[Vision2020] The Gift of Generations

[Kai Eiselein, editor]

My grandfather was proud of the fact that he went to war and never shot at 
anyone.
He was a reconnaissance photographer (Chief Photographer's Mate) in the Navy 
in the Pacific Theater.
He built and used a camera of his own design. He would strap it to his 
chest, then he would be attached to a harness before leaning over the open 
bomb bay doors of a plane to take the photos. All while being shot at from 
below and by enemy aircraft.
As with many in his generation, he believed in sharing the load. He did not 
have to fly, yet he put himself into the flight rotation because "There were 
other guys with families and I didn't feel right sending them up to risk 
their necks without doing it myself."
While many people think of heroism as an act occuring in the heat of battle, 
I think his actions and those of the other recon photogs and their flight 
crews were truly heroic, if unsung. Because of them, valuable information 
was obtained about enemy defenses, which saved the lives of many Americans 
on the ground.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "lfalen" <lfalen at turbonet.com>
To: "Tom Hansen" <thansen at moscow.com>; "Moscow Vision 2020" 
<vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 3:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] The Gift of Generations


> Tom
> Thanks for posting. An uncle of my wife's died on the Battan Death March. 
> Many other relatives have served. Everyone who has put themselves in harms 
> way to preverve our freedoms is to be honored.
> Roger
> -----Original message-----
> From: "Tom Hansen" thansen at moscow.com
> Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:50:17 -0800
> To: "Moscow Vision 2020" vision2020 at moscow.com
> Subject: [Vision2020] The Gift of Generations
>
>> >From the Letters section of the December 17, 2007 edition of the Army 
>> >Times
>> -
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> THE GIFT OF GENERATIONS
>>
>> This holiday season is the first my family and I will be celebrating 
>> without
>> my mother. It's the second without my wife's mother. They are dearly 
>> missed
>> this holiday season, just as other families miss their mothers and loved
>> ones who are no longer here. Our mothers brought us into this world and 
>> the
>> luck of the draw had us born in the U.S.
>>
>> The miracle of life could just as easily have had us born to impoverished
>> parents in a Third World country. Instead, at birth, we became Americans.
>> With a huge price paid for by the blood and sacrifices of our 
>> forefathers,
>> we have enjoyed all the privileges, opportunities and hope being an 
>> American
>> brings.
>>
>> My father, like so many of our fathers and grandfathers, was part of the
>> "greatest generation" that fought World War II on the beaches of 
>> Normandy,
>> in the jungles of Burma, on the islands in the Pacific and on every other
>> blood-soaked battlefield so that the American way of life would be
>> preserved.
>>
>> My father's Combat Infantryman Badge and his Bronze Star Medal now hang 
>> on a
>> wall in my home just above the American flag presented to my mother at 
>> his
>> funeral. He never displayed the badge or the medals he earned , nor did 
>> he
>> talk about how he earned them.
>>
>> Every generation of Americans has had an abundance of such unsung war
>> heroes. During this holiday season, we once again find young, brave U.S.
>> service members in harm's way. Like millions before them, they and their
>> loved ones are enduring extreme hardships for us. Thousands have paid the
>> ultimate sacrifice and thousands more have come home to America maimed 
>> for
>> life.
>>
>> It seems surreal that while my only concern for a day is whether I'll 
>> bowl
>> well at the lanes, our selfless and devoted service members are on 
>> foreign
>> soil trying to get through the day without being blown up by improvised
>> explosive devices or hit by snipers' bullets. Their patrols through the
>> ambush-laden streets of Iraqi cities or mountains of Afghanistan are 
>> filled
>> with hazards and anxiety, making my ride to the lanes - more than 6,000
>> miles away - safe and carefree.
>>
>> During this holiday season, we continue to thank them for their dedicated
>> service to us and our country. They, like all the veterans before them, 
>> are
>> giving Americans the opportunity to live life to the fullest. Hopefully,
>> through their efforts, all Americans will eventually have the same
>> opportunity. Hopefully, one day no child's life on earth will be
>> predetermined at birth by the luck of the draw.
>>
>> Sgt. Maj. George S. Kulas (Retired)
>> Fond du Lac, Wis.
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------------
>>
>> Seeya round town, Moscow.
>>
>> Tom Hansen
>> Moscow, Idaho
>>
>> "Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the 
>> tranquil
>> and steady dedication of a lifetime."
>>
>> --Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.
>>
>>
>> =======================================================
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>>  serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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>> =======================================================
>
> =======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================
>
Kai Eiselein
Editor, Latah Eagle