War On Terror | The Bull Speaks!
Franklin the TurtleFranklin the Turtle

There is someone I’ve been wanting to introduce you folks to for quite some time. Problem was that I wasn’t sure exactly when the ‘right’ time would be. Now that he has his very own Facebook page, this must be it! (Click on the photo thumbnails for a larger view.)

I speak of none other than Franklin the Turtle. Companion to one of our very own American Heroes fighting for Liberty and Freedom.

Here is a little about Franklin in his own words…

“I have stayed with my guardian (Tony) for the last four years, my mommy (Hanah), sent me with her daddy to keep him company and safe on his first deployment…and I have been right by his side since. Here we go again….get ready for my travels and adventures…..!!!”

His longtime companion, Master-at-Arms First Class Anthony LaFrenier, USN,  has this to say about Franklin…

“Franklin came to see me for the first time on a Saturday morning, September 10th, 2005. Franklin was sent to me by my youngest daughter, Hanah, to keep me company while I was away in Kuwait with the U.S. Navy.”

While serving in the Middle East mascot Franklin and his side-kick had many adventures and met many great American ‘Heroes in Uniform’ and a few who were not, like Charlie Daniels (Yep, The Bull is a big fan, too!), the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders, and Montgomery-Gentry.

Franklin meets the CDB

Later, at the end of that first deployment, the following was written in MA1 LaFrenier’s journal…

“A part of our awards ceremony would be dedicated to Franklin.  Franklin received appointment from the CO as UM3 (Unit Mascot 3rd Class).   Franklin’s appointment as a US Navy Petty Officer came with great responsibility, but no pay.  We could not wait to be back with our families.   Franklin would surely miss all the wonderful friends that he made on this deployment.  But Franklin did his job wonderfully.  Franklin did just as Hanah sent him to do, he kept me company.”

Along with that appointment, Franklin received the awards of the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal -and- the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Bronze Deployment Device.

Now UM3 Franklin and MA1 Lafrenier are being sent off once again into the Sandbox to defend Liberty & Freedom from those who seek to drag Mankind back into the Dark Ages. I am asking ALL of my Dear Readers to jump on over to your Facebook accounts and send Franklin the Turtle a note of encouragement and thanks as he embarks on yet another deployment with his companion. You see, ‘We the People‘ have a part to play in our own defense. That part is to, like Franklin, keep up the morale of those brave men and women that are daily placing their lives on the line for all of us here at home.

Award 1 Award 2We need more like Franklin, and more like MA1 Tony LaFrenier!

Bull, out!  End of Article

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At 11:55 today, (Central Time), it will be sixty-six years since the attack on Pearl Harbor began.

Even after all of these decades, and in this time of war, this December 7th, 2007, let us not forget that horrid day sixty-six years ago that still lives in infamy.

Should you, for some reason, need reminding of the horror of that day just look carefully at the following photos…

Pearl Harbor Dec. 7th, 1941
This photo is a view of Pearl Harbor looking southwesterly from the hills to the northward. Taken during the Japanese raid, with anti-aircraft shell bursts overhead.
Large column of smoke in lower center is from USS Arizona (BB-39). Smaller smoke columns further to the left are from the destroyers Shaw (DD-373), Cassin (DD-372) and Downes (DD-375), in drydocks at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard.

USS Arizona Memorial
The USS Arizona is the final resting place for many of the ship’s 1,177 crewmen who lost their lives on December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor. The 184-foot-long Memorial structure spanning the mid-portion of the sunken battleship consists of three main sections: the entry and assembly rooms; a central area designed for ceremonies and general observation; and the shrine room, where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved on the marble wall.

Arizona was the most heavily damaged of all the vessels in Battleship Row, suffering three near-misses and four direct-hits from 800-kg bombs dropped by high-altitude Kates. The last bomb to strike her penetrated her deck starboard of turret two and detonated within a 14-inch powder magazine. The resulting massive explosion broke the ship in two forward of turret one, collapsed her forecastle decks, and created such a cavity that her forward turrets and conning tower fell thirty feet into her hull. The names of the 1,177 souls, both sailors and Marines, interred in her hull are listed here.

Everyday that passes we lose more of those brave souls that recall this attack as a part – often a defining part – of their Life Experience. So it was with my father who was aboard the USS Wasp (CV-7) in the Atlantic on that day. The next few years of his life were certainly defined by that war, as were his dreams for the rest of his life.

So it will be for our brave men and women, sons and daughters, serving now in the War on Terror. Let us not forget them either.

Bull, out.  End of Article

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