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After Action Report
Support our Troops Rally
Washington
DC
After Action
Report
Cannon Office
Bldg
Washington DC
September 9th
and 10, 2009
Dedicated to: Chad Longell, Brave
Soldiers Stationed Somewhere in Iraq.
Well fellow
Patriots, this stand on the Cannon Bldg Corner marks the 10 time on this
corner in support of our troops. The Band of Mothers, The Gathering of
Eagles and Free Republic stood proudly, once again, in support of our
Heroes! Our main mission and message was to THANK OUR SOLDIERS FOR THEIR
VICTORY IN IRAQ AND FOR KEEPING US SAFE SINCE 9/11!!! I would say that
this was a very successful stand and so many folks stopped by to thank us
for coming and expressed their appreciation for our Troops and their hard
work in keeping us safe!
On Wednesday
we dealt with the rain but that did not stop us Patriots! Our Soldiers
conduct their missions in the rain and so do we! Our Soldiers never sit
and when we’re on the Cannon Bldg corner, neither do we! In spite of the
rain, we had many folks stop by to offer their support to our Troops and
their appreciation for their service and sacrifice. ALL AGREE, These
Mighty Warriors have won the war in Iraq and it’s about time they were
formally thanked. We feel our stand on Pelosi’s corner rang the bell of
our legislatures and especially her highness, Madame Pelosi! One thing we
did notice is the usual circus act of Code Pink was no where to be found.
When President Bush was in office, they use to camp out in Madame Pelosi’s
office but apparently they have been shooed away, for now! Thank God for
BIG miracles!!!
Thursday the
weather was beautiful and this was an extremely eventful day. We were
honored by the presence of two Gold Star Mothers: Muriel Pederson, who
lost her Son in Vietnam , and Debbie Lee, who’s Son was the first Navy
Seal killed in Iraq . The strength and fortitude of these mothers is
inspiring and touches the heart of all of us in the troop support
movement. Debbie Lee’s organization,
www.americasmightywarriors.org,
honors the memory and service of her mighty warrior, Marc Alan Lee. I
quote her mission statement:
To honor, thank, support, and encourage the troops and
their families and remember the sacrifice of my "Mighty Warrior" Marc Alan
Lee, the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq . To accept the challenge from his
last letter home and “pass on the
kindness, the love, the precious gift of human life, through random acts
of kindness” that will impact and honor our military, the
fallen and their families for their selfless service and sacrifice.
Please donate to Debbie’s website and pass her website all
over the universe, if you will.
Muriel Pederson lost her son, Marine Sgt Ken Pederson, in
Vietnam in 1968. We all know how poorly our Heroes were treated when they
came home from Vietnam and when Muriel heard that there was a Band of
Mothers who stand for our troops in DC, she wanted to join us on the
corner! What an honor it was to have this brave and stoic mother join
us. Muriel GETS TO SIT ON THE CORNER, ANYTIME! When I showed Muriel the
signs I brought to be carried, why was I not surprised when she picked the
one that said “The new rule should be Kick Their Ass and Get Home!”
Muriel has written a rather spicy account of her observations on the
Cannon Bldg Corner and you will find it below. It is definitely worth the
read and it was an honor to have her join us! Muriel stayed with us all
day and we were all honored to have her and amazed at her endurance! When
I watch both of these Gold Star Mothers, the motto of The Band of Mothers
comes to mind: Warriors Come From Warriors!
We were honored by a visit of Soldiers and Navy Seals! (see
our pictures) on Thursday. God Bless And Watch Over Every one of Them!
They were absolutely amazed that a group of Americans would gather in DC
for them, to honor them and thank them. You could see it in their faces
how much they appreciate our gratitude. It will never cease to amaze me,
the humbleness of our military. I cringe every time they thank us, for it
is this entire country that should thank them and hug them, every chance
they get!
Once again, we took a stand for our troops and we let the
legislatures in DC know that they are Heroes who have won a VICTORY IN
IRAQ and WE WERE THERE TO ACKNOWLEDGED THAT FACT!
My very special thanks to Cindy, Tom, Beth, Carrie, Lei and
Eva for all the Post Cards For Soldiers they collected on the corner these
two days. Thanks to their efforts, these Post Cards will make Volume 16
Post Cards For Soldiers and once I get them all copied for the book, the
originals will be on their way to Chad, a brave young Soldier currently
serving somewhere in Iraq.
Chad
has always stood on the corner with us but as he is deployed, was unable
to join us this time. We all missed you so much Chad , it just wasn’t the
same without. Just so you know, the Pinkos did not try and start yours
truly on fire this time! Like I said, they were nowhere to be found! You
are in our prayers Chad and the Post Cards and The Post Card For Soldiers
Book will be on its way to you soon! You and all your fellow Soldiers
will see how much we love and appreciate your service and sacrifice.
Until we see you again, keep a good eye out and stay safe!
Special
thanks to the many Congressmen who stopped by, especially Congressman
Steve King, Michelle Bachman and the one Congressman who always thanks us,
Joe Wilson! To all our readers, please rest assured that many of us
Patriots went inside Congressman Wilson’s office on Thursday after the
“incident” and thanked him. I was interviewed by a reporter regarding
Congressman Wilson’s remark and my comment was “I am not at all surprised
that Congressman Wilson has two Sons serving in the military, they must
take after their brave father!”
So to Ron Kirby, a steadfast Marine who
ALWAYS stands with us, Capt Larry Bailey, Vietnam Veteran George Samek and
Jim Diehl, Phil and Kristinn of Free Republic, and all those who stood
with us, this 10th stand in support of our Troops, thank you
from the bottom of my heart for another successful mission on the Cannon
Bldg Corner. To Chief, who always helps me put together our signs, God
Bless You and Thank You For Always showing up! You are a better
Weatherman than any I’ve seen!
George Samek, Debbie Bohannon, and Capt
Larry Bailey, in conjunction with Best Buy, organized a Laptop drive and
on September 11th, Gold Star Moms Debbie Lee, Muriel
Pederson, The Gathering of Eagles, and The Band of Mothers had the honor
of presenting 20 laptops to our Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed. Thanks
to George for all his efforts to drive this
Laptop Project! Special
thanks to Jim Diehl for donating his beautiful and haunting painting
"The Last Eagle",
(you should order one at
www.gatheringofeagles.org).
The Band of Mothers donated a
Post Card For Soldiers Book.
These books are filled with Post Cards of love and support for our
Soldiers and after this trip, there will be 16 Volumes!
I think the best time we all had in DC was
at Walter Reed, visiting with these very Brave Heroes and having the
opportunity to thank them for their sacrifice. It is a day I will never
forget. A very special lady from the Canadian Free Press, Marinka
Peschmann, spent the entire day with us and reported on the presentation
of the laptops. She drove all the way from Canada to report this story
and I cannot thank her enough. God Bless Marinka and Canada Free Press
and shame on the American media for missing one of the best stories of
9/11/2009! I understand, thanks to her wonderful story, donations are
starting to pour in! With a Mother’s Heart, I thank you Marinka!
The story
here:
Click here: Laptops for Wounded Warriors:
September 11th at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Outside Walter Reed on Friday night was
phenomenal. 800 Patriots assembled in support of our Wounded Warriors. I
have never seen that many Patriots out in front of Walter Reed! When we
are not there, the wonderful Patriots of Free Republic stand outside Water
Reed every Friday night, and have done so for the last 6 years, in support
of our Wounded Warriors! God Bless Them All! Friday night, I was shocked
to be approached by a woman from Elgin Illinois . She wanted me to know,
that because of my “rant” in Elgin , Illinois , that Americans need to
get out of their living rooms and come to Walter Reed in DC the night of
September 11th!!! She wanted me to know she was there!!! My
special thanks to Joe Miller here in Illinois for “Rant Night!” This is
proof that if you ask them, they will come!
The events of September 12th were
absolutely awesome and we all know there were 1.7 million Patriots on the
National Mall! I get extreme satisfaction knowing that the liberals and
the lame stream media know that number better than we do! My special
thanks to Dianna Reimer, National State Coordinator, Pennsylvania , for
her mention of The Band of Mothers on a National Stage and her absolutely
rousing speech! Way To Go Dianna!!!
Lastly, and always, special thanks to Dan and
the Capitol Police for their professionalism and courtesy to all of us who
stand on the Cannon Bldg Corner. We thank you and appreciate your service
to this nation!
On a very
special note, thank you Eva for all your help and our prayers are with
your Son, who will soon be deployed. He will be in all our hearts and
prayers until he returns home to you.
My last note
is to Madame Pelosi and Barak Obama. When George Bush ran Washington ,
never ever did I see a torn and tattered flag flying anywhere.
 However,
my heart broke to look up above the Cannon Bldg, where you supposedly work
3 days a week, and see flying a torn and tattered flag of The United
States
 of America
. Shame on you Ms. Pelosi and as the very Proud Mother of a Son who
served 4 deployments with the 82nd Airborne, under that
beautiful flag, I ask you and Barak Obama to stay off the TV long enough
to replace that flag and the one flying over the Longworth Bldg. Shame on
you both! (Note: click on flag images for
larger view)
Congratulations Troops, For Your Victory in Iraq !
God Bless
America and
God Bless The
United States Military!!!
With A
Mother’s Heart,
Beverly
Perlson
The Band of
Mothers
www.thebandofmothers.com
 Gold
Star Mom Muriel Pederson:
My joyful experience at the
Cannon Office Building In D.C. on September 10th, 2009.
(Note: Click on images for larger view)
Upon arrival I was greeted by a group of
wonderful Band of Mothers. They were already walking up and down the
Avenue carrying
American Flags and signs expressing their support for our troops. I
was offered my choice of signs or flag. I saw a sign that fit this
Mother's feelings. It said" Let Them Kick Ass, Win and Bring Them Home"!
People honked and waved their approval of the event. I got hugs from the
men and women on the street and military members passing by. I also was
kind of disturbed by the lack of respect shown by the Members of our
government and lobbyists who pulled up in cab after cab with their
beautiful secretaries or an aide (?) polluting my air. Couldn't they car
pool or ride the half filled bus? They were snobs! I tired easily so spent
some time sitting in a chair or on the steps of the building waving my
flag. There was a group of Navy Seals who came to see someone or something
in the building. I was, I suppose brazen, but I got hugged by nearly every
one and got a chance to thank them for their service.
While we were
going about our marching we were suddenly interrupted by screaming
police cars a limo and a number of
motorcycle police wheeling to the capitol entrance. Lo and behold they
were there to escort the Vice President. Now he is entitled to secret
servicemen. No one would hurt Old Joe. He could certainly be escorted by
the secret service alone. No one would
harm old Joe. He doesn't know what he's talking about and no one listens
to him so he'd be safe without all the taxpayers’ money being spent on the
police cars and motorcycles,
We laughed
and came close to tears, but it was an experience that I will never forget
and a group of Patriots who will forever remain in my heart.
My Love and
Thanks,
Mom Pederson,
Mom of Ken,
KIA
Vietnam 03/08/'69
Kirby Report Wed/Thur from
cannon Bldg.
Great day
Wed/Thur on the Hill. The 9/12 Tax Party people are pouring into
DC. Estimates are now over 200,000 attending. Hundreds stopped by the
Cannn House Bldg. and talked with us where we were thanking our Troops
for their service and Victory in Iraq. I talked with people/many whole
families, from TX (3-4), CA, WA, RI, GA,FL, PA,VA,NM, IL, SC, NC,MD,OK.
Met 3 that were from TX (Odessa/Midland) and 2 from NM that knew Denver
City and been there (my home town). One 92 yr old person, Vernon with a
walker from ND told me that he was here to help get this country back on
track. Gave me his e-mail address and told me to keep him up on
events. One of the most moving was when about 40 Navy Seals visiting the
Cannon stopped. Debbie Lee whose son Mark ( the first Navy Seal killed
in Iraq ) was grateful to meet them. A lot of hugging was going on.
Many other military uniformed services stopped to thank us as we were
thanking them. Also many Doctors visiting their Congressman about
healthcare gave us thumbs up. Not one of them that we talked with was
thrilled about Obamacare.
I talked
with Congressman Wolf (VA), Joe Wilson (SC, two sons served in Iraq, one
a doctor) Michele Backmann (MN), Steve King (IA), Shadigg (AZ), ( he
told us of a very moving personal story of his trip to Iraq at the 1st
tent hospital) , and Jeff Flake (Az). I gave each a copy of the Walter
Reed collage of signs thanking them for standing for Victory in Iraq.
Today we
meet at the Malone House at Walter Reed for a cookout for the Troops and
at 1 PM we present the first installment ( about 20 ) Laptops and video
cameras for the Troops so they can communicate back home as they are
recovering from their injuries. Tonight outside the gates of WR we will
again as we have done for 4 1/2 years every Friday eve, be thanking our
Troops for service. This 9/11 we expect several hundreds. Many of those
hospitalized say they will be there too.
Saturday
the March on Washington.
Veteran continues mission to help wounded soldiers
Samek to present
laptops to military hospitals, seeks additional donations
Photos:
By SARAH SHEW WILSON
George Samek of Shallotte has been volunteering full-time to make life
better for wounded soldiers and veterans for years.
Now,
his work with the “Gathering of Eagles” has produced another
brainchild—buying and presenting new laptop computers for soldiers in
military hospitals.
The
69-year-old Vietnam veteran and former police officer got the idea for the
project three weeks ago, he said recently.
“I
started thinking about what they could use, and I came up with the idea
for laptop computers” to allow soldiers to keep in touch with their family
and friends, he said.
As a
member of the North Carolina chapter of the Gathering of Eagles, a
veterans and soldiers advocacy group, he was ready to take on the
challenge.
“Our
mission statement is ‘Troops, troops and nothing but the troops,’” Samek
said.
“We
accept no pay. We pay for our own gas and lodging [during trips]. All the
money goes to the troops.”
Samek
sent e-mails to members of groups that support his work, including mothers
of soldiers and former soldiers like Band of Mothers, Soldiers Guardian
Angels, Blue Star Mothers of America, American Gold Star Mothers and
others.
Organizers from those organizations and local businesses and agencies
immediately began sending money to the project and contacting supporters
to get involved. So far, he has bought 20 computers that he and two Gold
Star Mothers will present to officials at Walter Reed Army Medical Center
on Sept. 11. The computers will be given to the hospital to sign out to
patients while they are staying there.
“It’s
going to be a gift that keeps on giving,” Samek said.
In
addition, he and his supporters plan to visit with wounded soldiers on the
wards.
After
the presentation at Walter Reed, Samek plans to also make a contribution
to Bethesda Naval Hospital . He is continuing to accept donations through
the Gathering of Eagles that will go to other hospitals in the future.
So
why does he do it? After his two years in Vietnam , Samek made a conscious
decision to do whatever he could to help veterans and wounded soldiers.
He
recalled his many trips to military hospitals since the 1970s, when he
made the decision to become an advocate for soldiers and veterans.
“I
have seen the pains of war,” he said. “I saw the suffering when I came
home. I wanted to ease the pain. The biggest reward for me is the smiles
on their faces.”
In
addition to knowing what it’s like to serve overseas, Samek knows the pain
of being wounded. He survived being shot during his law enforcement
career, so he can relate to the pain, he said.
Samek
enjoys spending time with wounded soldiers and always tells them they are
his heroes.
“I
sat down with a black soldier who had lost his legs, and I hugged him and
told him he was my hero,” Samek said.
Later, a nurse told Samek she was surprised the man had talked to him,
since he never talked to anyone.
“I
told her, ‘that’s because I sat down and hugged him.’”
He
recalled another encounter with a soldier who had lost an arm and asked
Samek what he could do to help the cause.
“I
told him, ‘Go home and raise 10 more like you.’”
Samek
took a picture of the man, in which the soldier lifted his hooked hand in
a salute to Samek and his fellow “Eagles..”
He
jokes he always gives the people he’s with a “tissue alert” before they
start visiting the soldiers.
And
Samek has no plans to stop working on behalf of wounded warriors in North
Carolina and around the country. In fact, several years ago, he told his
wife, Jamie, he wanted to retire from his job at Enterprise Rent-A-Car and
volunteer with Gathering of Eagles projects full time.
She
supported him completely and even goes with him on many of his trips,
holding an American flag during the donation ceremonies.
“Our
ladies are the prime movers,” he said of people like Jamie and women in
the mothers of soldiers groups.
“They
represent their sons and daughters, and we support them in every way
possible.”
The
following area businesses contributed to Samek’s latest effort: All-Star
Sporting Goods and Trophy Center; Clayton Mobile Homes; Hewett’s Tire and
Muffler; Jones Ford; Shallotte Hardware; and Upscale Retail.
Donations to the Laptop for Warriors can be sent to:
George Samek
1105 Copas Road
Shallotte NC 28470
Attn: Laptops |
