This will, I guarantee you, brighten your day, make you smile all weekend, and cause you to untangle the flag outside your front door.
Today's entire column - which was written and formatted - was going to be devoted to a discussion of Presidential brothers, focusing on the Congressional report which suggests that Roger Clinton, Bill's brother, was literally in the business of trying to sell pardons.
I was going to mention Billy Carter, who took a couple of hundred grand from Libya; and Donald Nixon who was in business with a guy named Robert Vesco who was the James Skilling and Kenneth Lay of an earlier era.
I was going to contrast all of that with the best-known brother of THIS President, Jeb, who happens to be the Governor of Florida and is likely to be re-elected to that position.
Then my attention turned to brothers of a completely different sort.
I received an e-mail from a friend. This friend is a Naval officer attached to the battle group led by the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy. The Kennedy and its battle group recently arrived on station in the Persian Gulf to relieve the Theodore Roosevelt providing air support for Operation Enduring Freedom.
The e-mail contained the text of the announcement that Captain Ron Henderson, the Skipper of the Kennedy, made to his entire crew on the night of March 10, 2002 as they prepared for their first flight operations in Operation Enduring Freedom. Here are some excerpts of what Captain Henderson said to his crew:
At midnight, CVW 7 will launch into the dark night,
and strike their first blows of Operation Enduring
Freedom, the war on terrorism. For us this is a
culminating point in space, a culminating point in
time, and a culminating point in history.
For the rest of our lives, no matter whether we
stay in the Navy or move on to civilian life, no
matter what we do or where we go, we will remember
that on 10 March 2002, we came together and struck
a blow for freedom.
We represent America in all its power and diversity.
We are men and women, rich and poor, black and
white, and all colors of the human rainbow. We are
Christian, Jew, and yes, Muslim. We ARE America.
Stay sharp. Stay focused. Stay safe. Use the
training that has made you the best Sailors in the
world. Trust in your faith, and in your shipmates.
God bless us all, and God bless America.
The link to the full text is below. When you read the eloquence which is embodied in the entire announcement you will understand why Capt. Henderson's call-sign is "Harv." He went to Harvard.
Now hear this: This is an e-mail that a pilot from the JFK sent to his family after returning from his mission which launched six months to the day after the attacks of September 11. Keep in mind that the average age of the people he describes scurrying around the flight deck is about 20 years:
I am unable to express the feeling of patriotism
that swept over all of us as we listened to [Capt.
Henderson's] riveting words.
As you read them please imagine us zipping up
our g-suits, stepping into our torso harnesses,
hearing the satisfying click of 9MMs as magazines
slip home and are stowed safely in our holsters,
all the while listening to the Captain's words
coming over the [loudspeakers].
Helmets on, straps fastened, visors down,
sleeves rolled down, we walked to our jets,
the Captain's message ringing in our ears.
Arriving on the flight deck we witnessed Plane
Captains, Troubleshooters and Ordnancemen
busily prepping the jets; Yellow Shirts making
the final moves; Grapes pulling a fuel hose
into place; Catapult officers making final
catapult inspections. Each doing their duty.
These moments I will never forget.
[We came back.] The ordnance did not. Where
and how it was expended is another story.
You should be very proud of the youth of
America, and be proud to be an American.
We are. We are very proud of this new Band of Brothers. And Sisters.
You can - AND SHOULD - read the entire text of Captain Henderson's remarks on the Secret Decoder Ring.
If you are working at a lobbying firm, a government affairs office, a coalition, or a PAC you should take a
look at this page to see how advertising in Mullings might serve your organization very well:
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