By Sibella Giorello

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Listen to this song.  Listen to it.  If this song doesn’t crack your heart wide open — especially on Memorial Day weekend — don’t worry about Obamacare; you’re already dead.

I first caught James Hooker’s “Hanging Out With the Boys” on Big Dawg Music Mafia when the tune was on the BigDawg Jukebox.  But by the final chorus I’d downloaded the entire album and felt like some IED had  just gone off. An Incendiary Ear Device that blew my mind.

“Hanging Out With the Boys” album had everything from blues to ballads to bagpipes. A soulful heart, yet not sad. Patriotic but not corny. And beyond all that, it managed to be absolutely unabashed in its support for our men and women in uniform.

After days of listening to it, I wrote singer/songwriter James Hooker a thank-you note.

But musicians are a funny breed.  That innate sense of timing that makes them hit the right riffs on stage also shows up in conversations.  For instance, Hooker’s reply to my letter.  I told him my blues-musician husband thought his voice sounded like a cross between Leon Redbone and Leon Russell.

Hooker’s reply?

“Just so long as he doesn’t say Leon Panetta.”

Born James Brown (no joke), Hooker took his middle name as his last and served time in Memphis, Muscle Shoals and Nashville as an “A Team” studio musician and a founding member of “The Amazing Rhythm Aces.” He won a Grammy — “my 17.5 minutes of fame,” he says — and spent years as Steve Winwood’s keyboard player, including the “Back in the High Life” tour. He was also folk-star Nanci Griffith’s band leader for nearly 20 years. After moving to Ireland and setting up house in a 16th-century Irish castle, Hooker moved to Mallorca, Spain where he lives with his beloved Jessica, the woman he “intends to die with,” he says, “the exact order still to be determined.”

Despite years abroad, he doesn’t want to be called an ex-pat.

“‘Ex’ my butt,” he said. “I’m an American.”

Yes, musicians are a funny breed. So rather than paraphrase the sometimes acerbic, sometimes tender blues-man, here’s James Hooker in his own words, talking about how his amazing patriotic album came together, and what it’s like to play music surrounded by people who don’t think the same way politically.

You were raised in the South, the land of roots music and fabulous storytelling. I hear both influences on this album. But what’s your connection to the troops, what compelled you to make “Hanging Out With the Boys?”

This album grew from something I felt for a long time. All my life, growing up in South Carolina, being surrounded by military bases, military people, things that went zoom and boom just a few feet above the house. I grew up listening to WWII and Korea stories told by uncles, neighbors and such, and photos on the mantle of kin who still sleep in France. I knew from a VERY early age, the debt I owed them then, and the debt I owe now to the younger warriors who have followed.

Those people I knew and saw every day during my formative years helped put out the fires of Hitler’s ovens. They saved countless millions of people across the Pacific and Asia from an equally horrible fate.

If  somebody can´t find thanks for the Vets from the past and the Troops/Vets of today, well, they have my pity.

The album has some wrenching, heroic, even dark messages — delivered through everything from bagpipes to stomping kickers. Yet all the songs hold together thematically.

One of the best songwriters ever, the late Harlan Howard, said every great song was basically “Three chords and the truth.”

Harlan was talking about country music songs. But the “truth,” whether literal or fictional, holds sway in every great song’s greatness, no matter what genre.

“Truth” in a song is indefinable, but when it’s not there, you miss it terribly.

There’s a lot of  “truth” on this album. So much so it feels like it was written by a veteran. But you didn’t serve in the military. How did the material come to you?

This album practically wrote itself, although it took it´s sweet time – about eight years. It’s the album that finally convinced me that there is, indeed, a Muse. From time to time, things would get plain spooky.  The songs kept “presenting” themselves.  “Here I am! Record me, dummy!”

What initially kicked the songs into motion?

9/11.

Until that time, I’d never written a patriotic song in my life.  But That. Event. Pissed. Me. Off.

After that, every other song or three, I’d get an idea, usually after watching something on TV or reading the paper, something particularly confounding and egregious or stirring and moving. And then snippets of lyrics and melody would start coming to me out of virtually nowhere.

The first complete song, however, didn´t occur until I had finished watching HBO’s “Band Of Brothers.” Thus begat the song “Kids 1944.” And the album’s title song, “Hanging Out With The Boys”, came soon after.

The album walks a delicate line. The songs are not rah-rah patriotism. Yet the  love of America and the fight for freedom shines through. Do you consider any of the songs political, in the sense of pro-country?

Political? I don´t feel the album is that political, with maybe the exception of “Calling All The Clans Together.” That particular song came to me entirely in a dream. I understood it to mean: “Vote every SOB out. Even if it means replacing them with a different set of SOBs.” (R) (D) (S) (I) — I don´t care, sod ´em all.

The challenge I found with writing a patriotic song was to avoid “corny.” It´s not easy. It´s really easy to write a lyric that sounds as though it was hatched in Aunt Edna´s parlor.

You know, some people have told me “Hanging Out With The Boys” is corny. Okay, it’s corny. Shoot me. The Star Spangled Banner is corny. Shoot Francis Scott Key. But I don’t think honoring veterans is corny. They got SHOT at for you and me to enjoy the freedom to call it corny, if we so wish.

I wrote “Hanging Out With The Boys” for all Vets, yesterday and today. And “All Too Soon” to honor everyone from “The Greatest Generation.”

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It´s been a while since we´ve gotten any guff from the Germans or the Japanese, and those good people, who put a stop to that foolishness, are dying at a rate of about 1,200 a day.

We need to say, “Thank you” while they´re still here to say ¨You´re welcome.¨

Agreed. And I want to thank you for this album. And for your time. One last question. If somebody told you Barack Obama had “Hanging Out with The Boys” on his iPod, what would you say?

I´d say he probably picked up one of the Secret Service guys’ iPod by mistake.

"One of my proudest moments" ~ James Hooker

(Author’s note:  10% of all sales for “Hanging Out With the Boys” will go to the charity Soldiers’ Angels “No preachers or politicians need bother knocking on my door,” Hooker says.  “Soldiers’ Angels is my tithe.”)

Amen to that, James.

Thank you, Sibella.

If you enjoyed these songs as much as we do, you can find more of Mr. Hooker’s fabulous music on this special shout-out to Big Hollywood page he set up on his official website.

Have a safe, and blessed Memorial Day weekend and please keep the families of our fallen heroes as well as our brothers and sisters in harm’s way in your thoughts and prayers. ~ Lisa Mei & BigDawg

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Forced to choose a single moment from a single film that best exemplifies the extraordinary spirit America’s fighting men and women show day in and day out in their sacred duty to protect this country, it would be this one. Here’s a chunk of what I wrote about this scene back in February of 2009 when actor James Whitmore died:

Whitmore plays Sgt. Kinnie, the battle hardened leader of a small group of soldiers lost and confused in the midst of the Battle of the Bulge. Because of frostbite, Kinnie limps through most of the film as he leads the men through increasingly difficult times right up to that dreaded moment where bayonets are necessary because the ammunition’s run out.

Whitmore’s superb in the role, was nominated for an Oscar as a supporting actor (he won the Golden Globe), and launched a sixty year career that would include memorable turns in “The Asphalt Jungle” (1950), “Kiss Me Kate” (1953), “Them!” (1954), “Planet of the Apes” (1968), “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970), “Chato’s Land” (1972), “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994), numerous television appearances and two successful one man stage shows as Will Rogers and Harry Truman.

But the closing scene of “Battleground” is how I’ll always remember him

After endless days of hell, Kinnie and the other survivors are finally out of danger and set to be relieved by fresh troops. Hungry, exhausted, and shaken to the core, they’re a ragtag bunch dreaming only of a hot meal and clean sheets. Kinnie understands, though, that his men have one more mission: to put on a brave face and show their replacements a fighting spirit.

Directed by The Mighty William Wellman (his finest hour — and I don’t say that lightly), “Battleground” is not only one of the finest war films ever produced, but also an unqualified masterpiece not enough people know about. If you haven’t seen it, do. If you have, spread the word.

And don’t forget to thank a Veteran … for everything. Because without them we’d have nothing.

And if you think about it, say a prayer for my grandson Mikey, who’s currently in basic training with the National Guard. I’m so proud of him I could bust, and so worried I’ve been a little sick to my stomach since he left.

And yes, I have a grandson old enough to enlist. Long story.

What’s your favorite cinematic salute to our troops? Not just a particular film, but a specific scene or moment?

Featured in the TV program was Veteran actor, Charles Durning, who was a U.S. Army Ranger during WWII. Durning won the Silver Star for gallantry and was awarded three Purple Hearts for bravery at Normandy.

Buy Tea Are the World today and support America’s Mighty Warriors

Despite his remarkable achievements and sacrifices for freedom, still moved after all these years, Durning humbly stood at the podium and wept for his fallen brothers. Wow.  Do they make real men like Durning anymore?

After the TV program honoring Durning and other American heroes, the following program honored great American conscientious objectors.

Folks, it was quite annoying watching these guys, conscientious objectors, being portrayed as superior human beings while pontificating about the evils of war and why they chose not to participate. I thought, “You guys are free to enjoy success, freedom and spout your crap ‘in English’ because brave men like Charles Durning fought on your behalf. How dare you!”

Debbie Lee is the mom of Marc Alan Lee, the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq. On numerous occasions, Marc stepped up putting himself at risk to defend his fellow soldiers. In response to the death of her decorated son and experiencing first hand the challenges facing the families of fallen soldiers, Debbie Lee founded AmericasMightyWarriors.org.

Almost a year ago, musicians, singers, and bands across America responded to my call to come together to record a song titled “Taking Back America” and donate their recorded songs for an album to celebrate America, honor our military, and benefit the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, AmericasMightyWarriors.org.

The response was overwhelming. From Country music to rap by a black conservative and every genre in between, we selected the best 44 songs from hundreds of submissions. Jo Piazza at FoxNews titled the project Tea Are the World.”

Now, here is the truly heartwarming divine providence aspect of the project. We had no money for recording, manufacturing, distribution, or marketing. When asked about such details, my response was, “I don’t know?” I felt God only instructed me to put out the call to musicians. He did not fill me in on how it would all come together.

Remember the old Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland movies? In the films a character would say, “Let’s put on our own show!” Another character would say, “That’s a great idea! My uncle has 500 chairs stored in his garage.” They would rally together and put on an amazing production.

Tea Are the World pretty much came together the same way. Get this folks–around 100 musicians across America flew or drove in on their own dime–to Deltona Records in Florida to record “Taking Back America.”

Emmy winning TV producer Norvell Rose informed me that he and his son, Conner, would be coming down from Virginia to attend the recording session to produce a music video and “Making of Tea Are the World” documentary, all for FREE. Both are included on DVD in the Tea Are the World package.

Deltona Records owner, music producer, and engineer Frank Starchak is famed for recording Tupac Shakur and numerous other celebrities. Starchak recorded and produced the 100 musicians singing, “Taking Back America.” Starchak also mastered the 44-song double-CD set included in the Tea Are the World package, completely FREE of charge.

Professional distributor Tom Horn offered to distribute Tea Are the World again FREE of charge.

Singer Lisa Scott Kelly and Debbie Lee, founder of AmericasMightyWarriors.org, shook the trees and found funds for manufacturing, which was our only expense.

Rev. Minion told me how his wife Danielle, a professional graphic designer, got involved. Upon hearing about Tea Are the World on the news, Danielle said, “Honey, I feel I am suppose to help these people.”

Danielle Minion designed the Tea Are the World package and promotional materials. She did all of the production artwork work needed to prepare the package for manufacturing.  Now here is the kicker, after Danielle committed to our project, she became pregnant.

Folks, I am pleased and grateful to announce that Tea Are the World is completed, beautifully packaged and available for purchase. Praise God.

100% of the proceeds from the sale of Tea Are the World go to AmericasMightyWarriors.org which benefits the families of our fallen soldiers.

Because of the sacrifices of our military which include brave women and men like Charles Durning and Marc Alan Lee, we are blessed to enjoy Memorial Day cookouts with our families. Please remember the families of our fallen soldiers.

And then there are the “lucky ones” who made it home.

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Some homecoming.  They returned to a country that is struggling with sky-rocketing fuel and food prices, out-of-control government spending, record deficits, high unemployment rates, record home foreclosures, businesses going under, and the ever-increasing government intrusion into our private lives.  These heroes, our wounded active duty military members and veterans, have the added struggle of trying to muster the will and courage to press on with their lives as they suffer in silence not only from their physical impairments but from the never-ending nightmares, anger, loneliness, guilt, depression, and a number of other gut-wrenching emotions — all of which are triggered by and attributed to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Thankfully, there are caring organizations that understand what our battle-scarred warriors are going through and are actively engaged in helping them begin the healing process.  One such organization is Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc (PHWFFI).

Project Healing Waters was founded in 2005 at Walter Reed Medical Center by US Navy Captain Retired Ed Nicholson and assists in the physical and emotional therapy of disabled active duty military personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying classes and outings. It has experienced unprecedented growth and success over the last five years because of its profound effect on the participants and their well being.

I first heard about this amazing program on Real American Stories about a year ago.  As fate would have it, I was invited to sing the National Anthem at a local campaign event and one of the organizers, Ann Erickson, whose husband is involved with PHWFFI, approached me afterward and said she loved my voice and wanted to know if I wrote any of my own songs.  I told her I did.  She asked if I had ever heard of Project Healing Waters and I told her I had seen the program featured on television recently.  She then asked if I’d be willing to write a song for them and, of course, I told her I would be honored to do so.

That same night, I wrote the first draft of the lyrics and created a rough track.  I recorded a quick vocal with the track and sent it off to my song-mate, Drew (a.k.a. BigDawg – a retired Marine Corps Captain).  After he and I went back and forth with the lyrics and the music track and got it sounding the way we both wanted it, we finished the song Healing Waters.

I sent it to PHWFFI founder, Captain (ret) Ed Nicholson, and he loved it so much that he created a DVD with our video which he uses in his presentations when pitching the program to VA Hospitals across the country.  It warms our hearts to know some of the volunteers and wounded warriors are giving out copies of our video to those who donate to PHWFFI.   We are thrilled to be able to help out in a small way.

Last summer I had the great honor of being invited to perform our song at a Maryland Blue Crabs baseball game from which a portion of the ticket sales benefited PHWFFI.  I was also invited to perform at their Annual 2-Fly Tournament just a couple weeks ago after which I was approached by Sergeant Christopher Maschi, who was wounded in action overseas and is combating the effects of PTSD.  He asked me if I wrote Healing Waters and told me the first time he heard that song about a year ago, it moved him deeply.  He said:

I don’t know how you did it, but you get it…you really captured what we go through in that song.  So many people have no idea what it’s like for us but your song says it all…and gives us hope.

That right there is why BigDawg and I do what we do.

While at the 2-Fly, I also met filmmakers Steven and Russ Hasty who were there filming the tournament, interviewing the wounded warriors taking part, and the PHWFF staff and volunteers for their project Healing Waters – “a feature length documentary film about the inspirational wounded warriors of Project Healing Waters.”

Here is what Steven has to say about the project (from his KickStarter project page):

Healing Waters is the uplifting story of the resilient and inspirational recovering active duty military service members and veterans of Project Healing Waters.  The film will provide an inside look at the organization’s roots, profile the founder, participants, and volunteers as well as document its astonishing growth and powerful results in transforming the hearts and lives of some of our Nations Finest.

Three years ago I was filming a television show in Virginia and attended a Project Healing Waters outing on the Rose River.  That was the first time I saw these incredible soldiers taking part in this innovative program.  I was fascinated as I watched these wounded warriors, some of whom had just returned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, some of them veterans of Vietnam, as they made their way into the water on crutches, carried by volunteers, and even in wheelchairs to fish the Rose.  There were amputees and many bearing the scars and the trauma of roadside IEDs using improvised devices to hold fly rods in place and even a young Sergeant who had lost his arm using his teeth to retrieve the line.  I witnessed the positive change in their mood and demeanor as they lost themselves in Mother Nature.  I was both moved and inspired…

Healing Waters will be the first official documentary film of the group, which has been profiled on ESPN and CNN.  We are currently in pre-production on the film and are coordinating with the staff of Project Healing Waters to begin filming their classes and outings early this summer.  I will spend the next year traveling to VA hospitals and clinics across the US where more than 100 chapters of the project have taken root to record the compelling stories of the participants and volunteers and the impact Project Healing Waters has had on them.

Our goal is to complete the film by the end of next summer to meet the submission deadline for the Sundance Film Festival.

Let me begin by saying that I have not or will not take money from Project Healing Waters to produce this film…and the awesome Project Healing Waters backer incentives I am offering will be purchased from them by me.

The money I raise on Kickstarter will go directly toward production costs on the film.  I am an experienced outdoor television producer who knows how to operate on a tight budget.  The funds will cover necessary travel and hotels to film interviews and outings at VA Hospitals across the United States (I am no Prima Donna…if there are couches to crash on or meals to share so I can cut costs then I am there). Additional costs will include but not be limited to production assistance from camera and sound men, lighting, music licenses, post production work including film editing, sound, and color correction, film prints and DVDs…I have a deep respect for this group and I aim to produce a quality film.

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T REACH OUR GOAL?

If we don’t raise our goal, we don’t get anything. Donors pledge the amounts, but don’t actually pay until the goal is reached and the funding deadline has passed.  We want to avoid this so please spread the word.  Everything helps!

I know many of you Big Hollywood readers love and support our troops and have either served in our Armed Forces yourselves or have a loved one who has served or is currently serving.   I hope you will kindly consider supporting this wonderful project that will benefit our fellow Americans who put their lives on the line for our freedom.

Time, unfortunately, is running out to raise the money needed to complete the project by next summer.  This project will only be funded if at least $48,000 is pledged by Monday Jun 13, 11:43am EDT.  As I write this article, they currently have 65 backers who have pledged $13,141 with only 24 days to go.

I am certain that if we all help spread the word about this project, they will be able to meet their goal.

All you need to do is read some of the testimonials to see how PHWFFI has touched the lives of our wounded veterans:

“You (PHWFF) have offered me another avenue to continue recovering physically and emotionally. I thank you for what you have offered me. Please keep up the good work.” ~ A Maine Veteran

“I can’t even begin to explain how I feel about PHWFF/Volunteers and if I do I usually get choked up and my eyes get misty. Thank you, everybody, from the bottom of my heart for caring enough to volunteer and be involved.” ~ A Maine Veteran

“It really raised my self esteem, and it felt like I could do something, because lots of time we’re told we can’t do anything because we’ve got a mental illness.” ~ A California Veteran

“For my mind, it gives me energy, gives me the feeling of freedom that I never had before and also gets me closer to my kids.” ~ A California Veteran

“PHWFF helped in getting my head together during my recovery at Walter Reed. It was the perfect outlet for me while I was trying to adjust to my injuries and was a great help in broadening my horizons, giving me the hope and confidence that, no matter what my disabilities, I could still achieve and enjoy the activities of the outdoors and accomplish what I wanted to.” ~ SGT, USA, Walter Reed PHWFF wounded warrior

“As a Vietnam veteran myself who never felt quite welcome when I came home, I must tell you that I will never forget the tears streaming from the eyes of an amputee of the same era as he thanked me for the experience he was given on the East Outlet of the Kennebec River and Maine’s Moosehead Lake by the citizens of nearby Greenville, Maine, who spared no efforts or expense to host 9 veterans from Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, Maine. “You know”, he said, “this is the first time I really felt my sacrifice was appreciated. They were wonderful to us and I never knew that I could actually fly fish again, as I did when I was young.” ~ A Maine Volunteer and Veteran

“Project Healing Waters saved my life…it saved me…it brought me back from a very deep and dark place…” ~  Army Captain Retired Eivind Forseth, one of the first participants of Healing Waters

A truly worthy project…and every bit helps.

Have a safe and blessed Memorial Day weekend with your loved ones and please keep our troops in your prayers.

Godspeed patriots.

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With respect to “The Family Guy,” Robert Davi is referring to this.

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Watch it ALL!

It only gets better as it rolls on.

1. Command Decision (1948) – Made just after WWII, this Air Force drama set in 1943 when the outcome of the war was still in doubt, is one of the most intelligent examinations of the burden of command ever put on film. Clark Gable is absolutely outstanding as Casey, a Brigadier General forced to give orders that on their face appear cold and even monstrous, but in truth are just the opposite. Caught between the Washington brass who have a war to sell and the men under him who see only a General ordering their comrades to certain death, Casey is a leader willing to be hated and even lose his command in order to do the greater good. What Casey cares about before anything is saving American lives. That means winning the war as quickly as possible, something which can only be accomplished if unspeakable sacrifices are made in the here and now.

The film’s real strength lies in a refusal to demonize the different points of view represented. Walter Pidgeon plays Major General Kane, Casey’s superior and the man who has to worry about the political considerations of how Casey’s heavy losses will affect public opinion, which is just upstream from the financial decisions made in Congress. In a less intelligent, lazier film (translation: a modern one) Kane would be portrayed as a bureaucratic boob only worried about his own upward mobility, but not here. Ultimately, we may not like the way Kane’s forced to think but we’re made to understand the idea of competing goods.

Representing the men is Van Johnson who steals every scene oozing a contempt, and at times, an outright hatred for Casey. The moment when he comes to finally understand the bigger picture is both touching and understated — one of Johnson’s finest.

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2. Desperate Journey (1942) – Errol Flynn, Ronald Reagan, Raymond Massey and Alan Hale had such memorable chemistry together in Michael Curtiz’s “Santa Fe Trail” (1940) that the four of them were rounded up two years later for Raoul Walsh’s rousing WWII action/adventure set behind German lines. Shot down on a bombing run, Flynn, Reagan, Hale and Arthur Kennedy are captured by Massey’s Nazi Major who makes a career-mistake in thinking he can convince Reagan to give up secrets [great Reagan video]. What follows is a rollicking actioner very much in the spirit of “Gunga Din” with one of my all-time favorite closing lines delivered by Flynn with the gusto and panache that made him an immortal: “Now for Australia and a crack at those Japs!”

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3. Tomorrow is Forever (1946) – At first it’s easy to confuse this complicated look at a mother’s sacrifice as a soapy melodrama, even a gimmicky one, but that’s because the film doesn’t tell you what it’s really about until a very satisfying climax when the theme plays out fully and comes together. Claudette Colbert and Orson Welles are Elizabeth and John, just married and with their whole lives ahead of them. But it’s 1918, WWI rages and John goes off to do his duty. Alone with a young son, Elizabeth receives a telegram informing her John’s been killed in action. It takes years, but after some time she remarries and watches her boy grow into a man just as WWII begins. After losing her beloved first husband to one war, Elizabeth can’t bear the thought of losing her son to another. This changes when a visitor from war-torn Europe, who may or may not be a much older and nearly crippled John, helps her to understand that what’s at stake in this war is bigger than any mother’s love.

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4. Happy Land (1943) – A horrible title can’t diminish the emotional power of this 20th Century-Fox oddity – a mixture of “A Christmas Carol” and “It’s a Wonderful Life” — about Lew Marsh (Don Ameche-in his finest performance), a pharmacist living in picture-perfect small town America whose life is shattered after he loses his only son to WWII. The ghost of Gramps (the wonderful Harry Carey) snaps Lew out of a clinical depression by taking him on a tour of the past where Lew is allowed to discover things about his beloved son he never knew. This was a generous, selfless boy — a young man to be proud of and mature beyond his years who died for a higher cause he believed in.

“Happy Land” doesn’t simplify a father’s grief or pretend to have all the answers. When the credits roll, Lew’s still devastated and even a bit bitter. We’ve only been allowed to see the beginning of a healing process … and that this process will never end is made touchingly clear.

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5. The Fighting Seabees (1944) – One of John Wayne’s lesser known WWII-era films, and one that deserves better recognition. The seabees are C.B.’s as in “Construction Battalion.” These are the men who build the bridges and airstrips in battle zones. But once upon a time, according to the movie, they were unarmed civilians, not allowed to fight back and frequently picked off by enemy snipers. Enter Wedge Donovan (Wayne), the head of Donovan Construction, who has watched too many of his men die helplessly and so he sets out to allow them to become armed enlisted men — The Fighting Seebees.

What sets this apart from other Wayne films, besides the opportunity to witness Duke dance a jitterbug, is that Wayne plays the role he’s usually up against. Donovan is a not a wise, seasoned pro. He’s an immature hot head whose arrogance and stupidity ends up getting a lot of men killed. Seeing Wayne in this kind of role takes some getting used to, but it adds a memorable emotional stake to what could have been a rote programmer. Of course, Wayne’s character redeems himself – and it’s a spectacular redemption – but that’s all you’re getting from me.

[Ed. Note: This piece originally published last year.]

“Not today, hon.”

With a loud sigh of disgust she slammed the phone back into her purse and sat there in the fold-out chair and sulked. My wife’s look to me of indignant expectation (You going to put up with that?) was met by my practiced calm of everything-will-be-fine (She’s a teenager, that’s what they do). 

Hoping against hope that my doubting Thomas wife was wrong and that I was right, I settled in to listen to the Memorial Day program at the Los Angeles National Cemetery.  It was May 30, 2009, and as we sat there on the lawn that cloudy morning, our little family was a whirl of dysfunction.  It had been building for some time; petty problems had ruined our peace, and small arguments and squabbling set my wife and my 16-yr-old daughter at mutual odds.  I sat there amidst the several thousand gathered feeling alone, distant, isolated.  And completely alienated from my family.  How could three so close seem suddenly so distant? 

Speaking to honor our fallen war heroes that day were several Hollywood notables including John Voight and Robert Davi.  They were reading letters sent home from distant battlefields and different wars.  Sent to loved ones by men they would never see again. 

As the program proceeded, a miracle happened.  It happened within our family – but I think it was happening everywhere that day, all across America really.  We forgot our petty differences for a moment.  We forgot to text.  We forgot who was on “American Idol” that week.  We forgot ‘it’s all about me’.

We remembered the soldier.

There were tears wept openly that day as these heart-rending letters were read.  A glowing warmth of pride descended upon this crowd as we sat there together and considered the people who were willing to serve to preserve our freedom. 

My daughter’s truculence had dissipated and been replaced with a sweet reverence.  After the program we wandered through the cemetery reading the headstones of veterans who had passed.  My daughter wandered off by herself, reading the names, fully engrossed in reverie for these heroes of past wars.  My wife nodded at her, squeezed my hand, and we watched her in quiet repose.  This was something new I was witnessing.  My daughter got it.

This recent Memorial Day was a good time for America.  And it was definitely a good day for my family.

I thought of times in our history when brave men in uniform demonstrated their courage.  And by ‘brave’ I mean – scared sh*tless, disoriented, fiercely committed, praying for help, screaming death and venom at evil, blasting away at the enemy, and…basically doing exactly what a soldier is expected to do.  Put himself in the line of fire to win the battle.

The 101st Airborne at Bastogne. The Marines at Chosin Reservoir.  Normandy.  Iwo Jima.  Saigon.  Fallujah, Iraq. Hindu-Kush, Afghanistan. The examples of American Military heroism are endless.

Jesus told us in the Bible that “no greater love hath a man that that would lay down his life for another.”  A prescient truth foretelling true self-sacrifice, as reflected in the Cross — our Lord’s final act of love on this earth.  Consider the love and selfless courage it would take for a G.I. in combat to throw himself onto a live grenade to save his fellow squad members.  Yet this has happened time and time again by our courageous troops, most recently, in Ramadi, Iraq by a young Navy SEAL Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor. 

These acts of heroism are common, but seldom widely reported.  More often than not, they are buried beneath apparently more urgent stories like who won a talent contest or basketball championship. 

The many efforts of the Left to disparage and denigrate our servicemen are all too widespread.   Our troops are constantly being maligned as intellectually inferior and naively gullible. Ironically, the exact opposite is true.  In fact, the very highest of all human ideals and attributes is to be found by the men and women who serve in our military. 

My teenage daughter got it on May 30th.  She got that her carefree life of texting her friends and going to the mall and riding her horse is all made possible by the sacrifices our military men and women are willing to make on a daily basis.  They don’t demand our respect – but they are certainly worthy of it.

So the next time you hear some arrogant, pseudo-intellectual dipstick running his mouth about how our military is a bunch of ignorant, thug rednecks…step up to the Cretin and set him straight.  Idiocy, if tolerated, has a habit of turning into a cultural mindset…and pretty soon you have one of those ‘Zeitgeist’ things happening.  That’s how Political Correctness got started.  (And, not coincidentally, the Third Reich.) 

It’s time to cut that garbage off at the knees.  Educate yourself, America.  Re-examine our roots and our heritage and our history.  Contrary to what the America-hating revisionists want you to believe, America has a proud past of building from nothing a nation that is the contemporary cornerstone of freedom for all mankind.  We haven’t been perfect…but we’ve become the best the world has ever seen.  Build up a fire in your belly for America and all that she stands for, and stand up and shout your love of country and honor for the flag from the rooftops. 

If you’re not spitting out blood… you’re just not yelling loud enough.

THE WORLD TODAY: A News Summary

May 2009

BONN (EU News) – The current CSPEU administration has decided to increase productivity by lowering the age that children are required to enter the workforce from nine to eight years of age. The EU Vice Minister for the Interior states the lowering of the work age is due to an increased shortage of youthful workers. “It’s a reflection of the ongoing fighting between our peaceful union and the obstinate Russians.”

Citizens and subjects in the 18-25 age bracket have seldom been seen in recent years. The Vice Minister commented on this by stating, “This temporary downturn in our youthful population is insignificant compared to the tremendous loss of life on the Russian side. Though our rockets delivering Vemork V weapons obliterated St. Petersburg and most of Moscow years ago, the Russians, though scattered and ill equipped, still choose to resist to this very day. It staggers the mind why they wish to continue their own misery. “

The Vice Minister added, “England, on the other hand, fell very quickly after we dropped only a mere one quarter megaton of heavy water (D₂O) weaponry on their proud London back in 1946. Of course, we could continue to bombard the Russian outposts like we did London and where Paris once was, but it would contaminate any remaining soil. We’ve been trying to avoid this drastic measure. We are humanitarians, after all.”

The Vice Minister continued, “More to the point, it is vital to emphasize that the biological surrogate guardians of children reaching their seventh birthday are now required by law to enter their offspring’s identity number with a nearby STC (State Training Center) to begin the one year transition to the workforce. It is mandatory they comply with the new law. Penalties are harsh.”

EU News has faithfully reported in the past that administration policy is very clear on this issue. Biological surrogate guardians, bio-guardians, who refuse to surrender their unlawful offspring in a timely manner, will be sequestered by the administration’s Ministry of Adult Education for an indefinite period of time. Consequently, children found unattended will be conscripted into the workforce with any surviving surrogates losing visiting rights.

The Vice Minister added, “It’s in every bio-guardians’ interest to register the Fatherland’s children early. The earlier these children start their lives the easier it will be for them to make the transition from their surrogate households and purge those troubled lives from memory. It’s for their own good to cut those ties early. It’s natural and it’s the law.”

The governing Commanding Socialist Party of the European Union has announced that they have apprehended another 2500 political criminals across the nation. These individuals will be held temporarily in one of the New Spandau prison system facilities outside the EU Capital Center in Bonn until such time that more permanent facilities can be arranged, if needed.

In other news, the incoming Director of the Ministry of Allocations and Provisions has announced new shipments of household goods to be rationed out to the populace beginning next month as part of the new modernization plan.

“Citizens throughout the inner Fatherland nations of Deutschland, Austria and Switzerland in residential blocks A thru F can once again begin signing up for bread, water, salt, kerosene, and toilet paper as promised.”  The Director stated in an uplifting speech given earlier this week. ”Citizens in residential blocks G thru P can begin signing-up for potatoes, cloth, canvas, shoe leather, and slag metal. Citizens in blocks Q thru Z can sign-up for milk, cheese, and butter substitutes. These blocks will rotate. Everyone will eventually get a chance at all the household goods and items as required by law. Anyone found forging identity cards, ration coupons, altering their derma scancode, or cheating the system in any way will be dealt with harshly.”

The Director continued, “Subjects in outlying regions of old Europe, including territories referred to previously as Britain, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxemburg, Italy, Malta, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Scandinavia, Poland, Turkey, Czechoslovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria will begin similar initiatives as soon as allocations within the inner Fatherland areas are completed and fully verified. The same waiting period applies to the new North and South Amerikan territories in accordance with the Colonial Affairs Ministry which has local jurisdiction for those continents.”

The Director concluded with these words of reassurance, “Subjects in frontier regions such as Afrika will begin an experimental allocation program. The details of which are not to be made public at this time. The difficulties in supplying the vast continent of Afrika are enormous, as many are aware. I urge our subjects in Afrika to be patient. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and the pestilent Jews and gypsies weren’t purged from our streets in a week! These things take time, but as we know, they do get done. ”

In Asian news, the Empire of Japan stated there was a brief power outage at a Human Resources Productivity Center in former Ceylon. About 70,000 workers suffocated in one of the vast underground graphite mines when the air supply was interrupted for several hours due to the power outage. The mine was flooded with hydrofluoric acid to aid in the cleaning and speedy removal of remains. Relatives are reminded that religious services for the deceased are prohibited.

A high-ranking official with Human Resources stated (off-the-record), “It (power outage) was most likely due to attempted sabotage by rebels.” He added, “We get troublemakers stirring things up from time to time. They’re just pests. And we have experience dealing with pests. It will be dealt with.”

Within hours of that statement approximately four hundred suspects were taken into custody from the outlying region and are presently assisting HR with inquiries. Next of kin will be notified where appropriate.

In a related story, the highly decorated Imperial Swordsman Unit of the Empire’s Honor Guard, known for their much-prized ability to dispatch multiple opponents while on horseback, is no longer recruiting volunteers from the populace to assist the unit in training and practice.

In agricultural news, the expansive rice crop harvest in the region has shown high increases in yields due to the new extended work hours. A government source stated, ”We’ve seen an enormous growth potential in limiting the amount of sleep our workers receive. By modeling their sleep habits on other animals, such as dogs and livestock, and supplementing this with pharmaceutical conditioning we’ve been able to reduce the total sleep time per day to 2.5 hours per subject. It’s a tremendous achievement. We plan to implement our research into all other areas of the labor force. This is a very exciting time in the field of science.”

Other so-called outsider regions known previously as Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, and Burma, now generally referred to collectively as Gaidashu, have seen only moderate yields. GACPS has announced plans to implement more robust cultural and genetic reintegration of these outlying regions, stating, “Citizens of even the most outlying regions of the Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere must remember that the official language is Japanese and use of other, outsider, mongrel tongues is not only forbidden but is a direct insult to their role as subject in the service of the Empire. We have a no tolerance policy.” Violators of this policy, EU News has been told, will be transported to one of the following: Re-Education and Conscription Centers, dojos for assisting martial training of the military and to National Health Centers for volunteer work on pathogenic and contagious diseases research.

In a related story, the Empire’s successful testing of chemical and biological agents inside Manchuko, formerly known as China and Manchuria has yielded another 20 million liters of Cyanogen and Cyclosarin material necessary to ensure continued peace. Volunteers are still being recruited from the still mainly Chinese population in the area, eager to do their part in helping the Empire to attain its goals.

A government official remarking on a recent news blackout in the area stated, ”When testing such huge amounts such as we are required to do, accidents can and will happen. It’s part of the risk. Furthermore, we are announcing that several cities in the Sechuan area are off limits until further notice. Subjects who have relatives in these areas in former Southern China are reminded to be patient. Inquiries, as per government policy, will not be accepted. Trust is required. We are certain each and every subject understands this and will comply with regulations.”  He warned, “Be advised. Causing any disruption over this issue, or any other, is bound to meet with the strictest and most severe disciplinary action.”

That’s the way it is, May 2009. Good night and good luck.

(The information ministries of the Commanding Socialist Party of the European Union and Greater Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere contributed to this report. This news summary has been translated from German and Japanese into English for educational purposes only.)

Link: THE WORLD TODAY

Copyright © CSPEU/GACPS 2009.

What you have just read never happened. It is not the world we are living in today.

Thank you to all the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who gave their youth, their health and their lives over sixty years ago to prevent the nightmare such as the one depicted above from becoming today’s reality.

Not only on Memorial Day, but other days as well, let us take time to reflect on all that we have gained from those who gave everything they had.

- Schizoid Mann