Head east from Carthage on Mississippi 16 toward Philadelphia and after a few miles a sign says you're in Edinburg. It's a good thing the signs there, because there's no other way to tell. 

On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg. Probably didn't make much news.

Twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Carano, Italy, Van T. Barfoot, who had enlisted in the Army in 1940, set out to flank German machine gun positions from which fire was coming down on his fellow soldiers. He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war.

If that wasnt enough for a days work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.

That probably didn't make much news either, given the scope of the war, but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a colonel after also serving in Korea and Vietnam, a Congressional Medal of Honor.

What did make news last week was a neighborhood associations quibble with how the 90-year-old veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home. Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot's 21-foot flagpole were unsuitable.

He had been denied a permit for the pole, erected it anyway and was facing court action if he didn't take it down. Since the story made national TV, the neighborhood association has rethought its position and agreed to indulge this old hero who dwells among them.

"In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference", Barfoot told The Associated Press.

As well he should.

And if any of his neighbors still takes a notion to contest him, they might want to read his Medal of Honor citation. It indicates he's not real good at backing down.

Van T. Barfoot's Medal of Honor citation: 

This 1944 Medal of Honor citation, listed with the National Medal of Honor Society, is for Second Lieutenant Van T. Barfoot, 157th Infantry, 45th Infantry:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 23 May 1944, near Carano, Italy. With his platoon heavily engaged during an assault against forces well entrenched on commanding ground, 2d Lt. Barfoot moved off alone upon the enemy left flank. He crawled to the proximity of 1 machinegun nest and made a direct hit on it with a hand grenade, killing 2 and wounding 3 Germans. He continued along the German defense line to another machinegun emplacement, and with his tommygun killed 2 and captured 3 soldiers. Members of another enemy machinegun crew then abandoned their position and gave themselves up to Sgt. Barfoot. Leaving the prisoners for his support squad to pick up, he proceeded to mop up positions in the immediate area, capturing more prisoners and bringing his total count to 17. Later that day, after he had reorganized his men and consolidated the newly captured ground, the enemy launched a fierce armored counterattack directly at his platoon positions. Securing a bazooka, Sgt. Barfoot took up an exposed position directly in front of 3 advancing Mark VI tanks. >From a distance of 75 yards his first shot destroyed the track of the leading tank, effectively disabling it, while the other 2 changed direction toward the flank. As the crew of the disabled tank dismounted, Sgt. Barfoot killed 3 of them with his tommygun. He continued onward into enemy terrain and destroyed a recently abandoned German fieldpiece with a demolition charge placed in the breech. While returning to his platoon position, Sgt. Barfoot, though greatly fatigued by his Herculean efforts, assisted 2 of his seriously wounded men 1,700 yards to a position of safety. Sgt. Barfoots extraordinary heroism, demonstration of magnificent valor, and aggressive determination in the face of point blank fire are a perpetual inspiration to his fellow soldiers.

(Rules for the Non-Military Make sure you read #12)

Dear Civilians, 'We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation has many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas where we would like your assistance:

1. The next time you see any adults talking (or wearing a hat) during the playing of the National Anthem - kick their ass.

2. When you witness, firsthand, someone burning the American Flag in protest - kick their ass.

3. Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass.

4.  If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were. Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDUs) or Jungle Fatigues, telling others that you used to be 'Special Forces'.
Collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay when you were seven years old, now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.

5.  Next time you come across an Air Force member, do not ask them, 'Do you fly a jet?' Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot. Such ignorance deserves an ass-kicking (children are exempt).

6. If you witness someone calling the US Coast Guard 'non-military', inform them of their mistake - and kick their ass.

7. Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her - of course, failure to do either of those could earn you a severe ass-kicking.

8. 'Your mama wears combat boots' never made sense to me - stop saying it! If she did, she would most likely be a vet and therefore would kick your ass!

9. 'Flyboy' (Air Force), 'Jarhead' (Marines), 'Grunt' (Army), 'Squid' (Navy), 'Puddle Jumpers' (Coast Guard), etc., are terms of endearment we use describing each other. Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them. Using them could get your ass kicked.

10.  Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our Country would get it's ass kicked.

11.  'It's the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us the freedom of the press.' 'It's the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of speech.'  'It's the Veteran, not the community organizer, who gives us the freedom to demonstrate.' 'It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.'

AND ONE MORE:

12.  If you ever see anyone singing the National Anthem in Spanish - KICK THEIR ASS.

ONE LAST THING:

If you got this email and didn't pass it on - guess what - you deserve to get your ass kicked!

I sent this to you, because I didn't want to get my ass kicked.

We live in the land of the free, only because of the brave! In God we trust.

For those that served in Viet Nam or had a loved one fall, we encourage you to visit the Virtual Wall.

http://www.virtualwall.org/iStates.htm

If anyone knows the owner of this ride, please let him/her know it has been enshrined in The Free State Of PIG.

When he’s not serving as the Free State of PIG’s Professor of Piety, PIGster J spends quality time supporting one of the great military support groups: Soldiers' Angels.

When I checked out their Internet site, I found this posting on their efforts to support the Fort Hood soldiers and families whose lives were devastated by that Islamikaze rat bastard:

Soldiers’ Angels is assessing the needs and--with our founder currently residing in Texas--standing by to offer physical and emotional support to our heroes and their families at Fort Hood.

RIGHT NOW: Collecting encouraging notes and NEW stuffed animals for the families and children of the injured or killed. Please send cards/letters and stuffed animals (and anything NEW that may brighten the life of a child) to:

Soldiers' Angels
4408 PanAm Expressway
San Antonio, TX 78218

Plans are still developing, but the goal is to give these families and injured heroes something big to smile about when Christmas rolls around. It starts with the $2,000 gift certificate for Christmas for an experience on Christmas Day that will make them forget about it all for at least a little while. To contribute to the effort, click the donation button in the upper left and add type "For Ft. Hood" in the comment box that pops up (donations marked this way will be used only for Ft. Hood survivors).

When I checked back with PIGster J, he provided this information:

As of right now, Soldiers Angels is collecting cards of sympathy and support, stuffed animals for the families and children, and monetary donations as well for each of the 43 families affected by the Fort Hood disaster. Per [Soldiers' Angels leader, Patti Patton-Bader], Soldiers’ Angels has pledged “come hell or high water” to provide $2000 for each of those families. If the donations come in sufficient quantities, SA will be able to give even more. SA is also helping to pay for family members who normally would not be able to get to the side of a wounded hero in TX to have air fare to get there.

Patti’s idea is, per her (she said it better than I could): “When the media goes away and the last casseroles are eaten, you’re going to have 43 families sitting around looking at the walls for the holidays. That’s why Soldiers’ Angels wants to give them the financial donation – because it will help them to forget, even if for a moment, and to enjoy their holidays. Soldiers’ Angels wants to show them that together, we’ll all pull through this. We want to be there even after all the hype dies down and people move on.”

If you want to participate in this worthy venture - Tis the season, after all - you can get all the pertinent information, here: Soldiers' Angels Fort Hood Campaign

Our skies are free and safe due to the brave, highly skilled guardians of the sky from the United States Navy's fighter pilots.

We should thank our lucky stars that these aviators that patrol the clouds to keep us safe, disregarding any personal risk to themselves, are on our team.

Think of what they do. Taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier with enough of an arsenal to blow up a whole damn town or jungle village, with extreme accuracy and precision.

Too cool.

Not too many people can do what they do. Tom Cruise in Top Gun as a Naval Aviator? Right. I wouldn't trust him with my nephew's tricycle.

However, to those rare few that can, and do, some Patriot put together a You Tube clip in honor of those fighter pilots.

The F.S.O.P. doesn't claim to be the USO, but we hope that those that patrol the skies for our security and freedom may enjoy the following.

If you do send this along to a Naval Aviator, tell them it's compliments of PIG and an anonymous patriot, and tell them we said thank you.

Enjoy.

Link: Magic Carpet Ride

There’s no doubt that we of the United States owe a debt to our men and women in uniform that never can be repaid. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try like hell anyway!

One of the best ways to say “Thank you” to those who serve, as well as their families, is through a group called “Soldiers’ Angels.” (www.soldiersangels.org) 99.9% volunteer, the organization was founded by Patti Patton-Bader, who just happens to be the great-niece of one of the most ass kicking, no-nonsense, take no prisoners warriors that has ever graced a battlefield; General George S. Patton, Jr. She began the group when her son, serving overseas, made her aware that many of his buddies were going without any kind of care, encouragement, or word from home. In true PIG fashion, she rolled up her sleeves and put her can-do attitude to work. In a few short years the group has expanded from herself and some friends supporting one unit to a worldwide organization that supports tens of thousands of troops annually as they do the all too often thankless job of keeping our freedoms secure for we who are safely at home.

What can you do? Head over to www.soldiersangels.org Click Here and see for yourself what can be done. There’s no such thing as an attitude of “Oh, is that ALL you can do?” It’s a matter of “You can do THAT? Great! Here’s where we can plug you in.” They have teams that sew, teams that make crafts, teams that bake, teams that send cards, teams that support the families of deployed soldiers; you name it, they’ve probably damned well got a team for it. SA has a store in which you can purchase items and have them sent to soldiers who need them, whether a specific soldier or any soldier who is in need. 100% of the money that is spent in the SA store goes directly back into the Angels organization, to be used to help others. Most importantly, perhaps, you can “adopt” a soldier, pledging to send letters and care packages to encourage and uplift them throughout their deployment. If you can’t join a team, you can contribute financially, or perhaps send some cards of encouragement that will then be passed on to other soldiers. There’s far more here than I can ever tell you – check it out for yourselves. Read the FAQ. Get your questions answered. And then get cracking.

And don’t let it stop there. That man or woman in uniform, waiting for a cup of coffee or a meal at your local food joint? Why not step up, shake their hand and say “Thank you!” from the bottom of your heart, and maybe pick up their tab? There are so very many ways to do this – Soldiers’ Angels is a springboard, to be sure, but even beyond that, there are ways.

As of this moment there are over 1100 soldiers waiting to be adopted; waiting, perhaps, for you. Let’s roll up our sleeves, channel our inner PIGs and get to work! In the words of the Soldiers’ Angels motto,

“May no soldier go unloved.
May no soldier walk alone.
May no soldier be forgotten,
Until they all come home”
What will YOU do?

PIGster J

PO2 (EOD2) (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) Mike Monsoor, a Navy EOD Technician, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously for jumping on a grenade in Iraq, giving his life to save his fellow Seals. (Notice: Mike was not a Navy SEAL, he was EOD. He gave his life to save a group of Navy SEALS.)

During Mike Monsoor's funeral in San Diego, as his coffin was being moved from the hearse to the grave site at Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery, SEAL's were lined up on both sides of the pallbearers route forming a column of two's, with the coffin moving up the center. As Mike's coffin passed, each SEAL, having removed his gold Trident from his uniform, slapped it down embedding the Trident in the wooden coffin.

The slaps were audible from across the cemetery; by the time the coffin arrived grave side, it looked as though it had a gold inlay from all the Tridents pinned to it.

This was a fitting send-off for a warrior hero. This should be front-page news instead of the crap we see every day. Since the media won't make this news, I choose to make it news by forwarding it.

I am very proud of our military. If you are proud too, please pass this on. If not then rest assured that these fine men and women of our military will continue to serve and protect.

God Bless our Troops

Contributed By Proud PIGster, Terri T.

One of the most famous photographs ever published by Life, V-J Day In Times Square was shot in Times Square on August 14, 1945.

Alfred Eisenstaedt was in the square taking candids when he spotted a sailor "running along the street grabbing any and every girl in sight," he later explained. "Whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old, didn't make any difference. I was running ahead of him with my Leica looking back over my shoulder... Then suddenly, in a flash, I saw something white being grabbed. I turned around and clicked the moment the sailor kissed the nurse." Eisenstadt was very gratified and pleased with this enduring image, saying: "People tell me that when I am in heaven they will remember this picture."

The participants in the kiss were never confirmed by Eisenstaedt, whose notes on the photo were not found after his death in 1995. Life, however, accepted nurse Edith Cullen Shain's claim to this honor in a handwritten letter to Eisenstaedt 35 years later. Shain was 27 on V-J Day. Over 20 men have claimed to be the sailor, but none has been positively identified. The sailor was identified by a team of volunteers at the Naval War College in August 2005 as George Mendonça, of Newport, Rhode Island, although many other men have claimed the honor.

Shain then identified the sailor to be former New York City police detective Carl Muscarello.

PIGster J wrote: "[This image] really drives home the sacrifices people make, and have made, so that we can have the freedoms we do. It’s an actual picture of a WW II veteran who survived Pearl Harbor, hugging a Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps who lost an eye, a leg and a hand defusing live ordnance."

He’s right, this compelling image does its own talking, and its eloquence is humbling.

The following was sent our way by personal friend, Bruce B.

After reading it, won't you click on any links to the right, and maybe begin a pen pal correspondence with one of our troops from any branch of our brave warriors?

No doubt, if you sent a care package with some warm socks, crosswords, books, candy, and some kind, stateside words, you would gain a loyal friend for life.

TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS,
HE LIVED ALL ALONE,
IN A ONE BEDROOM HOUSE MADE OF
PLASTER AND STONE.

I HAD COME DOWN THE CHIMNEY
WITH PRESENTS TO GIVE,
AND TO SEE JUST WHO
IN THIS HOME DID LIVE.

I LOOKED ALL ABOUT,
A STRANGE SIGHT I DID SEE,
NO TINSEL, NO PRESENTS,
NOT EVEN A TREE.

NO STOCKING BY MANTLE,
JUST BOOTS FILLED WITH SAND,
ON THE WALL HUNG PICTURES
OF FAR DISTANT LANDS.

WITH MEDALS AND BADGES,
AWARDS OF ALL KINDS,
A SOBER THOUGHT
CAME THROUGH MY MIND.

FOR THIS HOUSE WAS DIFFERENT,
IT WAS DARK AND DREARY,
I FOUND THE HOME OF A SOLDIER,
ONCE I COULD SEE CLEARLY.

THE SOLDIER LAY SLEEPING,
SILENT, ALONE,
CURLED UP ON THE FLOOR
IN THIS ONE BEDROOM HOME.

THE FACE WAS SO GENTLE,
THE ROOM IN SUCH DISORDER,
NOT HOW I PICTURED
A UNITED STATES SOLDIER.

WAS THIS THE HERO
OF WHOM I'D JUST READ?
CURLED UP ON A PONCHO,
THE FLOOR FOR A BED?

I REALIZED THE FAMILIES
THAT I SAW THIS NIGHT,
OWED THEIR LIVES TO THESE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE WILLING TO FIGHT.

SOON ROUND THE WORLD,
THE CHILDREN WOULD PLAY,
AND GROWNUPS WOULD CELEBRATE
A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS DAY.

THEY ALL ENJOYED FREEDOM
EACH MONTH OF THE YEAR,
BECAUSE OF THE SOLDIERS,
LIKE THE ONE LYING HERE.

I COULDN'T HELP WONDER
HOW MANY LAY ALONE,
ON A COLD CHRISTMAS EVE
IN A LAND FAR FROM HOME.

THE VERY THOUGHT
BROUGHT A TEAR TO MY EYE,
I DROPPED TO MY KNEES
AND STARTED TO CRY.

THE SOLDIER AWAKENED
AND I HEARD A ROUGH VOICE,
'SANTA DON'T CRY,
THIS LIFE IS MY CHOICE;

I FIGHT FOR FREEDOM,
I DON'T ASK FOR MORE,
MY LIFE IS MY GOD,
MY! COUNTRY, MY CORPS.'

THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER
AND DRIFTED TO SLEEP,
I COULDN'T CONTROL IT,
I CON TINUED TO WEEP.

I KEPT WATCH FOR HOURS,
SO SILENT AND STILL
AND WE BOTH SHIVERED
FROM THE COLD NIGHT'S CHILL.

I DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE
ON THAT COLD, DARK, NIGHT,
THIS GUARDIAN OF HONOR
SO WILLING TO FIGHT.

THEN THE SOLDIER ROLLED OVER,
WITH A VOICE SOFT AND PURE,
WHISPERED, 'CARRY ON SANTA,
IT'S CHRISTMAS DAY, ALL IS SECURE.'

ONE LOOK AT MY WATCH,
AND I KNEW HE WAS RIGHT.
'MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIEND,!
AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT.'

This poem was written by a Marine.

The following is his request. I think it is reasonable.....

PLEASE. Would you do us the kind favor of sending
this to as many people as you can?

Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our US. service men and
women for our being able to celebrate these festivities.

Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we
owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and
dead, who sacrificed themselves for us. Please, do your
small part to plant this small seed