HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

(photo courtesy of Marine Sgt Skylar Adams, my son, taken when he was serving in Iraq)
LET FREEDOM RING!
"Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom." (Lt.Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr)


..Me (age 6) at Cordelia Ave House with 3 of my 4 sisters....I'm the tall one with the round face!
...when I was a child, growing up in San Jose, we lived on Cordelia Street in a custom built 4 bedroom ranch house. It was a new neighborhood, and was filled with lots of children and families. Behind our house and extending up the block of houses was a cherry orchard...and at the end of the block was a grove of giant oak trees that extended through the orchard and into a winding creek.
Every 4th of July there was a block party at the end of the street under the oak trees. All of the neighbors got together and we had hot dogs and potato chips ....and every kid got a box of sparklers and a sugar daddy.....and then we had fireworks on the paved asphalt and watermelon.
Such sweet memories!....
...Please, don't forget where freedom comes from.....

..below is a terrific 4th of July post from Peggy Larson, whose son's Care Page I follow. Coleman Larsen earned his angel wings last December but Peggy still updates his page and works tirelessly with other families whose children have cancer. She also keeps readers updated with the going-ons of his twin brother, Caden. She posted it for 4th of July, and so am I, because it is so true! How easy it is to jump to conclusions and get mad over something that disrupts our usual routine or seems annoying or unnecessary.

So, here it is:
She writes:
"Before I end, I usually don't post emails here, but this one really made me stop and think- that we need to try to put ourselves in other people's shoes and be slow to anger- for we don't know THEIR story." **************************************************************************
Some of you may have read this one already:
True Story.....Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by new neighborhoods that complain about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were. A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back. Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall. When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit. The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune! Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird special? Any response would be appreciated. The response:Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely 9:12 a.m., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques." SPE.Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day. At 9 a.m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend. Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured...A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom. We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.

The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning airshow? The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their lives. Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. Lt. Col. Grant L.Rosensteel, Jr. USAF

HAVE A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY!