Tributes to our troops

One heck of a PHOTO slide show....
5 April, 2010

A customer sent us a great PowerPoint photo slide show. Check it out! (It is a fairly large file of about 3.4 mb) If you don't have Microsoft Office or Sun (Oracle) Open Office, you can obtain a PowerPoint viewer from Microsoft's website.

A Tribute to a Marine
4 February, 2010

Click picture for a larger version.

My 5th grade teacher, Mr. Edwards, at Shirley Avenue School in Reseda, CA 1965 made us memorize the Gettysburg Address. As an 11 year old, I had no idea why we had to do that, or why a grown man would get all teary eyed every day as we said the Pledge of Allegiance, or sang the Star Spangled Banner. He was an old guy then, maybe 45, and a WWII veteran. It has only been in recent years that I have been able to begin to comprehend what was happening with him, as I watched.

As I write this, I am in tears, recognizing how pathetic words are to express appreciation for the sacrifices the families, and the military men and women of our country have made, so the rest of us can live in safety. As Lincoln said in his Gettysburg Address, "We, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground...". Similarly, there is nothing we can do for, or say to, the families of those whose loved ones have been killed in the service of our country, or to those who have been wounded, and their families. There is no resetting the clock back to a time "before......".

On 23 December, 2009, USMC Sergeant Major Ray Mackey was the victim of an Afghanistan IED, loosing both legs, most of his hearing, and receiving significant other injuries on one arm. Sgt. Christopher Hrbek assisted a corpsman to stop the bleeding, and saved his life. He is currently in Bethesda, MD and will be there for some time. Two weeks later, Sgt. Hrbeck was killed by an IED. Short of our prayers for Sgt. Maj. Mackey and his family, and for Sgt. Hrbek's family, I see nothing significant that we can do, that will make a meaningful or lasting difference in their lives. But it is important that Sgt. Maj. Mackey and his family, and Sgt. Hrbek's family know that their commitments to, and sacrifices for OUR country, have not gone unnoticed, or unappreciated.

MGM is sending a plaque that we hope will be a reminder to Sgt. Maj. Mackey that his service to our country, and the sacrifice that he and his family have made will not be forgotten. If you have, or know of, a serviceman or woman who should be receiving one of these, or something similar, please call us. It is our intent to offer these as inexpensively as possible, as part of our humble support of our United States Military.

The Marine emblem on the forearm of the plaque (click the image for a larger picture).

If you have a chance to drop Sgt. Maj. Mackey a note, contact info is below. I am sure he would appreciate hearing from any of you. He doesn't know me, either. Sgt. Hrbek's family is from Westwood, NJ, and I'm sure they would appreciate your notes as well.

Mike Gibson

National Naval Medical Center
Attn: Sgt Maj Ray Mackey
901 Rockville Pike
Building 10 5E
Bethesda, MD 20889-5600

The Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation, so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate...we cannot consecrate...we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government: of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Click the image for a larger picture.

MGM Targets Supports our troops

Wounded Warrior Project

www.woundedwarriorproject.org

To my understanding, the Wounded Warrior Project is a group of people who are working to make a real difference in the lives of severely injured veterans, as they try to adjust to their new challenges. Please take a moment to visit them at the above website. As you do so, remember that the reason you are reading this in freedom is because men and women have bled, and died to keep us as individuals, and our country as a whole, safe. If you are a veteran, it is my honor to thank you for your service to our country. If you are not a veteran, please go back to the WWP website, sign up, and make a donation. Talk is cheap. Put up, or shut up. If you truly appreciate what our military protectors have done for us, you'll make a donation. Or volunteer. Or write some "thank you" letters. Or go to your local Veteran's Hospital and thank some of the servicemen there in person. Thank you.

As a man 54 years of age, the only regret in my adult life is that I did not take the time to serve in the Armed Forces. Many gracious veterans have assured me that our country can be served in other ways, and that what we do at MGM certainly fits into that category. I genuinely appreciate their efforts to console me, but I have a tough time legitimately comparing a firefight in Iraq to welding in Idaho.

To read the entire Wounded Warrior article, click here.

A good video by Anheuser-Buesch

The video below by Anheuser-Buesch is one of the most powerful videos I've ever seen. It got me thinking about our servicemen and women, and it got me to thinking about how I can honor them. This was an incredibly bold statement to make in a public place, but the person who started clapping was more concerned about honoring the warriors, than about the possibility of looking foolish. Talk is cheap. If you support what they do for this country, look for an opportunity to honor them, and when it arises, DO IT. Put up, or shut up. You are reading this in freedom because men and women answered the call to arms in service of our country. How many have fought, bled, and died, so we can sit here in security, and safety? If you are a patriot, prove it the next time the chance arises. Walk up to one of our warriors in an airport, shake his/her hand, and say "Thank you for your service to our country." If you are a closet patriot, that's OK, but you should stop pretending you're serious. It is not my intent to offend you, but only to get you thinking. Take a solid stand for what you believe in.

If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you are reading it in English, thank a vet.