West Virginia Blue
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(I know this is election season, again, but some other things are still unfinished...)
You have heard of Netroots for the Troops, right? I was the sober one at karaoke in Las Vagas 2010. SanDiegoDem has promised to help me with the bar stools this year.
The oldest daughter's plans for the wedding with family became a quick trip to a Virginia courthouse. Army orders to report to a foreign post are on the Army's timetable. They have known each other since high school. One chose the Big East to get a degree; the other an SEC college. Two deployments to Iraq, conversations on the intertoobs, and ten years later they found each other again: the career Army career officer and our local newspaper copy editor.
Now the American-made bridesmaid dresses are being nipped, tucked and pressed. The historic house for the reception one block south of where they will celebrate a Nuptial Mass has the locavore menu. (I did not know Art Nouveau started as a Czech style!). What may still be up in the air is whether the wedding toast is with the pilsner from Pilsen or a premium Budweiser lager (no, not that Budweiser, the real one), and whether my spouse will dance at the wedding.
Now that I have you laughing and crying, jump over the fold for some reality about The Boxes.
The kids who lived on the Navy base literally walked through the gate onto the high school campus. They had gone to different elementary schools and a different junior high than the townie kids. In high school we mingled and we raised the flag in the morning. When we lost one of our own during the Vietnam War we lowered the flag to half mast.
Those who join do the job asked of them, whether one agrees with that mission or not. The Army wears the flag on the right shoulder patch, and the left shoulder is left for unit patches. The canton is to the viewer's right, instead of the usual left, with the union closest to their heart. The highest position of honor is the front, so when displayed on a moving object like a person or vehicle, the field of blue is displayed to the front.
In town today we are flying the nation's flag, the state flag and the POW/MIA flag. Today is one of the six national observances for which Congress has ordered display of the POW/MIA flag. It has the motto: YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN. What you can do here is let those now deployed know that we have not forgotten them.
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If Team Wild and Crazy Czech Girls meets its goal then CA Berkeley WV should dye the hair:
Again, this year, Netroots For The Troops seeks to make a tangible thank-you in our small way to the troops who are still serving, before they become veterans. Our mission is two-fold: shipment of CARE packages to U.S. soldiers and Marines serving in hostile regions of Iraq and Afghanistan for the duration of their deployment, and on-going financial assistance for veterans and their families upon their return to the States.
Our goal for 2010 is $100,000 (cash or in-kind donations). So far, we've raised $24,591, 25 percent of our goal. So there is a long way to go.
NFFT is a project of Netroots Arts and Education Initiative (NAEI), a 501(c)3 organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
If Team Wild and Crazy Czech Girls meets its goal then CA Berkeley WV should dye the hair:
You may remember me from the late Capitol Hill News Open Thread with the very capable and newly graduated with advance degree Casual Wednesday. Now another kossack, jlms qkw, asked for volunteers for this series.
It will be my honor to contribute. The woozle has gone and fallen for a troop.
We are waiting for them all to come home. I'll share a story from my spouse's family tomorrow.
(This was written for Orange. Forgive me for all their links)
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