Operation Just Cause... ...for as long as it takes
Sent in by Kimmie Berly
Received this from the SDIT Florida President. Word of advice, grab a box of kleenex. Finally a music video that captures the feelings of those who have someone on The Wall. Be it a father, brother, son, friend; this video will invoke powerful emotion.
Hugs, Kimmie
Sent in by Kimmie Berly
I will once again at the end of the year try to win the Top Gun On The Net for dad's page and all my other pages dedicated to the men of Pararescue. Nominations are now being accepted. Please if you find my site worthy, go to the URL below and click the nominate button for the Top Gun Category.
The title of my page is:
Pararescue, Gone But Not Forgotten
Thank you all who nominated me last year. I have been assured that this year the voting will be more closely monitored so as not to have the problems we had in 1999.
Thank you,
Kimberly Thomas-Bowles
Sent in by Sandy
I have some free pow/military graphics with my poems on them,
that OJC
is more then welcome to use if they wish.
Poem Graphics I
Free Graphics Index
God Bless You!
You are more then welcome to use any of the free graphics on my free military
graphics site also
Sandy
Vietnam The War
Sent in by Cindy Lou
"Hello everyone. I'm in Flagstaff, AZ right now. I ran through downtown, too. A man named Rudy pulled me over on his motorcycle and we talked. He is a Vietnam veteran from the 9th infantry division. He wished me good luck. I was running on route 66. It was a thrill to run on that historic highway. I have heard so much about it. Everyone was honking and waving, both on highway 66 and in downtown. We stopped by some radio stations, and had a television interview.
Then, we changed drivers. I want to thank Jim for driving from Camp Pendleton, CA to here. He should be commended. The new driver is named Amy. I want to thank Amy for coming out to drive. I also want to thank the committee for all the work that they have done. Anyway, the sewage disposal unit has broken down, so we are going to bring it in for repairs tomorrow. I will still run tomorow, most likely on highway 66. Then, I'll run on highway 89. In a few days I'll be on highway 160. Gotta run!"
June 30
From the US Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ: "Hello! I'm calling from the U.S. Naval Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ. I wanted to tell you that Tom Schepers just ran by. He stopped in for a visit and is on his way again. It's about 11:30."
"It's Tom here, and I'm still heading east! The RV is in a RV station off of Historic Route 66. We had to get the sewage and drainage system replaced. It got pulled off yesterday. It went under repair when I left at 8:00am. I went up Route 66. The Daily Sun Newspaper in Flagstaff interviewed me. It should be in tomorrow's newspaper. I came back on Interstate 40 and saw the US Naval Observatory. So, I went in. They gave me a great reception, and a lot of water, too! Joan gave me a very nice tour. I saw the largest telescope the Navy has! It was very fascinating. There was nice views, and lots of water. I came back in the lightning and rain about 1:00.
When I went back to the RV station, the RV was finished. They changed the RV's oil, the generator's oil, put in a brand new sewage and drainage system, and filled up the LP gas! When it came time to pay for it all, they told me it was on the house! Thanks a lot guys! It's Amy's first day driving, and she's doing fantastic! We will be heading east tomorrow, again. Gotta Run!"
Tom has entered an area where he is unable to update us on his run. He will be out of this area in a few days.
Sent in by Cindy Lou
"This is Tom calling! You all are doing an excellent job! Downtown Cortez is about 4 miles away. Strait ahead of me, I can see mountains. I talked to Tom Begay from the Navajo Nation. I saw the name "Begay" on a list of Code Talkers. I think that there were about 8 or 9 code talkers in that family. He told me about Sleeping Mountain. There is a tribe that sleeps at it's foot. Sleeping Mountain is supposed to look like a sleeping warrior chief that they are waiting to see again. I gave Mr. Begay a picture of Charles Lindberg. It is an honor to be running through this area. I talked to my family. They are doing well, and I am very proud of them. Everything is going well. [sounds of rain in the background.] Gotta Run!"
"Very good day, just like we have had all the way along. We passed through Cortez, CO. I ran in to Armando Garcia on the streets of Cortez. He is a Vietnam Veteran that was in the first cavalry. His is the Adjacent General in the American Legion here in Cortez. He told me of the memorial that they built in the park. I went to see it later today. It looks very nice! He also told me that there are about 2700 veterans living in Cortez alone. It feels like a very patriotic community. People are honking and waving. I had an interview with the Cortez Journal. I believe that it comes out on Thursday. Right now, I am between Cortez and Durango, CO. Tomorrow I will be going to the Durango VFW, and also I will meet with the Durango newspaper for an interview. I can't thank everyone enough. All the support that I am getting from my co-workers, my family, the committee, and the people along the way is very nice. Well, now I'm going to go have a fabulous spaghetti dinner cooked by my driver Amy. Gotta Run!"
"This is Tom. I'm in Durango, CO right now. We stopped in the Durango VFW and met some really nice people. Tomorrow we are going to park the RV in the VFW lot and I'll do some running in the Durango area. We are supposed to meet with the Durango newspaper tomorrow. We had a good run today. There were a lot of beeps and honks. We ran across some people on the road. I talked to Chris Myer who was in the 101st in Vietnam. He use to live back in Twin Cities, Minnesota! We are having great weather here. We had a good send off when we left Cortez. The XLR8 sports drink is helping. We are pretty much through with the desert now. Everything is starting to turn green. Right now I'm watching and eagle fly over the treetops. You can't beet that! I had macaroni and cheese for supper. I know that the committee is meeting tonight, and I want to thank them for all the effort they have been putting fourth. Well, let's keep on honoring our veterans with every step. Gotta Run!"
Sent in by Cindy Lou
"Hello! It's Tom calling. We are around Saguache, CO. We had a really good day and met a lot of people along the way. I was offered water, too. I met a man named Tom Pew from AZ. I told him that we had a state Representative from South St. Paul, MN named Tom Pugh. Said the same, but spelled differently. I also ran across a Vietnam veteran who stopped with his wife and sister. He served in Vietnam in Kilo, or the K-Company, 3rd Battalion 5th Marines, the same dates that I did. I was in India, or the I-Company. We worked together in the same battalion. He said he will look us up tomorrow on the road. The were on their way to Pagosa Springs and are coming back to Denver. I have his card. He wants me to call him when I get to the Denver area if I don't meet up with him tomorrow. We are doing great. I had a good supper. Joanne is an excellent cook! I hope the committee is taking a little break from all the hard work they're doing. Gotta Run!"
"It's Tom calling. I am by Salina, CO. We had a very god and beautiful day in the sun. We met with a man named Richard Campos who served in the K-Company in Vietnam. [See yesterdays log.] We also met with his wife and her friend. Her friend lost her brother in Vietnam. He was an air force pilot who was shot down in June '67. (Major Victor J. Apodaca, Jr.) They gave me his POW/MIA bracelet, and I am wearing that along with Keith Cheristophersen's, who was also shot down [navy pilot - Jan. 1973], POW/MIA, from South St. Paul, MN. It is an honor to be carrying the memory of these fine gentlemen across the country. Mr. Campos, being a marine, we served together! K-Company and I-Company were side by side during operation Union. He has done long walks for the POW/MIA from Texas to CO, to Denver. He said he will try to make some connections for us. I am looking forward to tomorrow. Gotta Run!"
"I'm still running for the WWII awareness. Things are going very well. We are now in Cannon City, CO. We are staying in a Benedictine Monastery. When they heard about what we were doing, they let us park the RV and hook up to their electricity for just $5 a night. One thing that I have noticed, all the way from California to here, is that the fire hydrants were made by Waterous; quite a bit of them. Waterous is a company that I worked with when I first got out of the service, and back into St. Paul. It was quite a hometown connection. We did very well, and things are looking good. Today was a real honor meeting all the people along the way. We are going to be eating with the retreat that's going on here. Gotta Run!"
