Garden Repair

I love the Boston Bruins Bear, but in this case he gets more love than usual.  Did you hear about the stupid female Bruins "fan" who kicked a hole in a pillar in the women's restroom, then fell down.  Here is the Bear's response.  It's amazing how he can present a sense of disgust in how he repairs the damage.

Veterans Day 2010, Derry, NH

Here is the text of the speech I gave as guest speaker at Derry's Veterans Day commemoration:

Good Morning and thank you for the opportunity to speak to you today. On this day of remembrance, this day of reflection, this day which is simply dedicated to those who protect and who have protected our nation and our liberty – our Veterans. This day was born in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11^th to be Armistice Day.  That year, the American Legion, which I am a proud member, was also born. The Legion was created to help the 2 million Americans who served in Europe during World War I re-integrate back into their hometowns and to maintain the connection to those with whom they had served. That connection was and is critical for those returning from war so they can regain the life they left and incorporate their experiences into their communities. Our communities flourish because of the vast and varied experiences of our veterans.  We’ve all learned to make the best of the hand we are dealt, and learned that “fair” is a four letter word, because life isn’t. But most importantly, we bring millions of human touchpoints from all over the world back to our towns to enrich them. Even through the pain and horror of war, there can be dignity, decency and purpose. And … if we found no such thing, we are resolute not to allow that which is surely evil to follow us home.

In 1980, I turned 19 in Air Force boot camp and learned more in those eight weeks than I had learned in my life. I learned to be tolerant of others – 50 young women living in one room will do that to you!

 I learned at 19 that there is absolutely nothing that I cannot do when I wish to do it. That is a wonderful thing to know about yourself and I thank the many women who served in the military throughout our history for making it possible.

When I got out of boot camp, I found that many of those I served with were somewhat less tolerant of women in “their” military and were not shy to let me know how they felt. What surprised me was that my assertive and unyielding response often took them by surprise. I would ask “did you really think that I would not respond harshly when you told me I don’t belong? When you tell me that I am going to get you killed someday?” So I became very intolerant of people telling me I didn’t belong. But that chip I carried on my shoulder became worn down and polished as those people either learned that we do belong or to keep their mouths shut.  But it took a long time … and it still rears its ugly head from time to time.

During my eight years in the Air Force, they taught me the Russian language and how to be an Intelligence Analyst. How cool is that?? That was my mission on a little US base in Iraklion, Crete and on another island base called Akrotiri, Cyprus. It was there that on a warm and hazy October morning in 1983 we were startled awake to banging on our doors.  The Marines our detachment was supporting in Beirut were attacked and they were sending some of the most serious casualties to our little base.  Since it was a British base, the responsibility for transferring the remains of a Marine who didn’t make it fell to us. With Old Glory’s field of blue carefully placed on the casket over his heart, we carried him from the hearse to  the C-130 so he could go home.  I can still feel the thin steel handle digging into my fingers as we walked up the ramp.

After finishing my GI-bill education at the University of Maryland I sought a commission and found the Coast Guard the most friendly to women. After 17 weeks of pushups and being yelled at in Officer Candidate School (which I would gladly repeat tomorrow if I had the opportunity!) I was tossed into the grinder of Coast Guard missions. I learned how to coordinate many boats, ships and aircraft during Search and Rescue missions, then be tossed in front of the TV cameras to talk about the lives we saved and how people can keep themselves from becoming casualties. I helped coordinate the search for the fishing vessel Andrea Gail of “Perfect Storm” fame and the Air National Guard rescue swimmer who was lost at sea during that storm. I escorted President Clinton during the End of WWII Commemoration in Hawai’I in 1995. I’ve policed up cigarette butts, cleaned latrines and shoveled dirt. I helped coordinate the media during the search for JFK Jr.’s plane.  I’ve had to explain to mothers, fathers, wives and children why we were no longer going to search for their loved one. I learned that this was their significant event and my solemn duty.  I must be calm and dignified.

I retired in July 2001 – being a single mother was catching up to me and my ability to remain mobile.  After 9/11 I really wanted to be able to contribute again so I was intrigued when I was offered a position in Baghdad Iraq as an Army contractor in late 2005.  They hired our group to come up with a media marketing campaign designed to thwart the enemy’s ability to find safe havens to make and plant IEDs. It was a challenging task certainly, but in the seven months I was in Iraq, during the most deadly time of the conflict, we made a dent in the casualties. I believe the seeds we planted and the work which continued after I left saved the lives of Americans and our Allies and contributed to the hope of the Iraqis and the relative peace there today.

The men and women returning from these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the other places terror lives need us to be understanding. Many are invisible. Many are homeless and hurting already.  Some women returning are having an awful time.  Suffering from traumatic brain injuries, PTSD, and sexual trauma, they are returning to claim the children they left with relatives, then becoming homeless because they are suffering from symptoms of these injuries. It is gut wrenching to hear stories that some wish they had an obvious physical injury so they’d be taken seriously.  That breaks my heart.

 It took me over a year to “come home” from Iraq after I got back to the US. I was angry at people who seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too much over things I thought were frivolous.  Didn’t they know that three Marines were killed today? Didn’t they realize that Soldiers are in a firefight that will orphan many of their children? I was very angry and it put a few more edges on that chip I carry around. It is a joy to me when I meet other veterans and can talk about my service. When you find out someone is a vet, there is so much you don’t have to explain.  You can have nothing else in common, but that shared experience is just ….well it’s wonderful.

Many of the veterans returning home to New Hampshire are invisible to us too.  As National Guard, they come home and then scatter back to jobs they hope they still have or businesses they hope haven’t been run into the ground in their absence. They are supposed to be so happy to be home that nothing can be bad.  Before coming home they fantasize and maybe secretly dread the homecoming because they are changed and home has moved on without them. The veterans of World War I had veterans organizations like the Legion and the VFW to give them an opportunity to find the part of home that hadn’t moved on - The part they could relate to.  I recommend that all returning veterans be given the first year of membership in the veteran’s organization of their choosing as a benefit of honorable service that is just as important as educational and health benefits.  I’ll be writing our new members of Congress with this recommendation and I ask you to do so as well.

Then the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan can make these organizations their own and ensure the needs of this generation of combat veterans are properly considered.

The warrior ethos holds sacred the notion of leaving no one behind on the battlefield. We must be diligent to ensure it applies as deeply when we come home.

Thank you and God Bless America.