Memorial Day 2012: 25 years later.

Memorial Day 2012: 25 years later, Rolling Thunder still honoring our brave missing...

A highway filled with large motorcycles roaring by in a long procession, their riders decked out in black leather and jeans, is an intimidating — some would say frightening — sight. It's also quintessentially American. Twenty-five years ago the founders of Rolling Thunder decided to use their motorcycles and biker garb to get the attention of Congress on Memorial Day. Their mission: to force the U.S government to account for all POW/MIAs from the Vietnam War.

The group's first "Ride for Freedom" to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial attracted 2,500 riders. Today, Rolling Thunder — the name taken from both the 1965 bombing campaign against North Vietnam and the sound of a column of Harley Davidsons — is a non-profit organization with more than 100 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe. The group is actively involved in promoting legislation to increase veterans' benefits and also, true to its charter, to resolve the POW/MIA issue from all wars.

The numbers of POW/MIAs from wars since Vietnam have declined — just six military personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan remain missing. But the numbers of those still missing from wars going back to World War II — 83,436 — is a haunting reminder of the layers of sacrifice our troops accept and the pain their families endure.

According to the Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office, most of the missing are from World War II: 73,681. From Korea, 7,957 remain unaccounted for; and from Vietnam, 1,666. Even the Cold War has its MIAs: 126. The POW/Missing Personnel Office was created in 1993 — five years after Rolling Thunder's first ride to Washington — to coordinate and manage all POW/MIA issues.

Rolling Thunder's mission today has also evolved into a "display of patriotism and respect for all who defend our country." On this Memorial Day, we honor the grass-roots veterans who created Rolling Thunder 25 years ago so that we never forget our missing warriors.

We also honor on this day all our war dead, especially the ones whose family and friends are still grieving.

Consider the names below of our area troops who fell in the war on terror. Think of their sacrifice, of what they might have accomplished and of the huge gaps they leave among family and friends.

And never forget them.

Army Sgt. Elmer C. Krause, 40, Greensboro/ Iraq, April 9, 2004.

Marine Lance Cpl. David B. Houck, 25, Winston-Salem/ Iraq, Nov. 26, 2004.

Army Sgt. Monta S. Ruth, 26, Winston-Salem/ Iraq, Aug. 31, 2005.

Marine Lance Cpl. Andrew D. Russoli, 21, Greensboro/ Iraq, Oct. 20, 2005.

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Christopher W. Thompson, 25, Millers Creek/ Iraq, Oct. 21, 2005.

Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel F. Swaim, 19, Yadkinville/ Iraq, Nov. 10, 2005.

Marine Cpl. Felipe C. Barbosa, 21, High Point/ Iraq, Jan. 28, 2006.

Army Sgt. Anton J. Hiett, 25, Mount Airy/ Afghanistan, March 12, 2006.

Army Spc. David N. Timmons Jr., 23, Lewisville/ Afghanistan, May 5, 2006.

Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin A. Lucas, 20, Greensboro/ Iraq, May 26, 2006.

Army Cpl. Bobby T. Callahan, 22, Jamestown/ Iraq, Sept. 19, 2006.

Army Staff Sgt. Patrick O. Barlow, 42, Greensboro/ Iraq, Oct. 18, 2006.

Army Spc. Nicholas R. Gibbs, 25, Stokesdale/ Iraq, Dec. 6, 2006.

Navy Seaman Sandra S. Grant, 23, Linwood/ Arabian Sea, Dec. 31, 2006.

Army Spc. Ebe F. Emolo, 33, Greensboro/ Iraq, April 7, 2007.

Army Maj. Larry J. Bauguess Jr., 36, Moravian Falls/ Pakistan, May 14, 2007.

Army Chief Warrant Officer Paul J. Flynn, 28, Whitsett/ Iraq, Aug. 22, 2007.

Army Pfc. Adam L. Marion, 26, Dobson/ Iraq, April 28, 2008.

Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joshua T. Harris, 36, Lexington/ Afghanistan, Aug. 30, 2008.

Army National Guard 1st Lt. Leevi K. Barnard, 28, Mount Airy/ Iraq, May 21, 2009.

Army Capt. Mark Garner, 30, Elkin/ Afghanistan, July 6, 2009.

Army Staff Sgt. Adam L. Dickmyer, 26, Winston-Salem/Afghanistan, Oct. 28, 2010.

Army Spc. Jacob C. Carroll, 20, Archdale/Afghanistan, Nov. 13, 2010.

Spring Has Sprung

Stepping out onto the deck with my morning coffee, I take a deep breath of the rich, earthy scents that yesterday’s wind have left behind and watch as the sun emerges from behind the pines that shelter our home from the winds...

It’s turning back into winter here in the triad, but the doves have returned to coo in the trees. And the Blue Birds, Robins, Cardinals are busy tending to their nest & newborn.

This is my favorite time of year. The compost pile’s may freeze tonight and the ground’s are too wet to work. But I always have faith in what's yet to come...

It’s was a very mild winter, but so far things look good except for mosquitoes that have overtook the back porch because of the mild winter...

The yard resilience amazes me. And the fact that we never need to reseed or fertilize the ground because we have next door friends that do.. and with the rains that have come and will come...Our garden & yard are well nourished...

To God be the glory in things that are to come and the blessing of his abundance to provide for my family and others that are in need...

May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you in all things that you do....

Scott & SuAnne Ray

God wants you to know

Never has anyone gone so far on the wrong path that they cannot return to the right one. Never has anyone become so wayward that they cannot benefit from the true light....

Christmas 2011

Expert Urges: Don’t Get the Shot

The flu season has gotten off to a mild start, with viruses reported in 30 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of the 24,027 specimens tested, 266 — 1.1 percent of them — were positive for flu virus and about half of those came from the southeastern part of the country.

What’s more, a new flu strain known as novel influenza A (H3N2), which combines a rare flu virus from North American pigs with the H1N1 virus from the 2009 global swine flu outbreak, has stricken 10 people since the summer, federal officials report. All patients have recovered from the illness. Some had been exposed to pigs, while others contracted the virus from those who were infected, the CDC reports.
Such human-to-human transmission of the flu virus is a good reminder that regular hand washing is one of the best ways of preventing the flu, says Newsmax Health contributor David Brownstein, M.D., a board-certified family physician and holistic health practitioner. This basic health practice — one of several he recommends — is a better flu-fighting strategy than getting a flu vaccine, he says.
“I do not recommend people get the flu shot,” he says. “It has never been conclusively shown to protect people from the flu and has not been shown to prevent it in the elderly.”
Brownstein, author of the newsletter “Natural Way to Health,” points to studies that have found the vaccine is not effective in preventing flu complications among the elderly and exacerbations of asthma among small children. The CDC encourages the young and old alike to get a flu vaccine as a way of avoiding such complications.
“It has been shown to be ineffective,” Brownstein says.
For its part, the CDC notes on its website that the effectiveness of the vaccine is never 100 percent and can vary depending on a person’s age and health.
“In general, the flu vaccine works best among young healthy adults and older children,” the CDC says. “Some older people and people with certain chronic illnesses might develop less immunity than healthy young adults after vaccination.”
Whether the vaccine matches the circulating viruses also plays a role. Because the vaccine must be developed months in advance to ensure delivery by the start of the flu season in the fall, health officials make their best estimate of which three viruses will be circulating.
“While determining how well a flu vaccine works is challenging, in general, recent studies have supported the conclusion that influenza vaccination benefits public health, especially when the viruses in the vaccine and circulating viruses are well-matched,” the CDC says.
Brownstein says conclusive evidence that the vaccine is effective isn’t there. Also, the fact that many vaccines, including the flu vaccine, contain thimerosal, a preservative made with mercury, reinforces the argument against it, he says. Mercury is toxic, and no one should ingest or inject anything made with it, he says.
“It’s unconscionable to inject anybody with any mercury-laden substance, vaccines included,” Brownstein says.
Instead, when it comes to preventing the flu, “people need to do the basics,” Brownstein says. He advises that you:
Frequently wash your hands. This is especially important if you are around a person who is ill. In a public restroom, use a paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the door.
Eat a healthy diet. A good diet full of whole foods and fresh fruits and vegetables will help your immune system. Avoiding white or refined sugar, like high fructose corn syrup, is important because it can make our disease-fighting white blood cells sluggish, Brownstein says. Natural sugars, like honey and unrefined cane sugar, do not.
Drink enough water. You need to drink plenty of water for your immune system to function well. But how much water is enough? Brownstein says follow this formula: Divide your body weight (in pounds) by two. The resulting number is the amount of water — in ounces—that you should consume daily.
Make sure you get adequate vitamin D. Studies show that people with higher vitamin D levels usually have viral illnesses that run a shorter course and involve fewer complications, he says. He suggests taking 6,000 to 10,000 units of vitamin D3 daily.
Supplement with vitamin C. Vitamin C deficiency can hurt your immune system. Brownstein recommends supplementing with between 1,000 and 6,000 mg a day. But beware: Overdoing it can cause diarrhea.

Once You Go Conservative Black, You Better Watch Your Back!

With the mainstream media giddily reporting on an alleged affair involving Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, how long can it be before they break the news that their 2004 vice presidential candidate conceived a "love child" with his mistress, Rielle Hunter?

The left is trying to destroy Cain with a miasma of hazy accusations leveled by three troubled women. Considered individually, the accusations are utterly unbelievable. They are even less credible taken together. This is how liberals destroy a man, out of nothing.

After the first round of baseless accusations against Cain, an endless stream of pundits rolled out the cliche -- as if it were the height of originality -- "This isn't he said-she said; it's he-said, she-said, she-said, she-said, she–said."

E.S. Ray

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