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booksbenji
11-16-07, 02:29 PM
:devious: :mad:



to include Guest list as who would be coming on the first story:

I was standing at the bus stop not far from where the streets splints to go downtown in Midland yesterday am(Wednesday). Suddenly there 10 county and city police cars, motorcycles heading downtown. I thought "W" was paying a visit to his "hometown" and then the guys in the suits and black cars ain't picked me yet so I was wondering all of the noise was 4:

Patriot Guard Riders, residents greet soldiers at airport

Colin Guy

Midland Reporter-Telegram

11/15/2007

Twenty-five veterans visiting Midland for Show of Support Hunt for Heroes banquet and hunting trip.


Veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were greeted enthusiastically at Midland International Airport Wednesday by members of the Patriot Guard Riders and other residents eager to share their appreciation for the soldiers' service to their country.


The 25 troops, who will be honored today at the Show of Support Hunt for Heroes' annual banquet, were met with cries of "welcome home" by the leather-clad men and women that formed the welcoming party, most of whom were wearing black leather jackets covered in patches and pins depicting their patriotism and passion for motorcycling.


Many of the motorcyclists are veterans of the Vietnam War and at least one of the younger veterans stopped to return the gesture and share his appreciation for the sacrifices made by his predecessor.


About two dozen American flags were hoisted proudly by the bikers as the soldiers passed through their ranks and into the vehicles of residents who volunteered to transport the troops to the Hilton Midland Plaza. The shrill sirens of law enforcement vehicles mingled with the deep, base rumble of over a dozen motorcycles as the motorcade departed the airport and escorted the veterans into a community whose residents have long been vocal in their support for the men and women who serve in the armed forces.


"We do this for a lot of soldiers, we do it all the time," Dick Galloway, a member of the Patriot Guard Riders, told the Reporter-Telegram. "Most of us are veterans. We didn't have this when we came home, we had quite the opposite."


Patriot Guard Riders member Richard Borgne told the Reporter-Telegram that when he got off the plane in San Diego, Calif. after returning from Vietnam he was met with cries of "baby killers" from protesters who were expressing their opposition to the war by targeting the men who had been called on to serve in it.


Borgne said that while many members of the Patriot Guard Riders are veterans, anyone can join and anyone who wishes to learn more is encouraged to visit the organization's Web site, patriotguard.org.


In addition to welcoming members of the armed services as they arrive in town, the Patriot Guard Riders also escort the funeral processions of fallen soldiers if their presence is requested by family members.


The Patriot Guard Riders will hit the road again today as part of a procession escorting the visiting soldiers to the Horseshoe where they will be treated to a banquet in their honor. Residents are encouraged to show up shortly before 4 p.m. to line the roads from the Hilton to the Horseshoe with flags, balloons, posters and banners to greet the soldiers.



-Show of Support Hunt for Heroes is a non-profit organization that honors veterans with a banquet dinner and hunting trips


-Residents are encouraged to line up along Rankin Highway at 3:30 p.m. today to greet the soldiers as they are escorted to the banquet


The Org OIC: http://www.showofsupport.org/SOS/index.php



Each year Show of Support selects soldiers to attend the banquet and participate in a Whitetail Deer Hunt. Below are the soldiers that have been selected and participated in the prior years and those who will participate for this coming year.



2007 Participants (More To Come) updated 28 October 2007

RANK NAME BRANCH STATE
SPC Albonico, Marc ARMY
CPT Barclay, James ARMY
SGT Bartlet, Robert ARMY
SSG Berrier, Sean ARMY
CPT Bradley, Rusty ARMY
SSG Brown, Jeffery ARMY
SPC Caplette, Joshua ARMY
SFC Ehrig, Bobby ARMY
LTC Emrick III, Harold ARMY
SPC Erdman, Jacob ARMY
CPT Fischer, Nigel USMC
SPC Furay, Timothy ARMY
CPL Gire, Daniel USMC
SFC Grzeszak, Benjamin ARMY
SFC Henderson, Jeremy ARMY
CPL Hill, Cody USMC
SGT Honeycutt, Travis ARMY
SGT Kaiser, John ARMY
SGT Jacobs, Robert ARMY
CPO Johns, Peter (PJ) NAVY
SGT Koop, Anthony ARMY
CPT Leifker, Scott ARMY
SSG Lewis, Nickolas ARMY
SSG Purser, Johnathan ARMY
CPT Reeves, David ARMY
SPC Rodriguez, Joshua ARMY
SSG Saurs, Ryan ARMY
CW2 Scrogin, Patrick ARMY
SFC Scrugham, Steven ARMY
SSG Sheldon, Cody ARMY
SFC Stube, Greg ARMY
PFC Zelko, John ARMY



I was relieved that the White suits and straight jackets did not show up!!!!



CMC VISITS MIDLAND:

ATTENTIOPN ON DECK

PRESENT ARMS

ORDER ARMS

CMC VISITS THE EARL PATCH;


Soldiers honored during fourth-annual Show of Support banquet
Colin Guy

Midland Reporter-Telegram

11/16/2007

Twenty-six veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq received gifts and expressions of appreciation for their service from Midlanders during the event.



The soldiers will be taken on a hunting trip over the weekend funded by the non-profit's efforts.


A decade ago Commandant of the Marine Corps James Conway had his doubts about what he dubbed the "joystick generation," but veterans from this generation have proven themselves on the field of battle and have proven him wrong, he told the audience of the fourth-annual Show of Support Hunt for Heroes banquet.

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Conway said the 26 wounded warriors honored at Thursday's event and their peers have proven during their service in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that they possess "courage, a sense of sacrifice, a sense of selflessness and fair play."


The young men and women serving in the armed forces today are protecting the nation from ruthless extremists who, if granted the opportunity, would murder American men, women and children in their beds, Conway said. These warriors' willingness to volunteer to serve overseas has guaranteed that the nation's enemies remain thousands of miles away and the American public needs to acknowledge their service and support their mission.



Conway noted polls over the past two years have shown that 65 percent of Americans do not believe the war in Iraq is going well. He said he has seen first-hand the difference American soldiers are making and that the truth is that "things are much better there than they would have been."


When he returns to Iraq on Monday, Conway said, one of the first questions he will be asked by soldiers in the field is whether or not the people they are protecting back home still support their efforts.


"Let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, I'll be glad to tell them about this event," Conway said.


Conway said he believes the Global War on Terror will be a long war, possibly even a multi-generational war. However, he said, when the first battles in a war are won the conflict tends to be much shorter and if the United States withdraws from Iraq and Afghanistan-- the first battles in a broader war-- the struggle will likely last much longer.


Suzanne Conaway, the wife of United States Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, also spoke to the need to support the nation's soldiers and their mission. The sort of support demonstrated by Midlanders through the Show of Support banquet is not as prevalent in Washington, she said, which angers her because the men and women in the armed forces are willing to leave behind their loved ones for a prolonged period of time to help protect people they've never met.


"They stand between us and some very, very bad men and they deserve every ounce of our love and anything we can give them," she said.


The 26 soldiers honored at the ceremony were provided with rifles donated by a variety of individuals and companies, cowboy hats donated by Resistol and Texas flags that had flown over the Capitol. The soldiers were also provided with keys to the city during a luncheon at the Commemorative Air Force hangar at noon Thursday.


"It's overwhelming. The show of support here is phenomenal," Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Saurs told the Reporter-Telegram. "It's hard to articulate it, especially coming from other cities where people support the soldiers, but nobody actively engages in it."


During the banquet veterans from both the current wars and previous conflicts were honored as were the women and family members who waited at home while they were abroad.


Former participants in the Show of Support hunting trips, which follow the banquet each year, expressed their appreciation to founder Terry Johnson with the gift of a k-bar knife, which they said is a traditional gift in the military to commemorate a deployment. Johnson was also given a rifle of his own by Texas Trophy Hunters Association President Jerry Johnston.


"Let me ask you a question and I want you to raise your hand if you know the answer ... who was the second person who flew an airplane?" Johnston asked the audience. "This guy did it first. These types of events are popping up all over the country, but he was the first. ... He pioneered this."






THE LITTLE FISHWRAP NEWSPAPER FAILED TO INCLUDE THE GUEST OF THE HONOR CEMORNY WHICH INCLUDED THE CMC. I LET 'EM KNOW AT ABOUT 1000 THIS AM. COMMENT WAS THEY WILL TRY HARDER NEXT TIME,. NOTHING BUT **** paper:

Ya'll would have the common sense to let the public know who would be the guest speaker, etc, etc, etc. I would have like to shake to my Former commanding officer from sum 25 yrs ago. As I know other MARINES that served with the CMC would have have been to salute him and thank these Veterans who served like we did.. It is a crying shame that MRT does a halfway reporting of this natue. No wonder there's any education valve in the MRT when they negelect to post the guests on AN IMPORTANT STORY!!!


http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19029924&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475626&rfi=6

Other than Tom Franks, who grew up here and I went to school with, this the most important Military officer to visit this lil' old desert town