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One day, when I was a freshman in high school, I saw
a kid from my class was walking home from school. His
name was Kyle. It looked like he was carrying all of his
books. I thought to myself, "Why would anyone bring
home all his books on a Friday? He must really be a
nerd."
I had quite a weekend planned (parties and a football
game with my friends tomorrow afternoon), so I
shrugged my shoulders and went on.
As I was walking, I saw a bunch of kids running toward
him. They ran at him, knocking all his books out of his
arms and tripping him so he landed in the dirt. His glasses
went flying, and I saw them land in the grass about ten
feet from him. He looked up and I saw this terrible
sadness in his eyes.
My heart went out to him. So, I jogged over to him and
as he crawled around looking for his glasses, and I saw
a tear in his eye. As I handed him his glasses, I said,
"Those guys are jerks. They really should get lives." He
looked at me and said, "Hey thanks!" There was a big
smile on his face. It was one of those smiles that showed
real gratitude.
I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where
he lived. As it turned out, he lived near me, so I asked him
why I had never seen him before. He said he had gone to
private school before now.
I would have never hung out with a private school kid
before. We talked all the way home, and I carried some
of his books. He turned out to be a pretty cool kid. I
asked him if he wanted to play a little football with my
friends. He said yes. We hung out all weekend and the
more I got to know Kyle, the more I liked him, and my
friends thought the same of him.
Monday morning came, and there was Kyle with the
huge stack of books again. I stopped him and said,
"Boy, you are gonna really build some serious muscles
with this pile of books everyday!" He just laughed and
handed me half the books.
Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best
friends. When we were seniors, we began to think
about college. Kyle decided on Georgetown, and I
was going to Duke. I knew that we would always be
friends, that the miles would never be a problem. He
was going to be a doctor, and I was going for business
on a football scholarship.
Kyle was valedictorian of our class. I teased him all the
time about being a nerd. He had to prepare a speech for
graduation.
I was so glad it wasn't me having to get up there and
speak. Graduation day, I saw Kyle. He looked great. He
was one of those guys that really found himself during high
school.
He filled out and actually looked good in glasses.
He had more dates than I had and all the girls loved him.
Boy, sometimes I was jealous.
Today was one of those days. I could see that he was
nervous about his speech. So, I smacked him on the back
and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be great!" He looked at me
with one of those looks (the really grateful one) and
smiled. "Thanks," he said.
As he started his speech, he cleared his throat, and
began. "Graduation is a time to thank those who helped
you make it through those tough years. Your parents,
your teachers, your siblings, maybe a coach...but mostly
your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a
friend to someone is the best gift you can give them. I
am going to tell you a story."
I just looked at my friend with disbelief as he told the
story of the first day we met. He had planned to kill
himself over the weekend. He talked of how he had
cleaned out his locker so his Mom wouldn't have to do
it later and was carrying his stuff home.
He looked hard at me and gave me a little smile.
"Thankfully, I was saved. My friend saved me from
doing the unspeakable."
I heard the gasp go through the crowd as this handsome,
popular boy told us all about his weakest moment. I saw
his Mom and dad looking at me and smiling that same
grateful smile. Not until that moment did I realize it's
depth.
Never underestimate the power of your actions. With
one small gesture you can change a person's life. For
better or for worse.
God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another
in some way. Look for God in others.
- author not known personally- received via email.
Candid pictures of the devistation-view cautiously. A very well presented site on the Attack on America, click here As Americans we pray for world peace, as we prepare for war.
We will not back down to terrorism.
Our "fighting forces" are the toughest,most dedicated soles in the world.
I am proud to say my brother Robert is a NAVY SEAL (retired-UDT-21).
DISASTER RELIEF LINKS.
Please click on a link to go directly to the online donation centers for the listed organization. NY Firefighter's Fund Salvation Army United Way 
Pledge of Allegiance -- From a speech made by Capt. John S. McCain, USN, (Ret) who represents Arizona in the U.S. Senate:
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during
the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in
solitary confinement or two or three to a cell.
In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms
with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.
This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of
the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000
miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.
Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of
shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later
earned a commission by going to Officer Training School. Then he became a
Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967.
Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country-and
our military-provide for people who want to work and want to succeed. As part
of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive
packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves
and other items of clothing. Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period
of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of
his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on
the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance. I know the Pledge of
Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can
assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and
meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and
discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it. That
evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of
all us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they
opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we
could.
The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we
slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room. As said, we
tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I
looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light
bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my
friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from
the beating he had received, making another American flag.
He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He
was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to
pledge allegiance to our flag and our country
So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the
sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our
nation and promote freedom around the world. You must remember our duty, our
honor, and our country.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to
the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with
liberty and justice for all."
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M1 Carbine Gear from Cheaper Than Dirt!  "SAFTA: Navy SEAL Fighting System" Video  Subject: Q & A
Q: What do Kabul and Hiroshima have in common?
A: Nothing,.... yet.
Q: How do you play Taliban bingo?
A: B-52...F-16...B-1...
Q: What is the Taliban's national bird?
A: Duck
Q: How is Bin Laden like Fred Flintstone?
A: Both may look out their windows and see Rubble.
Q: Why does the Afghanistan Navy have glass bottom boats?
A: So they can see their Air Force.
Q: What do Osama bin laden and General Custer have in common?
A: They both want to know where those Tomahawks are coming from!
Q: What's the difference between the Taliban and a bucket of dung?
A: The bucket   |
