A Veteran’s Christmas Wish
By Robert A. Hall

Each year when Christmas comes around again,
I pause on Christmas Eve to take a dram
Of whisky, and I think of absent friends,
And Christmas in a place called Vietnam.

I think of boys who never had the chance
To see their kids on Christmas Eve at play,
Their lives were spent that freedom might advance,
From Valley Forge right up through yesterday.

They fell at Belleau Wood and Normandy,
At Gettysburg, at Iwo and at Hue,
They gave their lives to keep our people free,
And never saw another Christmas Day.

So take a moment from your festive joys,
To think of soldiers who were young and true,
And say a prayer on Christmas Eve for boys
Who gave up all their Christmases for you.

Today’s Twitter Tuesday user: @WomenMarines

@WomenMarines is the Twitter account for the non-profit organization, The Women Marines Association, which is the only veterans association for and about women who have served as Marines, according to their Twitter bio. Their official website is interactive with videos, and a community. This organization is different from other veterans organizations because they are solely for women, and female service to this country is often ignored or overlooked.

@WomenMarines and every other Twitter Tuesday user I showcase can easily be found on the Twitterers I Follow page of my blog.

Add this user to your Twitter followers, and like always, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @heatherbray. I’d love to hear from you. Happy Twittering!

tells the compelling tale of how two brothers come to terms with issues of love, loyalty, and manhood—and with the woman caught between them.

Here is the most recent trailer for the movie:

I plan to see the movie after it’s released and will share my thoughts.

Today’s Twitter Tuesday user: @MarineCorpsNews

@MarineCorpsNews is the Twitter account for Marine Corps News, and they Tweet about Marine Corps news 24/7. If something is happening in the news involving Marines, it’s Tweeted about by @MarineCorpsNews.

@MarineCorpsNews and every other Twitter Tuesday user I showcase can easily be found on the Twitterers I Follow page of my blog.

Add this user to your Twitter followers, and like always, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @heatherbray. I’d love to hear from you. Happy Twittering!

This time last year, I was packing for a road trip from Baltimore, MD to Camp Lejeune, NC to visit my Marine. He was unable to drive home to Baltimore for Thanksgiving because his truck had been involved in a accident week prior and was awaiting repair.

This will be my Marine’s first Thanksgiving home with family in five years because he was either on deployment or on base at Lejeune, so this Thanksgiving is special to me because it is the first of many I’ll be spending with my extended family and my Marine.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful for:

• My brother and my father for sticking beside me through my entire life
• My Marine’s parents for raising the man I love
• My friends for being the best friends I know
• My freedom to maintain and write on this blog without government censorship
• Every member of the Armed Forces because it’s those men and women who assure we will maintain our freedoms in this country

What are you thankful for?

Today’s Twitter Tuesday user: @PetsForPatriots

@PetsForPatriots is the Twitter account for Pets for Patriots, Inc., a non-profit organization that helps military members adopt adult pets. According to their Twitter bio, “We help military members honorably adopt adult shelter pets, giving both pet + person the gifts of fidelity, joy + companionship.” They Tweet about their organization, stories about pets, and link themselves to the organization’s official website and Facebook page.

@PetsForPatriots and every other Twitter Tuesday user I showcase can easily be found on the Twitterers I Follow page of my blog.

Add this user to your Twitter followers, and like always, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @heatherbray. I’d love to hear from you. Happy Twittering!

The top searches on Yahoo.com are are followed:

1. New Moon
2. Oprah
3. Tim Lincecum
4. Oasis of the Seas
5. Susan Boyle
6. Kate Moss
7. Nicolas Cage
8. Fort Hood
9. Project Runway
10. Oklahoma State Football

How did this country reach a point where a vampire movie and celebrities are more important to people than the military?

Just some food for thought.

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Still from the terrorist scene in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The newly released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is on the receiving end of controversy due to their level depicting terrorism in an airport.

In the beginning of the game, the user is warned of a “disturbing, graphic” level, but that’s only after you’ve opened the packaging and began playing the game. If you’re offended, you can’t return the game due to store policies, so you’re stuck with a game you find appalling.

My boyfriend purchased the game and when I saw the terrorism level, where innocent airport patrons are gunned down like sitting ducks, I was shocked and cannot believe the creators chose to include that story line, especially due to this country’s sensitivity to terrorism in our airports after 9/11.

On the topic of veterans, I feel the aforementioned level of the game is a smack in the face to everyone who was/is a victim of terrorism, and every member of the Armed Forces who fought and fight to ensure this country doesn’t experience terrorism in our country. I do not have a problem with the game as a hole because it’s a fairly realistic representation of a combat environment, but the graphic depiction of terrorism is, in my opinion, in bad taste.

Is it too soon to include this storyline in entertainment?

Should there be more obvious outside packaging warning gamers of the storyline’s content?

Who has played the game?

What does everyone think of the game so far?

Today’s Twitter Tuesday user: @wwpinc

@wwpinc is the official Twitter account for the Wounded Warrior Project, who is currently in the news for (as of press time) for their partnership with University of Maryland, University of South Carolina and Under Armour. The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is, according to their website, to honor and empower wounded warriors.

@wwpinc and every other Twitter Tuesday user I showcase can easily be found on the Twitterers I Follow page of my blog.

Add this user to your Twitter followers, and like always, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @heatherbray. I’d love to hear from you. Happy Twittering!

The Wounded Warrior Project is a non-profit organization whose sole purpose is, according to their website, to honor and empower wounded warriors.

Wounded Warrior Project logo

The WWP works to achieve their mission by offering services of Warriors at Work, which is designed to help injured veterans find employment; Operation Outreach, which is a series of videos documenting the organization’s travels around the country meeting injured warriors; and coping services, which works as a support system for those injured.

Their calendar shows the organization’s presence at a number of events across the world, including Operation Vet Fest in Los Angeles, CA., MOTORFEST 2009-Custom Bike&Carshow in El Paso, TX and  the Amica Insurance Seattle Marathon Baghdad Shadow Run in Baghdad, Iraq.

The WWP’s website also hosts a social networking site for wounded warriors and their caregivers injured on or after on or after October 7, 2001 (Operation Enduring Freedom), which opens the window for communication and support from others in similar situations.

The Wounded Warrior Project makes donating easy by adding the ability to donate $5 to Wounded Warrior Project by texting ‘WWP’ to 90999 from your cell phone.

The Wounded Warrior Project can be found on Facebook and Twitter (@wwpinc).