HELP!

This was sent to us tonight and we have to say, all it will take is a few minutes to send an email, or a card to these guys. That is the amount of time it takes you to read an email joke and then forward it on. HELP THESE GUYS. Because this is Taylor's blog, I will not say how disgusted I feel over the betrayal these guys must feel over the article that was written on them in the New York Times. I can tell you how heartbroken Taylor was to read it and the look on her face said it all........


http://www.blackfive.net/
Paratroopers Fighting in Afghanistan Need to Hear from You!Posted By Blackfive
Not too long ago, Blackfive readers, joined by thousands of readers from other blogs, sent over 30,000 emails of support to Marines in Iraq. The Marines had to shut down the email address because you all were causing bandwidth issues with the support we were sending.
Now, as if the Taliban and Al Qaeda, bad weather, and lack of support here at home weren't bad enough, the New York Times has published a one-sided view of the paratroopers tour in Afghanistan.
And so now we have cause to band together again and send massive support down range. Here's why:
Even though spring hasn’t officially arrived the snow line is beginning to move up the mountains in Kunar and surrounding provinces in Afghanistan. The Taliban have already begun attacking the KOP, Firebases and Observation Points where elements of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team from Bamberg and Schweinfurt, Germanicenza, Ily, are deployed. Almost 4,000 Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne), 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) and 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry were deployed to Kunar and surrounding provinces in Afghanistan in May 2007 for a 15 month rotation. This region of eastern Afghanistan in the Hindu Kush mountains bordering Pakistan has been designated the most dangerous place on earth for military personnel.

A Paratrooper from 2nd Platoon, Able Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), navigates a steep incline during a patrol to Omar in Kunar province in Afghanistan Jan. 11. Date Taken: January 11th, 2008. Location: Kunar province, AF. Photographer: Sgt. Brandon Aird, Joint Combat Camera Center
This winter has been particularly harsh. Many of the Soldiers are living in mud huts and tents with little or no heat, no running water, intermittent use of generators, supply drops via air to drop zones that require a hike of up to 40 minutes each way in order to retrieve the supplies, 30+ days out on missions at the firebases without showers or daily hot meals before rotating back to the KOP or Camp Blessing for hot showers, hot meals and the ability to communicate with their families and friends.

Photo courtesy of a Sky Soldier
The Sky Soldiers have trudged through up to seven feet of snow on patrols day in and day out often at altitudes of 7,000 feet and higher. Each Soldier carries between 60 and 100 pounds of gear on these patrols. They Soldier-On each day despite the loss of many friends and comrades and substantially high numbers of wounded. Untold numbers of great Americans have provided amazing amounts of support to these Soldiers during this deployment. Public, private and civic organizations have provided direct support or indirect support.
A recent article by Elizabeth Rubin in the New York Times painted one Platoon of this Brigade in a less than favorable light. The article sensationalized the facts in a negative way, which served only to cause undue stress on the Soldiers and family members. The author failed to mention successes within the Brigade such as substantial humanitarian aid (tons of food and clothes) delivered to local villages, medical care for local children and adults, road projects, clean water projects, training of Afghan National Army personnel, distribution of school supplies, etc. [Don't worry, friends, Deebow is preparing a more detailed take down of Elizabeth Rubin. Stay tuned for that.]
Historically, spring is a time of heavy fighting in this region as the terrorists and insurgents emerge from their caves after the harsh winter temperatures and snows. Let’s show these Soldiers how much support they have from home to help them through the spring and the remainder of this long and dangerous deployment., Americaatroopers are in the fight of their lives and they need to hear that America loves them.
Please send an email of support to skysoldiers173rd@gmail.com
Or you can mail cards to:
Leta CarruthP O Box 100Cordova, TN 38088
Due to security reasons in Afghanistan please do not put addresses or phone numbers on any correspondence. All emails will be printed out here in the US and mailed to Afghanistan as they do not have the resources to receive a large number of emails. All letters and emails will be vetted to make sure there are no negative comments. These are letters of support, so please keep them positive and uplifting.
A Huge THANK YOU to the proponents of (and the leaders of) this effort - Tanker Babe and Mrs. Diva!

Saying it how she feels

Taylor brought home her work she had to do in class the other day. She had to write about something and she chose to write about how she felt about the war going on. Now mind you, this is coming from a child. Some sentences are in fact, factual. Some, just how she feels in her heart, others that she has read on the internet, through milblogs, or seeing it on the news. Some of it when you read, might not make sense. But in her heart and in her mind, it makes sense to her and I believe in HER sense a heck of a lot more then I believe in some of the so called people that should know better! Once again, we are very proud of her, for having the courage to stand up and say how she feels.

The War in Iraq

Hundreds of thousands of men, women and children have been abused or killed in Iraq by insurgents. Thousands of men were forcefully oppressed into the Iraqi Army Regime. They had to worry about their wife and kids being tortured or killed with no reason at all. Their families would be killed for speaking their minds, or stating their opinion. Entire families would be beheaded even for something as stupid as the way a woman wore their turbans over their face. It is WRONG the way that the Iraqi people were forced to live. The terrorists have killed hundreds of thousands of their own people as well as our own troops and our own innocent civilians on the home fronts of America during 9/11. Do you think that it is our duty to America as well as Iraq to help free and liberate the Iraqi people from these awful criminals who spread terror across the nation, and to have a sense of mind that we put a stop to the terrorism and hatred? I do. Don't you want the bad guys locked up and or killed for their actions so we know they will never do this again? I do. This war is not about revenge, but I sure do believe that we have a purpose over there, and that is why I am here today, to talk about the war in Iraq.

I am for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am for what our troops are doing in those places. I don't just believe, I KNOW we are an essential role in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are making slow but sure progress. It is my personal opinion along with many others, that if we pull out now, it is a sign to the terrorist that they could get away with their ways and with 9/11 and can attack again, and say that they defeated the United States of America on the battle front. I don't want this to happen.

The tide in Iraq is turning and here is proof. Just a few short months ago, the situation in Ramadi, Anbar Province was unstable to the point where going outside was dangerous. But the U.S. military in cooperation with the Iraqi Army have improved security significantly and can now go to work to improve the quality of life in the area. In addition, USMC Sgt. Brody Zeigler of the 3rd Battalion 7th Marines wants to provide for local children by giving them school supplies, food and athletic equipment. There are now over 2,500 renovated schools and 32,000 certified teachers. If we could all send care packages to our troops with something in it for the kids, it will be much easier to liberate and win trust of the Iraqis. How do you do that you ask? You talk to families that have people serving, you get on the web and find military websites, you use www.anysoldier.com What to send? Well, even if it is a beanie baby, it will make a difference to those children who have had to go through so much. Hard candies, chocolate in the winter are favorites as well (ONLY and I mean ONLY send chocolate in the winter, otherwise you would have some chocolate milk and not the cold kind!) Some of the troops even share their own things that were never meant for the kids, but they share them. Notebooks, pencils, pens, even chalk can make those kids happy. They are Iraqis future.

My second reason for the war in Iraq is that the top military commander in Iraq said that violent attacks in the country had fallen by 60 percent. 60 PERCENT!! That is amazing. Even compared to a short couple of months ago, when attacks were the norm, however, he said that the security gains were tenuous and fragile. In addition, there has been fewer numbers of IED attacks in the past three months. The secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, says that the direction in Iraq is headed in a significantly more positive direction.

My third by not last reason is, the top Marine General told reporters that fatalities cause by insurgency was steadily declining. John Burns of the New York Times recently braved the notoriously dangerous Haffia street in Baghdad, but found signs for sure of the tide shifting. He noted encouragingly that two Iraqi battalions were patrolling the area. It is the first time that any homegrown brigade had secured a combat zone. These are no longer the sweaty, overweight Iraqis of Gunner Palace. Now they are ready to fight. General David Petraeus has said there are over 200,000 Iraqi Army troops on duty and patrolling and securing. I think that is very good and promising progress.

I admit there has been death. There has been bloodshed and there has been hard times. But if you look at previous wars, like WW2, we lost 291,557 troops. The valiant actions in Vietnam cost the lives of 60,000. We can't pull out for the 3,900 that have died in Iraq, they can't be lost in vain. They gave their lives for the good of other people.

If you go to Iraq, you see people waving the Iraqi and American flags. The violence has gone down, I don't need to tell you that. We haven't found Osama Bin Laden, that is true, but he has to constantly move because we are still hunting for him. We will find him. It is the duty of the United States of America to finish off the bad guys that came and hurt us in unimaginable ways. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec 7, 1941, we went into immediate action and defeated the Japanese. If we could do it then, we can surely do it now.

In our day and age, we are concerned about where we are going to eat or what we are going to watch on TV and not for our troops overseas. That needs to change!!!! Our troops need our support and morale so they can fight for you and for the innocent people of Iraq. If you want the world to be a better place, then help out the troops. They will make it happen. You look at history and we can and will prevail. All we need to do is pull together and make this happen. It is our troops that make this a free country and a safe country. We need to respect that.

I do not think people in congress should take our troops out of Iraq. It is the troops on the front lines that make the difference. The troops who are getting down and dirty and sweaty and fighting, know what is going on over there. Not some person in a suit, working behind a desk in an air conditioned room.

Even though there are over 200,000 Iraqi troops, they cannot be trained over night, just like our troops can't be trained over night. That is why the Iraqi troops are not ready to defend and fight for their country, they are not ready and they still need training. It is up to us to train them so that they can really fight for what is right. We can't just pull out now, because they can't fight, then there will be another dictatorship and we will just have to go back anyways.

I don't know what more I have to say to make you guys realize that our troops are not criminals, they are not monsters and they are not wrong doers, they are just like you and me. They have family and friends. They fight for our country and for freedom. In fact, I hope that you can see they are kind and caring. I cannot stress how important it is to support our troops. They need morale boosters. It is not hard to send a letter to say THANK YOU. A letter to a Marine or soldier can make a big difference. It shows you care. Just support our troops, it is that simple.

Here are some great things from the war in Iraq. The whole international community has pledged 38 billion dollars for schools, health care and infrastructure. That will go a long way for make the schools a better and safer environment. Also, there are more up to date hospitals with better trained nurses. The Iraqi civilians who are hurt by the insurgents can not get proper medical care. A UN resolution will move Iraq towards self government. If Iraq can govern itself, than all we need to do is train the Iraqis, help the Iraqis provide security and do humanitarian work. NATO will help train and equip Iraqi forces to a greater level. More Iraqi security means less of our troops would have to be on the front lines. We could then focus on humanitarian aid. Food and electricity and now evenly distributed across the country. Nearly all of Iraq has food and electricity. Nearly 2,500 schools has been renovated. Just think, those kids can now go to school without consequences. 32,000 teachers in country, teaching can open up jobs and get this country off the ground. After all, the mind is the greatest tool. Health care spending has increased 30 fold since liberation. That means there is more money in the health care system. 2.5 million barrels of oil are being shipped all over the world and that means big bucks for the nation and that helps out everyone in the long run. Free press is one of the most important freedoms. While under Saddam, no one had a right to speak their mind, or do anything really. There was not a whole lot of information being passed around. Knowledge is the greatest thing to have and now they are gaining more and more. Small businesses are starting to thrive. Getting more businesses going would help us get out faster to. Iraq's currency is getting more stable, where as when Saddam was in charge, there wasn't even bartering going on. So you see, all of these are great stepping stones to the beginning of a new nation.

My call for action is to support your troops and support the war in Iraq. We need to help those people over there. We are doing this for the better good of the United States and for Iraq. We are now going to send our troops more heavily into Afghanistan and do what we are now doing in Iraq. I think this is going to be a long war, it already has, but if you look at our name, The United States of America, you see united. We as Americans need to unite and support our troops so they can get the job done!! I hope that you all have learned something from this. I know I have. Our troops are doing a heckuva lot more good then most people think. Thank you for your time.

A story about an American Hero

This past weekend, I took Taylor to the Kalamazoo Air Zoo. She just loves the old war planes and we decided to make a day of it. Do you believe in fate? I DO!

While we were there, Taylor was able to get into the cockpit of a B 25. It was very cool and as she was sitting there, the man that let her up there asked her a few questions like she was a 'little girl'. By the time we got done talking, his jaw was hanging down! She first started telling him what she knew about the B 25 and he was impressed. Then he got a very small scale story about Taylor and once she said she was a GySgt, he about fell out of the plane as he yelled 'A GUNNY? YOU ARE A GUNNY?!' Of course, this always tickles Taylor when she gets that type of reaction. She talked further with the man and told him her all time favorite WW11 planes were the Mustang and the mighty B 17. The man got a bit quiet and told her he had something for her. When we got out of the plane, he told her to walk a certain way and when she saw a man in a wheelchair to stop by and say hi.

So, we wandered a bit and came up on a little old man sitting in a wheel chair. He had on his WW11 veteran hat and he had on a uniform shirt that was just full of ribbons. She shook his hand and thanked him for his service. He talked to her for a few minutes then asked her if she knew anything about the B 17. She told him 'yes sir, that is my favorite bomber'. His eyes settled on her, took her hand and asked her if she would like to talk to him for a bit.

The man that was holding Taylor's hand, was a B 17 pilot, Larry Jenkins. Taylor and I promptly sat right down in the middle of the floor to listen to him talk.

He was just out of high school and was playing cards with a bunch of his buddies when on the radio came word that Pearl Harbor had been hit. He knew then, he was going to go sign up. He wanted to be a pilot and he went through a lot of schooling to become the B 17 pilot.

He told us that he was so excited, he was young, fearless and that at that time, the guys were actually excited to go to war. That was, until his first mission. Once up in the air and they got shot at with the anti air craft artillery came up and was hitting their plane, taking chunks of it off. They landed safely and all marveled at the damage and that they survived. He was very afraid after that, but he couldn't let it stop him from doing his job.

Being a new crew, they usually got the older planes that had issues. On one mission, the plane they got had TROUBLE written across the nose, he knew it wasn't a good sign. They were over enemy territory in Romania with a full bomb load when they lost an engine. They were losing speed and had to turn away from the formation. He knew he had to drop the bombs, so they flew and found some railroad tracks and destroyed them.

They lost another engine and are now flying with only 2 and they were over 300 miles away from a safe zone and all alone. A mountain range was coming and they had to get over it. But the B 17 is massive and heavy and they only had 2 engines. Larry told the crew to get rid of any and everything in the plane, except their chutes. He made them get rid of their guns, ammo, bomb scope. But they kept losing altitude. He got the idea that if they could get rid of the ball turret, which was pretty heavy, they might be ok. While flying on 2 engines, fighting with every ounce he had, he helped figure out how to get the ball turret off. They were still to heavy. He ordered all the doors be taken off as well. Larry had a hard time maintaining speed so that plane didn't stall, but he somehow managed to skim over the mountain range. Once they got back to safety, they had to face a 45 mph cross wind and he had to put the plane down in the middle of a hay field, most of the plane was missing, but he brought his crew back safe. He got the Distinguished Flying Cross for that mission.

His crew finally got a new plane but they stuck out like a sore thumb because it was shiny, it hadn't been painted the drab green yet and they had a bad feeling. On July 16, 1944 on a mission over Austria (they had been here before and knew it was going to be bad), they dropped their bombs and had turned back around over the city to leave and they were hit 2 times, direct hits. It killed his bombardier instantly and wounded his navigator. The #3 engine burst into flames and Larry realized he had been hit. He was blinded and could only see the bright lights from the flames of the engine, but he knew they were spinning out of control. He was still in his seat and somehow managed to get his chute on, but he had to take off his flack jacket to do so. He stood up to get out of his seat and fell. Both of his legs were broken.

He crawled his way back to the bomb bay doors, hoping someone had opened them. They were closed. He tried to push with his legs, that is when he realized how badly his legs were broken, both were compound fractures. He had lost a lot of blood and oxygen. He prayed, Lord, I will be with you soon.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Everyone had bailed, except one guy, Ray Voss. Ray talked with Larry 33 years later and told him when he got to the bomb bay doors, Larry was unconscious. Ray left and was going to jump and leave Larry because of how severe Larry's wounds were, but at the last minute he couldn't do it, he couldn't leave Larry there.

He opened the bomb bay doors and rolled Larry out, hoping the cold would wake Larry up enough for him to pull his own rip cord. Larry did, but passed out again. He came to as he was being shot at, and hit on his way down. When he landed, he was surrounded by Germans.

That began his journey as a POW under some very horrific conditions. He was a POW until May 10, 1945. If you would more details on this time, you can email and I will tell you. The conditions were horrendous and what he and the others suffered through were and are heartbreaking.

Yet, here he sat, in his wheel chair talking so incredibly proud. Taylor never once took her eyes off of him and many times, he looked directly to her as he talked, as if they were the only 2 left.

When he came back to the states, he spent several years at the Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek which is now the Hart-Doyle-Inouye Federal Center.

He told Taylor he had no regrets, none. He asked 2 things of Taylor as he gave her a book that was written about him and he signed his name under one of his pictures. He asked her to take care of his book, his story, forever. The last thing he asked of her, to always remember him, Larry Jenkins, B 17 pilot.

I can't even tell you how profound this meeting was. When we were done, he pulled himself out of his chair and he saluted. GULP, I had tears just flowing. What an amazing man, what an amazing story, what an amazing American Hero!

The best day at the Air Zoo, that is for sure!

LCpl Harper receives the Bronze Star

As most of you know, Taylor spent a week at Camp Lejeune and got to do some outstanding and amazing things. Throughout the week, she had 2 wounded warriors that were able to 'shadow' her and they were able to do the things she did. It was really cool for them and for her to be with them.

Taylor's school library gets the magazine Leatherneck and she always checks it out. She got off the bus this week running wildly to the house. She threw open the magazine and here was a picture of one of the wounded warriors she spent the whole week with, LCpl Harper.

Here is the article: (sorry I have to type it out, but if I try to scan it, it doesn't show up, I am not that computer savy remember?)

Decorated Lance Corporal's Advice:
Don't Panic, Follow Orders, Do What You Are Told.

Lance Corporal Albert R Harper, a vehicle operator with the 3d Battalion, Sixth Marine Regiment, Second Marine Division, Regimental Combat Team 6, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), was awarded the Bronze Star medal with combat "V" at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug.23, 2007, for heroism and courage while under fire. He also was presented the Purple Heart for wounds suffered while conducting combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom Feb. 16, 2007.

Harper was leaving Camp Corregidor, near Ramadi, Iraq, when an 82 mm mortar round hit his vehicle.

"The mortar round struck the roof of the vehicle just behind the driver's seat," Harper said. "It sent shrapnel rounds through the vehicle and through my right shoulder blade all the way to my right arm."

In the attack, the convoy's leader, Captain Todd Seibert, was killed, which forced the the battalion gunner to take charge. After the attack, Harper's battalion gunner assessed the situation and instructed him to take over the controls and drive the vehicle.

Harper drove the vehicle an additional three kilometers through hostile urban terrain to evacuate several remaining injured Marines despite being in tremendous pain and rapidly losing blood and consciousness.

Harper gave advice for Marines preparing to deploy and about facing challening situations. "Remain calm no matter what," he said. "Panic is not the answer. Follow orders and do what you are told."

Brigadier General David H. Berger, assistant division commander of 2dMarDiv, pinned the medals on Harper. "No Marines that get awarded medals of valor or Purple Hearts ask for it," the general explained. "At the right time and the wrong place, they took the right action."

Taylor and I had the great pleasure of being with this young man for a week and he was so nice and kind. He was quiet, but he was wonderful to be around. To LCpl Harper, OOH RAH and Semper Fi from the Gunny!

Free Throw winner again!

Well, Taylor stared her old advisary down and she beat it! The last few years, she has been in a free throw contest and she always got to the next level, but when it came to this last level, she could never win. Mad her so mad to!

This year, she took it on and won! Now, she moves to the next level. We are very proud of her on this. She can't play sports and she is going up against girls that have played all along, as well as them all being twice her size. She had to do her 3 warm up shots and missed. UGH, I kept looking at her dad and saying, she is talking herself out of it. Before hand, she listened to her Marine Corp Hymn again, wore her Marine shirt and thought of her beloved Major B who just arrived in Iraq. She got into a zone and made 19 out of 25! We still are amazed at how she does it, as small as she is and given she has visual spatial issues....

To top it off, her brother and her brought home their report cards and BOTH of them got all A's and B's!! WAY TO GO!

What we didn't see on the news......

Looking at the news today, what do you see? Britney Spears, Britney and oh wait, there is some more of Britney. We see Hil and Obama slugging it out and flinging it pretty good. What didn't you see today?

PFC Raymond Jacobs, F Co./ 2d Bn / 28th Marines / 5th Marine Division, who was a member of the Marine patrol that put up the FIRST flag on Iwo Jima, has passed away.

Where was this on our wonderful news? I guess it wasn't important enough or newsworthy enough. I guess it is forgotten by the powers to be in charge of the news just how iconic that flag raising became to the country. Sure, the first flag raising wasn't THE picture, but it was raised in honor and in pure determination. The first flag set in place for the 2nd flag to be raised and that photo was captured and in one snap shot, the country pulled together. I guess the powers to be have forgotten just how powerful and how meaningful that flag raising was.

If you go to http://carol_fus.tripod.com/marines_hero_ray_jacobs.html You will find in Mr. Jacob's own words what happened that day, along with powerful photos. When you read this, please pass it onto others so that they may know.

Military Appreciation Night

Taylor has been planning on a Military Appreciation Night now for a few months and it came to happen tonight.

One day, she came home and said she had been walking down the halls looking in all the trophy cases. She noticed there were trophies of all sorts of sports. There were plaques for academics. There was a Hall of Fame. There was nothing for our military or the alumni that have served. We told her to do something about it. So, she stood before the school board and presented an idea on how to recognize her school's alumni that have served.

A flag was flown over Washington DC, one over our state capital. There were two Marines from her school that were in Iraq, and they had a flag flown in Iraq for the school. These flags were put into shadow boxes along with their certificates. She had a beautiful plaque made up with the seals of each branch put on it and had an inscription put on it.

She went to all the recruiters offices and asked them to stand with her and they all did. These guys were great. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines stood tall with her. We couldn't get anyone from the Coast Guard to even call us back.

For the Color Guard, we had the immense pleasure of Lester and Don. Lester is a WWll veteran who came and stood for Taylor the day she took her oath as a Marine. He has many health issues and if you scroll down in her blog, you will see a picture of her visiting Lester during one of his hospital stays. Lester just got out of the hospital not to long ago and he is still pretty weak. But he carried out that huge heavy 14 lb rifle and guarded the flag as long as he could. It was great.

The art dept. made some patriotic banners welcoming the veterans and the band played patriotic songs, including a song for each branch.

The 3 flags were presented, one by Sen. Fred Upton's office, one by State Rep. Rick Shaffer and the other, by Cpl. Cugliotta.

Taylor stood before the crowd and told them why she wanted to do the project. She then told the crowd that when they see a veteran, it is their duty to thank that veteran. She thanked the crowd for coming, she thanked the veterans and then said 'God bless you and God bless America'. A wonderful evening.

We are so proud of Taylor and hope tonight will renew a veteran's spirit, and hope that it will grow a seed in a young one's heart to want to stand up and serve their country with pride.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GUNNY!!!!

Yesterday, Jan 23, was Taylor's birthday! Word got sent out and let me tell you, she got tons of emails and cards wishing her a great day, and great day she had!

While she didn't get any of the weaponry she wished for *maybe SOON* she did get some goodies she had been wanting. She got a guitar so she can challenge her brother, Tanner, on guitar hero. She got a nice shadow box and some unit patches that have been secretly sent to her, and she thinks that is really cool! She also got a daily calendar that has pictures of the WWll flying aircraft that she is so interested in.

We went out and had a really nice dinner and then she got to go pick out a ring she had been wanting as well.

Thank you everyone for making her day special!

Free Throw contest

Taylor did it again! She won the first round of the free throw contest. For this particular one, this is 3 years in a row now. She has for the past several years, done two different ones. For the Elks, she has always won the 1st and 2nd round and ended up going to Hope College where she just never had any luck.

For this one, the Knights of Columbus, she has won the 1st round and then has no luck on the 2nd. To us though, she is such a winner! She goes up against girls that are half her size and that have played. Because of Taylor's medical condition, she can't play. It is hard, she wants to so badly and she has the skill, but more so, the heart and spirit.

With her medical condition, visual spatial problems are a big thing. So, how she can nail those free throws we don't know. Not only can she do the free throws, but she can stand far behind the 3 point line and swish it! As tiny as she is, it is funnier then all get out to watch her do it. And it isn't a struggle, she doesn't jump all over the place, she doesn't do the funky chicken with her arms, she just looks at the hoop and there goes the ball......

The one girl that keeps beating her for the last 3 years goes to all sorts of basketball camps and what not. She cracked her dad and I up the other day by mentioning this girl by NAME.

I told Taylor even if she never made one basket, she would still be a winner to us because she is beating the odds once again by even being out there and trying. Can't ask for much more then that.

This time, she took her music, sat in a corner and had her eyes closed. I asked her what she was listening to and she said her Marine Corps hymn. She made 12 out of 15.

We are working on the final details for the Military Appreciation Night she put in motion for this Thursday, Jan 24. She is very excited about it and hopefully, others will be to.

Now if any of you read this before the 23rd, it is Taylor's birthday, please send her some birthday wishes!!!!!

Marine Corps League

The little Gunny went to her first Marine Corps League meeting last week. She was almost overcome with amazement and awe with all the generations of Marines she was in company of. It was interesting to see the reaction she got there. We were the only female there, plus her being a child, they just weren't sure on how to act!

She had the honor of meeting yet another Iwo Jima veteran and at one point, he was overcome with emotion and shed a few tears at her true devotion to what he fought for. He and another older Marine, a Guadalcanal veteran, were so enthralled by her that they kept calling her over to talk to them, not paying attention to the meeting. At one point in time, the 3 of them got a stern 'pay attention'!

When Taylor stood and introduced herself, it wasn't in that soft little girl voice, she stood up so fast her chair about flipped over and she snapped out GYSGT TAYLOR BATTEN SEMPER FI and at that, the room erupted with OOH RAH's and SEMPER FI's. From what I understand, the meeting was pretty tame, in order to accommodate the 'young one' which didn't sit well with Taylor. I told her that I will have to talk with these men and let them know the real her and that they do not need to treat her with such sensitivity.

I regret I didn't take any pictures of that night. Had the camera in my hand, just got caught up in everything and didn't take one.

Sen. John McCain made a campaign stop in Kalamazoo and Taylor was invited as a guest of Sen. Fred Upton. She got reserved seats right next to the podium and while she didn't ask any question like she wanted to, he looked at her and she smiled and he smiled back, pointed at her and winked. While she is to young to be real political yet, she liked being there and listening to what he had to say and when he talked of how he would take care of the veterans, she stood up and clapped and yelled out a few times. Some of the stuff didn't matter to her, what mattered was when our service members were brought up and then she perked right up.

We were able to meet a wounded soldier there. He was injured and he told us of how at first, he was taken care of, then he stepped in the red tape nightmare. As most of you know, when someone is wounded, at times, they are neither financially here nor there. This young man was wounded significantly, got into the red tape of financial help from our government and lost his house. Now his credit is ruined. Taylor wants to see from whoever is in charge of our nation, they make sure this doesn't happen. She shook his hand, told him she was sorry and that none of our service members, wounded or not, should be treated like that. If they fight for this country, this country needs to step up and take care of them a whole lot better. Pretty strong convictions for a 13 year old huh? Not, how is my hair, my clothes, gossiping with the other girls, worried about what to put on the MP3 player or what she will get next........worried about how our troops are being treated. VERY PROUD OF HER!

GOOD LUCK

I know most of you that read Taylor's blog are just as pro military as we are and you all hold the troops close to your hearts. I know most of you say prayers for ALL the troops and or send positive thoughts their way.

I however have a request. Could you please say a few extra for some of Taylor's good buddies that are headed overseas right now? Taylor has always sent care packages and it has always been to random contacts she found at www.anysoldier.com She has had the unbelievable privilege to be able to meet some of those contacts in person! And she views them all as some of her best buds.

Well, now Taylor won't be having to send care packages to random contacts, as there are several that she knows either there right now or are going to be very shortly.

Major B, Lt. Col. W, Spc BJ G, and Major S. Soon there will be someone else, but we haven't seen him post it yet that he is going, so we will keep that quiet until he lets others know and then we can post his name as well.

Major B VOLUNTEERED to go back. Taylor is incredibly proud of these guys and as most of you know, if she could, she would be there to and I say that in all seriousness. She however, at times, allows the little girl in her to peek out and she gets worried.

Please, keep all our troops in your hearts. Please, say a little extra prayer for Taylor's buddies.

On to some more fantastic news!!!! You know we shamelessly plug www.anysoldier.com and for good reason, go check it out. Anysoldier was able to get over $25,000 worth of entertainment equipment to hand deliver to none other then Taylor's beloved Wounded Warrior Barracks!!!!! They will be delivering it on Jan. 14. Taylor about jumped out of her skin when she was talking with Marty and he told her about it, she was that excited!

Happy Birthday Major Pain!

A big ole HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Major Bourland, one of Taylor's special buddy's. The Major is a true outstanding person, American and Marine.

Taylor first found the Major (then Cpt) on http://www.anysoldier.com/ while he was deployed. She followed his postings and checked every day to see if he had posted something new. Then she followed him on his website, http://www.onemarinesview.com/

Major B came to visit Taylor while she was inpatient at National Institute of Health in Bethesda. They formed quiet a friendship and he has been there for Taylor every step of the way since they met.

This summer, she was able to surprise him as he stepped off an airplane for a fundraising ride in MO for anysoldier.com

Major B's birthday is tomorrow, 12-23, and Taylor wanted to be sure to give him an outstanding OOHRAH and to wish him good luck, as he volunteered to head back to the big sand box yet again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAJOR B

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Tis the season to be jolly....... We are so blessed and have so much to be thankful for.

We would like to take this time to thank all of you that have been a part of Taylor's life in one way or the other. Maybe you just read her blog and send her letters of encouragement. Maybe you have helped her out in her many fund raising missions for Toys for Tots, Hope For the Warriors or when she collected for http://www.anysoldier.com/ Maybe you have helped her with her funding in sending care packages.

Maybe you are one of the MANY military personal who have made sure to step into Taylor's life and make a difference for her.

Maybe you send prayers along her way when she is in dire need of them.

We love each and every one of you for being in Taylor's life, however it may be. YOU make the difference for her and give her the strength and courage she needs to keep going strong how she does.

Merry Christmas!

What can I do?

"What can I do?" Taylor thought that was a funny question the other day when someone asked her that about supporting the troops. I guess now that she is 'seasoned' she just assumes that everyone else should be.

Taylor's answer is the same as always, go to www.anysoldier.com Get a contact and send a letter or care package. Donate to anysoldier.com so that they may continue being the wonderful outlet they are, not only to the troops, but to us back at home needing to do our part.

Go to www.hopeforthewarriors.org and donate to the wounded. The wounded, so many people think only of those that are deployed. Ever stop to think of how life is for a wounded warrior once they come home? We didn't until we actually met up with them when we were in Washington and then at the Wounded Warrior Barracks.

Get in contact with a hospital and find out how you can send support to these guys, they need it!

How about your local veterans home? Or veterans hospital....THANK A VETERAN!!!!

"What can I do?" There is plenty that you can do Taylor says! Time to get on it and do it, and that is an order from the Gunny!

Power in a picture

Taylor has seen this picture before and since the day she saw it a few years back, it has always stuck with her. I have to admit myself, not just the first time but every time I see it, it makes me cry. So, Taylor was talking about her new mission on getting WW11 veterans stories told and archived and she brought this picture up again. I told her I would try to find it for her because she wanted to put it on her blog.

So many emotions in two different faces. So many emotions only they and those that have served will ever know the true meaning of.....

What makes Taylor smile?

Taylor had to go to University of Michigan for her heart check up. This is always a stressful time leading up to this, as we know that one of these times, the words 'surgery time is here' is going to be said.

Taylor takes it in stride, but she worries about it. The day before we were to go, she got a phone call. What makes Taylor smile big and hold that smile for days? I will tell you, a special phone call from some special guys at the Wounded Warrior Barracks.

That call came at right exact right time. All of Taylor's fears and worries left as soon as she hung up that phone. She was once again, that standing tall tough as nails Gunny.

I had heard her ask CWO Hedgcorth 'how are the boys doing' She then asked him if he was keeping them in line. I don't know what he said to her, but she said something along the lines of 'roger that, they don't want ME coming down there to straighten 'em out now do they?' Mind you, she is dead serious!!! LOL

She talked with MSgt. Barnes for a bit and I know, she was dying to be right back at Camp Lejeune.

By that one phone call, they once again gave Taylor a gift. One that could never be bought in any store, for this gift is priceless. They reinforced for her how to be brave, how to be strong, how to face your fears head on.

After the appointments were over, she completely shocked us by saying that had the doctors said she had to have her surgery now, she would be ready. Here was this tiny little thing walking down the hall, wishing she could take it to her enemy, for she was ready. How is that for a Warrior?

Things went well at U of M. There has been some changes, but not enough for us to even talk surgery yet, that will wait for another day. Another day to us is a wonderful thing, for it will be one more day of technology on Taylor's side.

Meeting up with a friend

Taylor was blessed with yet another great day, spending with one of our finest, Cpl. Andy M.

If some of you will remember, he is the very resourceful Marine that read about Taylor on Major B's blog, found out she was going to be inpatient at the National Institute of Health and then tracked us down and called me and wanted to come visit her. Not only did he come, but he brought along close to a dozen of Marines in their Blues while she was in the hospital. Now I say resourceful because he called me on my cell phone. When he called, we talked for a few minutes and then I realized he was calling me on my cell.........HOW did he get that number?

He read about the great PGR that escorted Taylor and I from the airport right to the hospital, he called up Miss Katybug and talked to her for a bit and convinced her he was one of the good guys and got my number that way. So, he had to do some leg work to even find us, then gave a priceless gift to Taylor that day all those fine looking men filed into her room and then all stood and saluted Taylor.

Today, Andy gave her another gift. He has left Washington's 8th and I and is going to CA now. He has a small amount of time to be home before he heads out west and he and his brother gave up their afternoon and spent it with us. He, just like all of Taylor's other military pals, has stepped up and over a bit to let her know he appreciates what she does.

Taylor doesn't understand it, because she feels she does nothing special, she just does what is right in her heart. How can she not do right when she has such a wonderful example to lead in all of our military that have reached out to her?

We are so appreciative and so incredibly thankful and so blessed to have had a great inspiring afternoon as today.

Happy Birthday Lt. Col. Bell

Today is Lt. Col. "Taco" Bell's birthday. He is a pilot.

Happy Birthday Marine,

Semper Fi,

GySgt. Taylor B

Benefit for our family

The Ladies Auxiliary from the VFW in Kalamazoo heard of Kevin's illness and knew he would be off of work for a long time. They have known of Taylor and all she does for the military and when they found out that we had to stop sending packages until Kevin can get back to work, they decided to have a fund raising benefit for our family.

It was very humbling to say the least, but we were very grateful. It was a nice evening with karaoke(not sure if I spelled that right) There were some patriotic songs sung, some in Taylor's honor. Then, Taylor jumped up on the stage and sang her little heart out to the song Proud to be an American. Everyone stood for her while she sang, and several of the veterans that were there, well, they walked to the other side of the VFW because they were left in tears from her heartfelt song. Later on, she got her brother Tanner up and they sang together Toby Keith's Red White and Blue.

Tanner even got up and danced with Ashley!!! The kid has never even danced with his momma! LOL

We are so thankful for those that came out to help us, many didn't even know us, they just heard of Taylor's story and came out to help. THANK YOU for being there for us!

Veteran Appreciation Dinner

Our town of Mendon held a dinner for the Veterans and Taylor was invited. It was a wonderful evening and an eye opener for us, we didn't know we had that many veterans around us! Taylor was in awe of the men she sat with. It also gave her more incentive for her project of getting the veterans stories told and chronicled.

We had the pleasure of listening to Cpl. Cugliotta talk of his time in Iraq. Taylor wished like heck that our media would listen to people like him, or Major B or any of the guys that are serving in Iraq now and can SEE the difference being made. Cpl. Cugliotta talked of how from his first tour to his second tour, a huge difference was made. When he first was over there, the streets were literally a bloody mess, no markets open....nothing. On his second tour, the same place, markets were opened, children were playing. He spoke of many things, many things you will NEVER see on our TV's because the mess of Britney Spears is so much more important.

It was a great evening and one that Taylor was very honored to have been invited to.

Meeting Sam

For Veterans Day, we went to the Kalamazoo ceremony. It was very cold and very windy, but there was a good turnout.

We made sure to walk around and shake the hands of the Veterans, and to thank them for their service. We came upon a very old man. His face was wrinkled and told of his age, but when we shook his hand, his grip was firm and his eyes were so young looking. When we thanked him for his service, his eyes watered and he said that he had a hard time remembering anything anymore, but he knows what he did was worth it. While he may not have remembered in his head what he did, by how his eyes shined and how proud he was to wear his veterans hat, we know his soul remembers. We were very blessed that day to meet WW11 Sam Poland.

Blue Star Mothers

Saturday, Nov 10th, what a special day. We were invited to a Blue Star Mothers Support the Troops Day. This chapter, has held several drives for supplies and today was the day they were going to be packing them up.

It was also the day that 3 Blue Star families were being presented to Gold Star families. Two of these families we know. Taylor was asked to be part of the presentation and she was more then honored. The first family we know, because of their son's deep love for his country and ultimately his supreme sacrifice, that we were brought to the Patriot Guard Riders. The family of Gabriel DeRoo, who we will always hold close in our hearts was the first family.

The other family was of Louis Costillo. At this young man's service, Taylor had the honor of presenting the Patriot Guard Riders plaque of appreciation to his family. Very very hard thing to do, but she was strong and brave as she did.

This was an emotional day, but an extremely gratifying day. There were hundreds of very big boxes packed full going out to our troops over seas and we were there helping, together as a family.

Veterans Day at Dad's work

On Friday, Nov. 9th, Taylor's dad's work, American Axle, had their flag ceremony for Veterans Day. They do a first shift ceremony and a second shift ceremony. We were able to make sure that Taylor was there for the second ceremony.

She stood the line, small as she is, next to some of our country's greatest generation. They did the firing squad, and I am fairly certain that protocol was broken in letting Taylor stand with them as they did so.......but they let her have the honor of being with them.

Taylor's dad is recovering very well from his heart surgery. It has been a long hard ordeal for us as a family, but I am very proud as I type this, Taylor troopered on through all this and I got her report card, all A's and B's!

Seeing the cost of war up close

It was brought to my attention that the story of Taylor visiting the National Naval Medical Center is not on the blog. I have been meaning to do this now for awhile, but with Kevin being down and out, I just haven't had the time.

Good news, Kevin did have his open heart surgery on Monday, Oct 8th *one year to the date that Taylor was sworn in as the mighty Marine she is, so we figured this was a good omen* and Kevin is doing wonderful! He will probably even be able to come home on Sunday. We are so proud of how strong Taylor's dad has been through this, and how brave he has been. He says it is because of the courage of Taylor.

Last Oct. Taylor had to go to the National Institute of Health for a weeks worth of medical testing. Word got out by a retired Gunny of her and that she was going to be in the DC area. He got in contact with the National Naval Medical Center and I got a phone call from a SSgt. wanting to know if there was a way that Taylor could get into the hospital to visit our wounded heroes. HECK YEAH was Taylor's answer to that.

I had talked with Taylor ahead of time about going there, as I was told flat out that she would be witnessing some heavy duty things. She assured me she wanted to go, she wanted to encourage her guys to get well.

We got to the NNMC and as we were ushered into an office, Marines just swarmed Taylor. All shaking her hand, teasing her and treating her just like one of the guys. I immediately felt at ease with these guys. I was pulled aside by a Lt. Col. who wanted to talk to me a bit, he was concerned about how Taylor was going to actually handle what she was going to see. That was the first time I started to feel a bit nervous and after him explaining to me just how badly some of these guys were torn up, there was a slight twinge in me wondering if I was doing the wrong thing. I glanced at Taylor and she was this tiny little thing in the middle of all these big bad Marines, but she was standing tall and holding her ground.

We went up the floor and there was a slight buzz going on with her being there. There was one young man that had heard Taylor was coming and he just had surgery. His roommate was not doing well, so he had his dad get him into a wheelchair to bring him out to the hall to meet her. I was taken back, and on the verge of tears of this. This young man grimaced in pain sitting in that wheelchair, but he did so, so that he may meet my daughter. Amazing.

We were all standing around and I looked around and I didn't see Taylor. I asked where she was and they told me that they had taken her into a room already. I really wanted to be in there with her, because I just didn't know what she was going to see. I walked into the room and and what I saw made my heart go right to my throat. I started screaming in my head to get my daughter out of there. That is, until my mind really comprehended what my eyes were seeing and most importantly, what Taylor was doing.

The very first room Taylor was taken into, was of a young man who suffered a gun shot wound to the head. There is no mistaking what his injury was. I was overcome and started to cry. You can hear about wounds, you can hear about the guys coming back hurt, but unless you actually see it for yourself, you have NO idea. As an adult, I was trying to take it in and I was trying so hard to not leave the room. I looked at Taylor and she was standing right beside the head of the bed. This young man couldn't talk and he even had a hard time with his eyes focusing in on one area.

Taylor was talking TO him, not AT him. She stood there, looking at him, not in fear of what was in front of her. She stood there with pure compassion for one of her fellow Marines, one of her fellow Americans. She talked to him, and while he could not talk, he made sounds. Taylor would wait until he was done making those sounds, and she then would talk to him again. This went on for a few minutes, and as she got ready to leave, she went to shake his hand not realizing he had no control. She held out her hand, then looked down at his hand knowing he couldn't raise it up. She took her other hand and brought his hand up to hers, and then she placed her tiny little hand around his and held it. She laid it back down and rubbed the top of his hand, and as she walked by his legs, she stopped. She turned around, put her hand on his leg and looked at his face and said very clearly, very Marine like, 'Don't give up, don't ever give up' The room was completely silent and by now, I couldn't contain my tears. I had just witnessed something I can't ever describe to do justice to it. As she walked by me and headed out the door, I looked and saw that there behind me, were a whole bunch of Marines that had bottlenecked into the doorway and hall and I can say, I was not the only one that had tears free flowing.

Taylor went from room to room like that. She saw men that had no eyes, no noses, gapping holes. She saw up close and first hand what war costs to the human body. She never once looked away from these men, she was never afraid to talk to anyone. She stood there as tall as she could stand, and talked to these wounded Warriors with pure admiration.

She went into a room of an amputee. I could feel the unease in the room. I don't think he wanted us in there and I can't say that I didn't blame him. He was polite to Taylor, but in a very distant way and in a way to make his displeasure known. He was pretty straight forward with her. I am not sure what made him do it, but all of the sudden, he threw back the covers and lifted what very little was left of his leg. I got upset, as this is the one thing Taylor told me she didn't want to see. The man stared at his leg, then stared at Taylor. I can't say what he was thinking, but his face was speaking clearly. He was angry. Taylor stood there for a few seconds looking at it, then looked up at him and just as defiant as he was being with her, she said to him, 'well you know what? It could have been a heck of a lot worse'. I was ready to throw up and thought to myself.........this is NOT good. He glared at Taylor and then, then.....he broke out into the most beautiful smile I have ever seen. It filled his whole face, heck, it filled the whole room! He said to her in a completely different tone he had been using, 'You know what little lady? You are right, it could have been a heck of a lot worse'. Again, there is just no words to ever describe the feeling. When we walked out of the room, I was told that was one of the few times that young man had smiled. As we walked by the door, she looked back and he was still smiling. She stopped and sent of a perfectly executed salute to him, and he did the same back. AMAZING!

That day, my daughter was shown the horrors of war. The cost of it to the body, to the soul. These guys however, also showed my daughter how strong the body and soul are, no matter what they are faced with. They never treated her like a sick child, she never treated them like a wounded being, they treated her as a person and she looked past and beyond their wounds and saw them as what they are......people. Living, breathing, hurting but strong beings.

There was a young man being presented the Purple Heart and the Commander of the hospital asked that Taylor be present for it. I couldn't believe it. I stayed out of the room as I felt I was intruding. This young man earned the Purple Heart and his family and the people close to him needed to be there for that, not squeezed around because I was in there. As the Commander was presenting the Purple Heart, he spoke of what it meant and what this young man had done and he had Taylor standing right next to him and the young man. He spoke to Taylor of this young man, so she knew of just what exactly it means. He then gave the man his Purple Heart. He then turned to the young man and explained to him about Taylor and her courage. He spoke of things she had done and things she had been through and then he presented her with the National Naval Medical Center coin. Only it wasn't the little one, it was HUGE. The young man shook Taylor's hand and told her it was a great honor to have her there and an even greater honor to be able to witness her presentation.

When she got out into the hall way, she was mobbed by all these guys wanting to see her huge coin. They were all jealous of her and a few tried to bribe her to get it!!!! haha

All of the guys that were involved in her tour and getting her around, at the end of the visit, presented her with an extremely large matted and frame picture of the hospital. Each of the guys had signed the mat and wrote little notes to her on it. It is a priceless gift and one that hangs in her room and she is so proud to show it off to all the come visit. These guys were the best and I am so thankful for them.

That day, once again, Taylor grew stronger and she became more determined to help out in any way that she can and will continue to do so.

I might also mention, that this is the day that she got to meet Lt. Col. Tim Maxwell, the one that had her come down to Camp Lejeune to spend with the Wounded Warriors.

I have tried to figure out how to get the pictures on here from the photobucket site, but when I put them on, they are huge and I can't get them smaller. If you go to the links on the right hand side and click on Taylor's photo's, it will take you to her pics and these ones are the last few pages I believe.