Something you won't hear about on main stream TV

This is an email forward I want to share.

I sat in my seat of the Boeing 767 waiting for everyone to hurry and stow their carry-ons and grab a seat so we could start what I was sure to be a long, uneventful flight home.

With the huge capacity and slow moving people taking their time to stuff luggage far too big for the overhead and never paying much attention to holding up the growing line behind them, I simply shook my head knowing that this flight was not starting out very well. I was anxious to get home to see my loved ones so I was focused on my issues and just felt like standing up and yelling for some of these clowns to get their act together.

I knew I couldn't say a word so I just thumbed thru the "Sky Mall" magazine from the seat pocket in front of me. You know it's really getting rough when you resort to the over priced, useless sky mall crap to break the monotony. With everyone finally seated, we just sat there with the cabin door open and no one in any hurry to get us going although we were well past the scheduled take off time. No wonder the airline industry is in trouble I told myself.

Just then, the attendant came on the intercom to inform us all that we were being delayed. The entire plane let out a collective groan. She resumed speaking to say "We are holding the aircraft for some very special people who are on their way to the plane and the delay shouldn't be more than 5 minutes.

The word came after waiting six times as long as we were promised that I was finally going to be on my way home. Why the hoopla over "these" folks?

I was expecting some celebrity or sport figure to be the reason for the hold up. Just get their butts in a seat and let's hit the gas I thought.

The attendant came back on the speaker to announce in a loud and excited voice that we were being joined by several U.S. Marines returning home from Iraq !!!

Just as they walked on board, the entire plane erupted into applause. The men were a bit taken by surprise by the 340 people cheering for them as they searched for their seats. They were having their hands shook and touched by almost everyone who was within an arm's distance of them as they passed down the aisle. One elderly woman kissed the hand of one of the Marines as he passed by her. The applause, whistles and cheering didn't stop for a long time.

When we were finally airborne, I was not the only civilian checking his conscience as to the delays in "me" getting home, finding my easy chair, a cold beverage and the remote in my hand. These men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about "me" and "my" issues I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the American way of life. I took for granted that others had paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay to "me" while those Heroes were going home to their loved ones.

I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed, I suggested to the attendant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our heroes were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane. The cheers and applause continued until the last Marine stepped off and we all rose to go about our too often taken for granted everyday freedoms. I felt proud of them.

I felt it an honor and a privilege to be among the first to welcome them home and say "Thank You for a job well done." I vowed that I will never forget that flight nor the lesson learned. I can't say it enough, THANK YOU to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us.

GOD BLESS AMERICA! WELCOME HOME! AND THANKS FOR A JOB WELL DONE!!!!!

A HoJo comment:

I was reminded of the contrast to a scene I witnessed on TV some years back when a group of soldiers were marching through a crowd of jeering, cursing, screaming young people in shabby garb holding hate filled signs and raising fists and middle fingers at our soldiers. I wondered, was it the difference in the wars, the difference in the public opinion, the difference in the soldiers, the difference in the locale or the difference in the particular audience? My guess is that the difference was between an organized, politically motivated group of demonstrators playing to the main stream media who strongly favor the group’s hate-filled agenda and a spontaneous, grateful, thankful group of successful Americans reacting to their deep, genuine appreciation and playing to no one but themselves.

There is no doubt in my mind that a great many of the casualties on both sides and in both wars would be alive and in good health and the world would be far closer to general peace if those who work so diligently and emotionally against both wars by providing comfort, encouragement, emotional support and thus direct aid to our enemies, would instead, spend the same energy helping in the physical and political rebuilding of Iraq and Afghanistan. The biggest beneficiaries of the efforts of these so-called, “anti-war”activists include terrorists who visit wholesale murder on their own people even more than on our troops. That their objective, far from solving the problems of despotism and the totalitarian oppression of people, is instead quite obviously the degradation and defeat of America strictly for political gain of their own, selfish, self-serving agenda.

These politically motivated groups care little for the lives or suffering of those we would rescue from tyranny or for our own people. No price in misery is too high for others to pay to aid them in their striving for political power. Power and control are their real goals. Government control over everyone with them in control of that government is their desired end.

Freedom–political, economic, religious, literary, you name it–individual freedom of virtually any kind is their sworn enemy. If you doubt this, just try to speak against any of their pet agendas at any place where they control a group of their “protesters.” Example: conservative speakers at virtually any college campus in the country. Why is it so important for liberal cause groups to silence any opposing voices? Could it be their arguments are so weak as to be unable to withstand criticism. This happens so often as to be considered the normal course of things. Why is there never any comparable oppression of liberal voices by conservatives?

The answer is that conservatives generally encourage open well mannered discussions while liberals usually encourage only discussions that agree with their agenda and will often shout down any dissenting opinion. Relatively speaking, conservatives have open minds while liberals have minds closed to opinions that disagree with their mantras.

Liberal Democrats, lead by Howard Dean, who heads up the DNC, are almost apoplectic in their loud, angry expressions of hatred for Republicans. Hate has become the mantra of the Democrat party. Led by Dean and aped by Democrats, Kennedy, Byrd, Pelosi, McKinney and a host of others, liberal democrats mouth a constant stream of epithets of hate at Republicans, indeed, at any who do not agree with them. It seems to be a genetic condition of liberals. Totally bereft of even a hint of positive programs to solve any of the country’s problems, all they can do is scream insults like frustrated schoolboys unable to get their way. They are so against practically everything, how can we expect them to spend any effort at practical solutions to anything? All we hear are epithets, slogans and mantras, all seemingly dutifully repeated after being disseminated from someone, somewhere–maybe Michael Moore, or moveon.org? What is the real motive of these people who scream with so much hatred for America?

Real Americans would like to know.

To return to the links to all of Howard Johnson’s sites Click here

To contact the author for any reason, Click Here!