As life moves on for most of us, there are thousands of armed forces fighting for our freedom all across the world, with our efforts concentrated on Afghanistan. I wish them all a happy and safe holiday and in an effort to help out, would like to spread the word about a program to help our troops.
If you can spare a few dollars ($1, $2, $5, $25 or _______ fill in the blank), Ernie from Ernie's House Of WhoopAss is taking up a collection to help fly as many enlisted people as possible home for the holidays. Ernie served in the armed forces years ago and wants to do something special for those who are granted time off to come home.
Ernie is using PayPal to accept donations. If you don't have a PayPal account, don't hesitate, sign up for one today. It's FREE and keep in mind that PayPal is also the #1 prefered method of payment on eBay.
Once you've created your account, help Get Our Soldiers Home For The Holiday by donating a few dollars. The money collected will be used toward the cost of transportation to bring our enlisted personnel home for the holidays.
Although everyone has been affected by the events of September 11th, it is especially true here in the New York metropolitan area. As I am writing this -- 'round the clock digging continues -- hundreds of emergency personnel and volunteers sift through the rubble of the World Trade Center removing the debris and, more importantly, locating and exhuming bodies.
This past Saturday my wife, kids and I were lucky enough to be invited to a Christmas party that was being given by my friends firehouse Ladder Company 163 and Engine Company 325. It was a good time and a nice diversion from what has become the "new everyday" for these firefighters.
As we were coming home, traveling at a torrid 5 MPH pace on Saturday night on the Long Island Expressway (LIE), a Ford Ranger passed us in the left lane. As he passed I noticed something written on the rear window, "Rest In Peace: Glen Petit - Our Ground Zero". Glen Petit is the brother of my sister's best friend. He was a police officer in their video department and has been missing since 9/11. Talk about hitting home.
Later that night, we had our family Christmas party and my sister's best friend was there. I told her about what we saw and she had no idea whose truck it was. We talked about how unfortunate it is that they are not going to find all of the bodies that are still missing and how the families really need closure. She said that she heard from a friend in the NYPD that they are still finding bodies and she was still holding out hope that they would recover her brother. The very next day we got a call from her telling us that they recovered her brother -- three months and four days after the attack, at about the same time we were talking about it the night earlier. They are preparing a second funeral for him which will be held this week.
If you ever have a chance, take the time out and go to a funeral for a firefighter or a police officer, especially if you didn't know them. Just sit, look and listen and imagine this going on more than 400 times in the past three months. Then imagine another 3,000+ funerals for those lost in the collapse. A few months ago, a funeral for a firefighter would draw tens of thousands, these days not nearly as much because there are several funerals every day and the 24/7 recovery effort that is taking place in lower Manhattan.
Although we lost more than 3,000 people, the heros of the NYPD/PAPD and NYFD saved the lives of over 25,000-30,000 people that were in the buildings at the time of the attacks.
Please take some time out to remember those serving in our armed forces and donate a few bucks to the Get Our Soldiers Home For The Holiday campaign. Help them enjoy the comforts of home for the holidays.
Thanks and have a happy holiday.
Robnoxious
