Blue Fridays

This is being passed along to you from my sister, who is now retired from the US Air Force where she served in the first and second gulf war as well as many other campaigns that few of us know about.




National Picture of the Year:


First Place:

When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport , Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac.

During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport , Major Steve Beck described the scene as so powerful: 'See the people in the windows? They sat right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home,' he said. 'They will remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should.' 


Second Place:

The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of 'Cat,' and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. 'I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it,' she said. 'I think that's what he would have wanted'. 


And finally, A photo that is very hard to look at...

Blue Fridays. Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing blue 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 overbearing.

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 blue. By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of blue much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in BLUE 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 blue every Friday. 

Fist in the Air

There is no doubt, Joe Louis "The Brown Bomber" was an amazing athlete.

As a professional boxer, he defeated Max Schmeling in a boxing match, shattering the myth of racial superiority back when the Nazi's were gaining speed in Germany. He served America in the segregated army of World War II and fought for the rights of Afro Americans to participate in professional sports. He did this with his fist and determination.

As a Detroit native, it is only fitting that one of Detroit's sporting venues is named after him. The Detroit Red Wings play at Joe Louis Arena. Standing proudly at the foot of the first paved road in the world (Woodward Avenue) you can find this statue. A 24 foot long bronze arm and fist representing Joe's fist, suspended in the middle of the busiest intersection in the city. It's an amazing sculpture and a nice tribute. For those who know who Joe Louis was, it's great. How does this reflect on a city that does not have such a good image for those that might be visiting though? Imagine that you are visiting the city for the first time and you know nothing of a boxer from the WW2 era. You just see a giant fist, in the heart of the city. Is Detroit really that tough of a town? And look out Canada, this thing is pointed right at you.

What's my point?

This is what we are teaching our children. This is a tough town and you better be ready. Or get out of the way. This is what Laura commented about my previous post Will it get Better
i've been thinking of your 'bully' posts...and with all the 'bully' attention on tv lately. i wanted to come back and add a few words to what i said...
i think that in the workplace...bullying shouldn't be tolerated. i know i said in another comment that firing them wouldn't change them...but maybe if they find themselves out of work...over and over again...they MIGHT start to THINK about their actions.
as far as bully kids...no, they shouldn't be tolerated either...and if other kids step in and stick up for those that are being bullied...it c an only help.
kid bullies have to be learning this behavior from somewhere...they're not born a bully...are they? are they bullied at home? do their parents bully other people?
i don't know. standing up to a bully wherever possible...i guess is the first step... 

I thought it deserved revisiting as well.


Looking back at my own childhood, I was worthy of being picked on or bullied. I was quite different. The thing that got me through was the fact that I was able to befriend the right people. When I got bullied, and it was often, there would always be someone there to defend me. Someone would stand up and say " Knock it off, leave him alone". If I were to run into anyone from my childhood today, I would want it to be one of those people that stood up for me. I would thank them for standing up to those bullies for a kid that couldn't do it. It surprised me when my friend killed himself because I always looked up to him. I thought he was the strong one. But perhaps he wasn't as strong as I thought and maybe he needed someone to stand up for him. I wish that I could have done that.

As for workplace bullying, I find it funny that the district manager that I wrote of before, just issued a memo to all employees that anyone caught bullying or harassing anyone else would be terminated immediately. Why is it that she doesn't see herself as a bully?

And if I were mayor of Detroit, I would move that fist sculpture to in front of Joe Louis Arena where it would make more sense. It seems that everything in there is about hockey and the Red Wings. Joe Louis was a fighter. Maybe that's why we have so many fights in hockey games.

But as with my own childhood, we need to teach the good kids to stand up for those that are being bullied. We need to lead by example and "don't perpetuate the hate". Every little bit helps.

Lions and Tigers and Bears and Deer too!

Last night was a long one. I started out driving at 2:30 pm. I picked up the limousine and headed to the funeral home to pick up the owner and a few of his friends. Our local sports teams are doing quite well lately and they got their hands on some Monday night football tickets to see the Detroit Lions take on the Chicago Bears. They started their night out catching the Detroit Tiger's game on a big screen at a local bar in Detroit. So they really did see Lions and Tiger and Bears!

Oh My!

For the sports enthusiast, the Tigers lost and the Lions won.

By the time I was heading home, it was 2:30am. Of course it was dark and because of our unseasonably warm October days, it was foggy as the night chill set in. As I drove along with the fog lights illuminating the pavement in front of my car and the headlights off, I'd catch the occasional glimpse of a dear or other animal along the side of the road, grazing on the long grass in the ditches. You could see the eyes of the animals reflecting the lights back at me. This made me think first that evolution has really helped us to be able to see them as we drive and avoid the hazards of them wondering out in to the road.

But then I thought, I'm sure that their eyes did this before there were cars. And I started to think about what actually makes their eyes do that. You can see it in almost all animals.

Then I remembered back to the morning before as I made my way home from my other night job and the children were walking to school in the fog. Their eyes don't glow!

Why do you suppose that we humans don't have the same thing in our eyes that make them glow in the dark as our mammal counterparts.

Stayin' Alive

I always wondered what those AAA bumper stickers meant 

when I was a kid...

"Bringem' Back Alive"

Happy Halloween

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