good morning everyone

I wish to thank all of you for your support! I did not intend for this
to turn into a debate about weather the war or any war is right or
wrong, it was meant to be a tribute and reminder of sacrifices made by
brave men and women who have had to give up life as we know it.

My personal view on war are so much different than the average person,
and those of you that have given of your self in the service of our
country will understand my position.

As I have no family in any sense of the word, the Army was my life, the
men and women I served with were my brothers and sisters, my brigade
commander my father, my commanding officer my mother and the men under
my command my children! When working with a very small group of four or
five men on a helicopter crew one tends to develop bounds between
strangers that are greater than that between family and siblings, for it
is here that the words “I die for you” takes on special meaning.
For in the heat of battle we give unselfishly of our self so that our
bothers may live! As a pilot I held the lives of you bothers and fathers
in my hand, it was my job to use every once of knowledge and flying
skills to assess the situation to get my crew in and out of hot landing
zones it was the job of my door gunner to not only to protect us but to
protect the bird as well, it was the job of my crew chief to see to it
that our bird was physically sound and ready to meet the challenge, it
was the job of my navigator/co-pilot to hold us true to our corse.
As you can see, none of us are any good with out any of us, we needed
each other and thus the bound of brotherhood is formed.

The military was the bang in my life, flying mission was like running an
errand to the store or post office, I am one of the few who feels that
being in the heat of battle is home. And for that I do not support war
but it allows ME to live each day to the fullest!
Life has seem fit to take me out of the game with a debilitating illness
and I shall say no more on that, just that I sit here now, and root for
the home team.

Once again, thank you all!!!!

Rick Matos, WO-2 101st Airborne Div. US Army retied

oh port

you're a riot

roflmao

well gang,,,,time has come for tammy and i to leave...will be back later

play nice and enjoy the blue juice

up up and awayyyyyyyyyy

thanks liegh.ppl this is not about YOU!!!!

it's about them and no one asked for no ones oppinnion

we are now offically hungry...and no 1 put out the munchies...what kind
of joint is this.....lol

the shadow is in the house

tunes....tunes

speak of the devil

where's little bro poet

<----looks sunshine in the eyes and says....lets dance baby

didn't know u were gone...

<<-----flys over to juke box and selects krytonite for miss sunshine

hey bar keep......
2 blue juice pls

so how is every one

miss poet, looking good baby

ok i'm back with my date....for those who have not met her this is tammy
(sunshine)

thank sweet, someone sent me that and it made me cry....

I'm posting this here because I won't everyone to see this.


It may take you two minutes to read this,

You stay up for 16 hours

He stays up for days on end.
_________________________

You take a warm shower to help you wake up.

He goes days or weeks without running water.
__________________________

You complain of a "headache", and call in sick.

He gets shot at as others are hit, and keeps moving forward.
__________________________

You put on your anti war/don't support the troops shirt, and go meet up
with your friends.

He still fights for your right to wear that shirt.
__________________________

You make sure you're cell phone is in your pocket.

He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.
__________________________

You talk trash about your "buddies" that aren't with you.

He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.
__________________________

You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls.

He patrols the streets, searching for insurgents and terrorists.
_________________________

You complain about how hot it is.

He wears his heavy gear, not daring to take off his helmet to wipe his
brow.
__________________________

You go out to lunch, and complain because the restaurant got your order
wrong.

He doesn't get to eat today.
__________________________

Your maid makes your bed and washes your clothes.

He wears the same things for weeks, but makes sure his weapons are
clean.
__________________________

You go to the mall and get your hair redone.

He doesn't have time to brush his teeth today.
__________________________

You're angry because your class ran 5 minutes over.

He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.
__________________________

You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight.

He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.
__________________________

You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday.

He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.
__________________________

You roll your eyes as a baby cries.

He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll
ever meet
__________________________

You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything.

He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and
remembers why he is fighting.
__________________________

You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him.

He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.
__________________________

You see only what the media wants you to see.

He sees the broken bodies lying around him.
__________________________

You are asked to go to the store by your parents. You don't.

He does exactly what he is told.
__________________________

You stay at home and watch TV.

He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.
__________________________

You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable.

He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night
long.
__________________________

You sit there and judge him, saying the world is probably a worse place
because of men like him.

If only there were more men like him
___________________________
If you support your troops, repost this with a "HOORAH!"

If you don't support your troops well, it's not like you know the men
and women that are dying to preserve your right...

anything for my poet

black hawk medevac

check out my ride

yea i can

hey no prob...it's just a little invite