"If a man does his best, what else is there?" ~ George Patton


Darris Dawson, Sr., 24, FL
Renee Deville, 44, NY
Wesley Durbin, 26, TX
Jason Freiwald, 30, MI
Marcus Knight, 24, CA
Nicholas Madrazo, 25, WA
John Marcum, 34, MI
Jesse Melton III, 29, MD
Michael Murdock, 22, NC
Daniel Sexton, 53, MO
Michael Slebodnik, 39, PA
Eichmann Strickland, 23, WA
Vincent Winston, Jr., 22, MO
Darrick Wright, 37, TV

Remember. . .

''The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a little bit longer.'' ~ U.S. Navy Seabees

Michael Dinterman, 18, PA
Jorge Feliz Nieve, 26, NY
Kenneth Mayne, 29 GA
Jordan Thibeault, 22, UT
Bryan Thomas, 22, MI
Dustin Tucker, 22, CA
Daniel Whitehead, 22, CT

Remember. . .

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." ~ Abraham Lincoln


Carlo Alfonso, 23, WA
Keith Cooper, 25, KY
Steven Fitzmorris, 26, MO
Michael Gonzalez, 20, NJ
Joshua Harris, 36, NC
Patrick May, 22, NY
Tan Ngo, 20, OR
Sean Powers, 24, NH
Gregory Rodriguez, 35, MI

(I was out of state last weekend and, therefore, combined last Sunday's Remember post with today)

"If a man does his best, what else is there?" ~ George Patton


Jennifer Cole, 34, CA
Paul Conlon, Jr., 21, MA
Donald Garwile, 29, MS
James Hale, 23, IL
Nickolas Lee Hopper, 27, IL
Janelle King, 23, CA
Juan Lopez-Castaneda, 19, AZ
John Mattox, 23, TX
Daniel McGuire, 40, MA
Anthony Mihalo, 23, IL
David Paquet, 26, MD
Kristopher Rodgers, 29, MI
George Stanciel, 40, MS
Travis Stottlemyer, 20, PA
Brian Studer, 28, MN
David Todd, Jr., 36, LA
Jacob Toves, 27, CA

Remember. . .

It is the Soldier, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the press;
It is the Solder, not the poet who has given us the freedom of speech;
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer who has given us freedom to demonstrate
It is the Soldier-- Who salutes the flag; Who serves beneath the flag; and whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protester to burn the flag.


Anthony Carbullido, 25, Guam
Michael Ferschke, Jr., 22, TN
Kenneth Gibson, 25, VA
Jaime Gonzalez, Jr., 40, TX
Adam McKiski, 21, IL
Stewart Trejo, 25, MY
Jose Ulloa, 23, NY

Hungry Wolves

A friend sent me the following story:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside of us all. One is Evil. It is...
anger, resentment, self-pity, envy, jealousy, regret, greed, arrogance, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is...joy, peace, love, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, 'Which wolf wins?'
The old Cherokee simply replied...
'THE ONE YOU FEED.'

Remember. . .

"A man's feet should be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world." ~ George Santayana


David Badie, 23, IL
Ryan Baumann, 24, MD
Seteria Harris Brown, 22, FL
Jair De Jesus Garcia, 29, CA
Kevin Dickson, 21, MO
Michael Girdano, 23, PA
Gary Henry,34, IN
Timothy Hutton, 21, MT
Holley James, 24, NC
Garrett Lawton, 31, W.VA
Ian McVey, 23, MA
Jonathan Menke, 22, IN
Brian Miller, 37, IN
Andre Mitchell, 25, NY
William Mulvihill, 20, KS
Ronald Schmidt, 18, KS

What is Love?

A friend sent me the following e-mail:

"What does love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8-year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca - age 8

"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and you give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen,"
Bobby - age 5

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend whom you hate."
Nikka - age 6

"There are two kinds of love. Our love, God's love. But God makes both kinds of them."
Jenny - age 4

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday."
Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6

"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - Age 5

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine - age 5

"Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 8

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones."
Lauren - age 4

"I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her."
Bethany - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen - age 7

"Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget,"
Jessica - age 8

Remember. . .

"Gold is good in it's place, but living, brave, patriotic men are better than gold." ~ Abraham Lincoln

My deceased soldiers for this past week did not die in Iraq or in Afghanistan. However, they died of their injuries sustained in Iraq. At least their struggles are over and they, hopefully, have found peace. At least they also died in America with their family members present.

Faoa Apineru, 31, CA
James McHale, 31, MT

I recently finished Final Salute by Jim Sheeler. The book chronicles Major Steve Beck, who is a casualty notification officer, as he notifies families of their Marine's death. Although the book is definitely difficult, especially since most of the families have been mine, I think every American should read it and know what happens when a simple knock at the door occurs.

Remember. . .

"Spending time with America's soldiers is always inspiring." ~ John Boehner


Nick Dewhirst, 25, WI
Danny Dupre, 28, LA
Jackie Larson, 37, WA
Willington Rhoads, 23, NV
Ivan Wilson, 22, CA

Remember. . .

“I am a soldier, I fight where I am told, and I win where I fight.”
~ General George S. Patton

(list includes the 9 soldiers killed in the Afghanistan base attack)


Sergio Abad, 21, KY
Jonathan Ayers, 24, GA
Jason Bogar, 25, WA
Jonathan Brostrom, 24, HI
Douglas Bull, 29, PA
Steven Chevalier, 35, MI
Joseph Dwyer, 31, NC
Daniel Farkas, 42, NY
Bryan Fouty, 19, MI
Israel Garcia, 24, CA
Brian Guerrero, 34, Guam
Jason Hovater, 24, TN
Alex Jimenez, 25, MA
Jason Mann, 29, NJ
William McMillan, III, 22, KY
Thomas Michael, Jr., 21, NY
Samson Mora, 28, Guam
Matthew Phillips, 27, GA
Pruitt Rainey, 22, NC
Jeffrey Stevenson, 20, NJ
David Textor, 27, VA
Megan Touma, 23, NC
Daniel Verbeke, 25, PA
Jeremy Vrooman, 28, SD
Mitchell Young, 39, GA
Gunnar Zwilling, 20, MO

Remember. . .

"The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth." ~ Thomas J. Jackson

Gregory Dalessio, 30, NJ
Matthew Hilton, 37, MI
Joseph McKay, 51, NY
Mark Palmateer, 38, NY
Joshua Plocica, 20, TN
Estell Turner, 43, SD
Anthony Woodham, 37, AR

A Neat Story

My friend sent me the following story. Although I don't know if it is true, the message still is comforting.


During WWII, a U.S. marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific Island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock and quickly crawled inside of one.
As he waited, he prayed, "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will, I love and trust you. Amen.
After praying, he lay quietly, listening to the enemy draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of the cave. As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening in the cave. He thought, "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor." As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he was ready to make a last stand. To his amazement, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as though no one had entered for quite a while.
"Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a man's brick wall."

Remember. . .

"A boistrous sea of liberty is never without a wave." ~ Thomas Jefferson


John Aragon, 22, CA
Dustin Burnett, 19, AZ
Ryan Connolly, 24, CA
Jason Cox, 21, OH
Layton Crass, 22, IN
Alejandro Dominguez, 24, CA
Philip Dykeman, 38, NY
Max Galeai, 42, America Samoa
Michael Garren, 20, TX
Du Hai Tran, 30, CA
Robert Hammett, 39, AZ
Edgar Heredia, 28, TX
Travis Hunsberger, 24, ID
Eugene Kanakaole, 19, HI
Dwayne Kelley, 48, NJ
Anthony Mangano, 36, NY
Matthew Mendoza, 24, TX
Javier Perales, Jr., 19, TX
Tyler Pickett, 28, WY
David Pietrek, 24, IL
Marcus Preudhomme, 23, FL
Jeffrey Radamorales, 32, Puerto Rico
Gerrand Reed, 40, FL
Marc Retmier, 19, CA
Nelson Rodriguez, 22, MA
Andrew Seabrooks, 36, NY
Chris Strickland, 25, FL
Shawn Simmons, 39, MA
Joel Taylor, 20, NC
Eric Terhune, 34, KY
Bryan Thomas, 22, LA
Ross Toles, III, 37, MI
Michael Toussiant-Hyle Washington, 20, WA
James Treber, 24, CA
James Walton, 41, MD
Kelly Watters, 19, VA
Andrew Whitacre, 21, IN
James Yohn, 25, PA

Happy Independence Day!

Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays for many reasons. However, the most prominent reason is simply because we celebrate our nation's birthday. Regardless of this country's faults, I am very to be an American and to be identified as one. For me, this country represents freedom: freedom to be one's self, freedom to dream and to pursue that dream, freedom to think and to challenge, freedom to live. If and when you see a Veteran or a soldier, thank him.

I wrote the following story after an experience I had while living in Russia:

The ride seemed to last an eternity. As I stared out the window watching the countryside whiz by, my thoughts blended with the rhythm of the music filling the car. Occasionally, the woman in the front seat turned to smile at me. Gesticulating, nodding our heads at each other, and laughing had been our communication for the past month. She turned to me one last time and, with twinkling blue eyes, whispered, “Da Da, Aimee.” Her excitement made my nervous stomach do one more flip flop. We were going some place extra special that had required her to prep me every night for the past four weeks. After all, she was taking me to meet her father, a once fierce soldier of the Red Army.
When we arrived at the hovel he called home, the figure of a tall, well built man stopped chopping wood nearby and walked towards where I was standing next to the car. The closer he came to me, the more noticeable his old age became: a web of telling wrinkles occupied his face whereas a few wisps of grey hair occupied his head. He wore a black, faded sweatshirt with the hammer and sickle positioned in the center, which emphasized his political ideology. I felt as though Karl Marx himself were walking towards me. Then, before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me, casually studying me face. Quite surprised, I noticed his eyes were misty and his chin shook. Not sure of what to do, I extended my hand, a hand that would someday practice the essence of democracy, into the gentle grasp of hands that once fought to keep communism alive. I smiled into his eyes; he smiled into mine, and softly letting go of my grasp, he placed his callused hands on either side of my face and spoke in a mere whisper, “Americanski, Americanski.” His lips then softly pressed on my eyes, on my nose, and on his tears that trickled down my face. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his tight embrace. The steady rhythm of his heart in my ear made me realize the beat belonged to a victim of political ideology. Still hugging each other, we knew Stalin, Khrushchev, and all the other deceased Russian leaders had not won. Two months after returning home, I received a letter from my host family, letting me know the tragic news. A few weeks after our meeting, the Soviet soldier had suffered a massive heart attack and died. However, they went on to explain that he had died happy and content. His life long dream had been fulfilled: he had met an American.

Remember. . .

"Posterity: you will never know how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you will make good use of it." ~ John Quincy Adams

James Carter, 42, AL

Shane Duffy, 22, MA

Thomas Duncan, III, TX

Jonathan Emard, 20, TX

James Finley, 21, MO

Quincy Green, 26, TX

Scott Hagerty, 41, OK

Derek Holland, 20, PA

David Hurst, 31, OK

Cody Legg, 23, CA

Steve McCoy, 23, GA

Andre McNair, Jr., 20, FL

Justin Mixon, 22, LA

Andrew Shields, 19, WA

Lance Waldorf, 40, MT

My Second Book!

I have published a second book, which is a 120 page examination of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In addition to including my photos from the various visits to this camp, I also included diary entries from SS, prisoners, and Jewish Sonderkommando members, who worked in the seven crematoriums. The Wind Wails: Inside Auschwitz-Birkenau will be available to purchase at the end of this month. I thought to sell it on Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, but they take 55% right off the top! I'd rather this money be applied to my Holocaust work and therefore, will be privately selling copies.

My first book There Exists a Fence, which is about the Yurburg, Lithuania, Jewish cemetery restoration project also continues to do quite well.

Thoughts

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch that you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will;
It's all a state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
you can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
to the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later, the man who wins
is the one who thinks he can.
--Unknown

Remember. . .

"There are those, I know, who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American dream." ~Archibald MacLeish

Christian Cotner, 20, CT

Chris McCarthy, VA

Kyle Norris, 22, OH

David Nunez, 27, CA

Joshua Waltenbaugh, 19, PA

Remember. . .

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." ~ JFK

Jeffrey Ammon, 37, UT

Matthew Brown, 20, PA

Justin Buxbaum, 23, ME

William Cooper, 22, MS

Victor Cota, 33, AZ

Robert Crutchfield, 21, OH

John Daggett, 21, AZ

Jason Dene, 37, VT

Jeffrey DePrimo, 35, PA

Blake Evans, 24, IL

Frank Gasper, 25, CA

Chris Gathercole, 21, CA

Branden Haunert, 21, OH

Howard Jones, Jr., 35, IL

Joseph Moore, 54, ID

Chad Trimble, 29, CA

Davy Weaver, 39, GA