This came to me in email .. not my own work!!! But once a soldier, always a soldier and these short narratives are profoundly moving.
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“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge
the providence of Almighty God,
to obey His will to be grateful for His benefits,
and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
— George Washington
Here are two very touching photos honored this year.
First Place
Todd Heisler, The Rocky Mountain News 
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
Second Place
Todd Heisler, The Rocky Mountain News
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 the one that really tightens MY throat:
PLEASE KEEP THIS GOING!
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.
IF YOU AGREE — THEN SEND THIS ON.
IF YOU COULDN’T CARE LESS — THEN HIT THE DELETE BUTTON. BET YOU DON’T!
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you:
1. Jesus Christ
2. The American G. I.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO PASS THIS ON, AS MANY SEEM TO FORGET BOTH OF THEM.
Today is one of a handful of my favorite days of the year .. today, my U14s begin their fall season. I’m fortunate to be coaching 12s and 14s this year and as a bonus, even get one of my own kids this season. Right up there with wedding anniversaries, kid birthdays, Vacation Bible School, 2nd grade retreat afternoon and coaching at camps, I love the first day of the new season. This year I add a team, moving up a group and get a few players back from a couple years ago. I can only hope they are as happy to see me as I am to work with them again.
This season will be special (well, seems like I say that after every season…). For the first time in a couple decades and change of coaching young athletes, we actually planned ahead as the spring wound down and had a “staff” in place before registration even started. While I’ve had pretty extraordinary luck getting great team managers and assistant coaches purely on the luck of who volunteered, I feel incredibly blessed to be working this year at both levels with a hand picked group of families who share my philosophy and just plain “get it”. This is gonna be good!
You can follow our adventures this year in some limited fashion via the public view of our team web sites: (we keep the good stuff locked away but you can see announcements, results and even things like practice plans and other coaching resources I share with my co-coaches.)
Lime Crush (on break now…): http://limecrush.teamsnap.com/
North Shore United U12 Roma: http://northshoreunitedu12roma.teamsnap.com/
North Shore United U14 Sevilla: http://northshoreunitedu14sevilla.teamsnap.com/
BTW, are you a youth coach looking to have things be a little more organized off the field/pitch/park/whatever…?? TeamSnap is the best solution I’ve found for an online presence that is full featured and easy to use, both for families and team staff. http://teamsnap.com Good stuff!!
Let me caveat the whole thing by saying I am not one of those psychotic sports parents. I’ve been coaching youth and young adult athletes for some 25 years and if anything, I find it challenging to look at the athletic exploits of my own children through the eyes of a proud dad rather than a coach. I rarely coach my own kids, but still find myself observing them through the filter of coaching. That said, I’ve got ample reason to be proud of the athletes living in my house. Two of my kids, assuming they continue on current trajectory and manage to stay healthy have an extraordinarily bright future as soccer players. I’m happy to say I’ve had a hand in at least their early development.
But there is more to it all than the dreams of national teams and college scholarships. Just things are fragile and fleeting and can be as quickly beyond the reach as in your grasp. So we call ourselves particularly blessed that our kids, though laser focused on sports, also pursue their other gifts. And the news this week has been good … 12 and 13 year old will perform soon in a local theater company’s production of The Music Man — one on the stage, the other in the orchestra. Same two got some great news for fall activities with the older one playing first trombone in the state honors band and the younger one offered a contract with a local opera company. And since they are but 25% of the kid population around here, well, they are just the tip of the iceberg.
I feel quite blessed that not only do they pursue non sport things, but that they pursue them with the same drive they bring to the pitch. The same drive that earned the older one a medal at the Irish Dance world championships a few years ago. Sports are a wonderful tool for developing character in young people. But it isn’t the only tool. It might be the one I understand the best but for once in my life I’ve actually let myself be open minded enough to let other things have their moment in the spotlight. And it only took nearly a half century to grow up that much .. not bad for a guy…
