Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Spikes on October 20, 2008, 03:29:31 PM
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This is not about politics, so it should be fine to post it here.
He may not be that good with the office, but he has a genuine heart.
I got this in a newsletter earlier this week. It goes to show that not every president is "that bad". If you really think he is horrible, take a look at his heart.
8/15/2008 - EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- I learned a big lesson on service Aug. 4, 2008, when Eielson had the rare honor of hosting President Bush on a refueling stop as he traveled to Asia.
It was an event Eielson will never forget -- a hangar full of Airmen and Soldiers getting to see the Commander in Chief up close, and perhaps even shaking his hand. An incredible amount of effort goes into presidential travel because of all of the logistics, security, protocol, etc ... so it was remarkable to see Air Force One land at Eielson on time at precisely 4:30 p.m.--however, when he left less than two hours later, the President was 15 minutes behind schedule.
That's a big slip for something so tightly choreographed, but very few people know why it happened. Here's why.
On Dec. 10, 2006, our son, Shawn, was a paratrooper deployed on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was supposed to spend the night in camp, but when a fellow soldier became ill Shawn volunteered to take his place on a nighttime patrol--in the convoy's most exposed position as turret gunner in the lead Humvee. He was killed instantly with two other soldiers when an IED ripped through their vehicle.
I was thinking about that as my family and I sat in the audience listening to the President's speech, looking at the turret on the up-armored Humvee the explosive ordnance disposal flight had put at the edge of the stage as a static display.
When the speech was over and the President was working the crowd line, I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see a White House staff member. She asked me and my wife to come with her, because the President wanted to meet us.
Stunned, we grabbed our two sons that were with us and followed her back into a conference room. It was a shock to go from a crowded, noisy hangar, past all of those security people, to find ourselves suddenly alone in a quiet room.
The only thing we could hear was a cell phone vibrating, and noticed that it was coming from the jacket Senator Stevens left on a chair. We didn't answer.
A short time later, the Secret Service opened the door and President Bush walked in. I thought we might get to shake his hand as he went through. But instead, he walked up to my wife with his arms wide, pulled her in for a hug and a kiss, and said, "I wish I could heal the hole in your heart." He then grabbed me for a hug, as well as each of our sons. Then he turned and said, "Everybody out."
A few seconds later, the four of us were completely alone behind closed doors with the President of the United States and not a Secret Service agent in sight.
He said, "Come on, let's sit down and talk." He pulled up a chair at the side of the room, and we sat down next to him. He looked a little tired from his trip, and he noticed that his shoes were scuffed up from leaning over concrete barriers to shake hands and pose for photos. He slumped down the chair, completely relaxed, smiled, and suddenly was no longer the President - he was just a guy with a job, sitting around talking with us like a family member at a barbeque.
For the next 15 or 20 minutes, he talked with us about our son, Iraq, his family, faith, convictions, and shared his feelings about nearing the end of his presidency. He asked each of our teenaged sons what they wanted to do in life and counseled them to set goals, stick to their convictions, and not worry about being the "cool" guy.
He said that he'd taken a lot of heat during his tenure and was under a lot of pressure to do what's politically expedient, but was proud to say that he never sold his soul. Sometimes he laughed, and at others he teared up. He said that what he'll miss most after leaving office will be his role as Commander in Chief.
One of the somber moments was when he thanked us for the opportunity to meet, because he feels a heavy responsibility knowing that our son died because of a decision he made. He was incredibly humble, full of warmth, and completely without pretense. We were seeing the man his family sees.
We couldn't believe how long he was talking to us, but he seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. In the end, he thanked us again for the visit and for the opportunity to get off his feet for a few minutes. He then said, "Let's get some pictures." The doors flew open, Secret Service and the White House photographer came in, and suddenly he was the President again. We posed for individual pictures as he gave each of us one of his coins, and then he posed for family pictures. A few more thank yous, a few more hugs, and he was gone.
The remarkable thing about the whole event was that he didn't have to see us at all. If he wanted to do more, he could've just given a quick handshake and said, "Thanks for your sacrifice." But he didn't - he put everything and everyone in his life on hold to meet privately with the family of a Private First Class who gave his life in the service of his country.
What an incredible lesson on service. If the President of the United States is willing to drop everything on his plate to visit with a family, surely the rest of us can do it. No one is above serving another person, and no one is so lofty that he or she can't treat others with dignity and respect.
We often think of service in terms of sacrificing ourselves for someone in a position above us, but how often do we remember that serving someone below us can be much more important? If you're in a leadership capacity, take a good look at how you're treating your people, and remember that your role involves serving the people you rely on every day.
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:salute :salute :salute :salute :salute :salute :salute
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BIG :salute
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SpikesX!
Thank you for sharing that story...
:salute
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Big :salute !
Great Read!
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Good stuff :salute Thanks for sharing that.
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Spikes...Your son's courage and your family's loss will inspire generations of brave people to step up and fight evil.I salute you sir and your family for making a difference in the world.Your experience with President Bush and the loss of your son represents the highest form of humbleness,bravery and dignity.
:salute :salute :salute
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Spikes...Your son's courage and your family's loss will inspire generations of brave people to step up and fight evil.I salute you sir and your family for making a difference in the world.Your experience with President Bush and the loss of your son represents the highest form of humbleness and dignity.
:salute :salute :salute
I got this in a newsletter earlier this week. It goes to show that not every president is "that bad". If you really think he is horrible, take a look at his heart.
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Sorry...Misread the first part.
Doesn't matter..great read.
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cool read thanks for sharing
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:salute :salute
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Thanks for posting that. :salute
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Yup big. :salute
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See Rule #2
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Spikes.
Thank you for sharing your story.
God bless the family for thier sacrifice.
Salute to and eternal thanks to Shawn for his.
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:salute Words just dont seem to fit here.
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Thanks for sharing, great read. :)
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Excuse my disbelief of an email you received, but you have any proof it was true?
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Excuse my disbelief of an email you received, but you have any proof it was true?
It rings of the truth to me.
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Showed up in another forum a week or so ago, without the author's info removed. Looks legit, although I'm not about to get all warm and fuzzy about his war.
http://www.eielson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123111092
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Excuse my disbelief of an email you received, but you have any proof it was true?
It is true. I forgot to put in the Lt. Col's info when I posted.
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(http://www.eielson.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/web/080815-F-3366A-001.jpg)
Lt. Col. Mark Murphy, 354th Maintenance Group deputy commander.
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:salute
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This is not about politics.....I felt a tap on my shoulder
Only some 4,500 more tappings to go...
"There have been 4,500 coalition deaths -- 4,186 Americans, two Australians, one Azerbaijani, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, five Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvians, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of October 22, 2008, according to a CNN count"
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/ (http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/)
And maybe few hundred thousand Iraqi shoulders too...
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Only some 4,500 more tappings to go...
"There have been 4,500 coalition deaths -- 4,186 Americans, two Australians, one Azerbaijani, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, five Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvians, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of October 22, 2008, according to a CNN count"
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/ (http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/)
And maybe few hundred thousand Iraqi shoulders too...
Don't hold your breath waiting.
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That should be 175 Britons, 1 Irish,
As for my previous post, I'm not sure what I did wrong but I won't do it again :uhoh It wasn't really an attempted hijack. :angel:
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:salute :salute :salute :salute Outstanding story.
Only some 4,500 more tappings to go...
"There have been 4,500 coalition deaths -- 4,186 Americans, two Australians, one Azerbaijani, 176 Britons, 13 Bulgarians, one Czech, seven Danes, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Fijian, five Georgians, one Hungarian, 33 Italians, one Kazakh, one Korean, three Latvians, 22 Poles, three Romanians, five Salvadoran, four Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians -- in the war in Iraq as of October 22, 2008, according to a CNN count"
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/iraq/forces/casualties/
I listened to the news caster exclaiming, in excited breaths, how he could now confirm the 4,000th death of a U.S. Soldier as I was preparing to depart Stryker Village near BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). I could not help the expletives I yelled at the TV as if the newscaster could hear me. It disgusts me the sheer joy many in the main stream media get over our losses. Nothing more I can say.
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Excuse my disbelief of an email you received, but you have any proof it was true?
http://www.eielson.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123111092
It's legit. The link above takes you to the base website.
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wow, when you mention someone with a political background, you go into it.... :rolleyes:
Honestly, we cant turn around what happened in Iraq, so whether you like it or not, we're in it.
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:salute if it's true, good move Mr. President. (Can't believe everything you read, especially from a gvt's web site :noid)
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:salute :salute :salute :salute Outstanding story.
I listened to the news caster exclaiming, in excited breaths, how he could now confirm the 4,000th death of a U.S. Soldier as I was preparing to depart Stryker Village near BIAP (Baghdad International Airport). I could not help the expletives I yelled at the TV as if the newscaster could hear me. It disgusts me the sheer joy many in the main stream media get over our losses. Nothing more I can say.
My son spent a year at Stryker.
A big :salute to Bush for the story this thread is about.