It Is A Modest Way Of Showing That We Care

We never should forget the sacrifices of those who have paid so dearly for helping to secure freedom for so many, or those whom had their lives taken by the cowardly acts of terrorists.

When the Trade Center collapsed, we lost a fellow Arizona horseman there. His name is Gary Bird. I had the chance to ride with him a bit at a mutual friend's ranch. He left behind quite a legacy of caring and service to his family, friends and community. I attended his memorial and really came to understand the caliber of human being that these radical Islamic terrorist's took from us. During a business trip to New York a year after the attack, I visited Ground Zero and found his name on plaque listing all who were lost there.

The pride held for the troops and their families cannot be fully expressed. Their aren't words. Truly, where do we find such dedicated individuals? Many of my co-workers have family in Iraq for whom we have created "Care Packages" since the war began. Either creating these packages or purchasing these bracelets is in my view, a modest way of showing that we care.

I am a veteran myself from the Vietnam era. I enlisted in 1974 as a US Army helicopter crew chief and was sent to Europe (due to the reduction of troops in Southeast Asia) to keep an eye on the Soviets and did my complete hitch there until coming home in late 1977. When I returned to the USA, only one person welcomed me home (a very kind U.S. Customs Agent) and it makes me glad to see we don't treat the our troops like that any longer, and pray we never do.

Keep the flame burning and never forget,

Kurt