brave service members died as a result of God’s punishment on the United States for being too tolerant of homosexuality. No matter what your views on homosexuality, it must be obvious that military funerals are not the time or the place for this kind of disgusting and disrespectful demonstration. Family members who are grieving for the loved one and preparing to say goodbye to their husband, wife, son, daughter, father or mother should not have to face the cruelty and insensitivity of these people.

One state is taking action to prevent this type of behavior at military funerals. Governor Rell of Connecticut has just signed a bill that will limit demonstrations at military funerals. The bill has been fast-tracked in an attempt to circumvent demonstrators from disrupting the funeral of 24-year-old Army First Lieutenant Keith Heidtman. Heidtman was killed in Iraq on May 28th when his helicopter was shot down. The Westboro demonstrators had already announced plans to picket his funeral. This bill prohibits making a disturbance at a funeral and orders demonstrators to remain at least 150 feet away.

Connecticut should be applauded for taking steps to maintain the dignity of military funerals. When a service member gives his or her life defending this country, they deserve one final measure of honor and respect. Our troops put their lives in danger every day and ask very little in return. The families of our troops sacrifice in countless ways to support their loved ones in their service to this country. Both our fallen heroes and their families should be accorded a special place of honor in our nation’s memory. The final honor we can give those who have died and those who grieve is the military funeral. It should never become a time of protest or an opportunity to push political or social agendas. It must remain a time and a place of honor.