Tuesday, December 27, 2005

This picture was not changed in any way...this is exactly how it came out...kinda cool huh??

Sunday, December 18, 2005

"A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both." - Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), Inaugural Address, January 20, 1953

Friday, December 16, 2005

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

The unknown solider

1. How many steps does the guard take during his walk across the tomb of the Unknowns and why? 21 steps. It alludes to the twenty-one gun salute, which is the highest honor given any military or foreign dignitary. 2. How long does he hesitate after his about face to begin his return walk and why? 21 seconds for the same reason as answer number 1 3. Why are his gloves wet? His gloves are moistened to prevent his losing his grip on the rifle 4. Does he carry his rifle on the same shoulder all the time and if not, why not? He carries the rifle on the shoulder away from the tomb. After his march across the path, he executes an about faceand moves the rifle to the outside shoulder 5. How often are the guards changed? Guards are changed every thirty minutes, twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. 6. What are the physical traits of the guard limited to? For a person to apply for guard duty at the tomb, he must be between 5' 10" and 6' 2" tall and his waist size cannot exceed 30." Other requirements of the Guard: They must commit 2 years of life to guard the tomb, live in a barracks under the tomb, and cannot drink any alcohol on or off duty for the rest of their lives. They cannot swear in public for the rest of their lives and cannot disgrace the uniform {fighting} or the tomb in any way. After two years, the guard is given a wreath pin that is worn on their lapel signifying they served as guard of the tomb. There are only 400 presently worn. The guard must obey these rules for the rest of their lives or give up the wreath pin. The shoes are specially made with very thick soles to keep the heat and cold from their feet. There are metal heel plates that extend to the top of the shoe in order to make the loud click as they come to a halt. There are no wrinkles, folds or lint on the uniform. Guards dress for duty in front of a full-length mirror. The first six months of duty a guard cannot talk to anyone, nor watch TV. All off duty time is spent studying the 175 notable people laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery . A guard must memorize who they are and where they are interred. Among the notables are: President Taft, Joe E. Lewis {the boxer} and Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy, {the most decorated soldier of WWII} of Hollywood fame. Every guard spends five hours a day getting his uniforms ready for guard duty. ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD, AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT SHINE UPON THEM. In 2003 as Hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington, DC, our US Senate/House took 2 days off with anticipation of the storm. On the ABC evening news, it was reported that because of the dangers from the hurricane, the military members assigned the duty of guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were given permission to suspend the assignment. They respectfully declined the offer, "No way, Sir!" Soaked to the skin, marching in the pelting rain of a tropical storm, they said that guarding the Tomb was not just an assignment, it was the highest honor that can be afforded to a serviceperson. The tomb has been patrolled continuously, 24/7, since 1930.

Thursday, December 01, 2005

Five Frogs

“Five frogs are sitting on a log. Four decide to jump off. How many are left? There are still five - because there’s a difference between deciding and doing.” “Five Frogs On A Log” by Mark L Feldman & Michael F Spratt

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Try not to become a man of success but a man of value. Albert Einstein

Sunday, November 20, 2005

"I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters." (computers..pens,pencils.....you get the point!) - Frank Lloyd Wright (1868-1959)

Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Jim's Blog....

Hey everyone, this is actually Jim's better half...I just linked his blog to mine..but I have not actually talked him into writing anything..he's a big chicken...but I thought I should explain all the pictures of Boxers...Jim LOVES Boxers.....So I spent hours one night trying to find a picture of a boxer that I could use for his profile picture....So I loaded them on here...and couldn't get any to work....then this morning I finally got one to work ..in the profile...but its still not showing on the page....Any idea's?? ANYONE?? HELLO.....?? Is there anyone out there???