Trump's Message to America's Vets

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks to thousands of motorcyclists, many of them military veterans, attending the annual Rolling Thunder gathering to honor missing-in-action soldiers. Via Right Side Broadcasting. 

No other candidates appeared at the event. Hillary Clinton is taking the day off the campaign trail, and Sanders is scheduled to make campaign stops in California. 

“Do we love the bikers? Yes!” Trump said on the National Mall in Washington D.C. “Some of these people are tough. And some of these guys, they’re rough. And I get out and I shake their hands and I’ll tell you, there is love. There is love, and it’s an incredible feeling. And that’s why I wanted to be here today.” 

“We have by far the biggest rallies, far bigger than Bernie Sanders,” Trump said. “But they don’t talk about it. I had a rally where we had 18,000 people, Bernie had seven [thousand]. With my rally, they said, ‘Donald Trump made a speech today, bah-bah-bah.’ That was it. With Bernie’s rally, same time, they said, ‘Bernie Sanders had a tremendous crowd of 7,000.’ I said, ‘I had 11,000 people more than he did!’ They don’t mention it. And they won’t mention the kinds of massive crowds we have here today.” 

“We’re gonna rebuild our military,” he continued. “And we’re gonna take care of our veterans. Our veterans have been treated so badly in this country.” 

“In many cases, illegal immigrants are taken much better care of by this country than our veterans,” Trump said to hundreds of thousands of bikers gathered to honor prisoners of war and service members missing in action. “We’re not going to allow that to happen any longer.”

Source: Real Clear Politics

Beautiful Photo

Beautiful photo of the Vietnam Memorial taken in December 2012, shared with us by photographer Angela Pan!

OCPD Officer Sat Down And Had Breakfast With A Local Veteran

One of our officers sat down and had breakfast with a local veteran recently. Here's what he had to say about their conversation:

"Last Friday I had the pleasure of sitting with Staff Sergeant William Stuart Brown, U.S. Army, WWII, Atlantic Theater, Normandy, D-Day, to enjoy a nice breakfast at Layton's 16th Street. It was a true pleasure and an incredibly humbling experience. Mr. Brown is a resident of Ocean City and has a new banner flying proudly at 2nd Street. I can not tell you how enjoyable this was for me! Moments like these are truly therapeutic after a tough start to the season. I could've listened to Mr. Brown the entire day. His wisdom, passion and humility were all bundled together in a positive attitude that was absolutely addictive. Words can not express how appreciative I am for people like Mr. Brown and the sacrifices they have made. Staff Sergeant Brown was quick to thank ME for my service and wish ME a safe tour. I was briefly confused and taken back by his words. I could only chuckle and shake my head as I exclaimed, "Thank you Sir...for everything!" Happy Memorial Day. "

Chick-fil-A Does It Right.

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13 Medal of Honor recipients you should know about

The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest award for battlefield valor, and every citation can be an emotional rollercoaster, even written in dry, bureaucratic language.

All recipients, living or dead, are proven heroes, but the list of people can be daunting to go through. As Americans reflect on the sacrifices of troops this Memorial Day weekend, here is a sampling of recipients from every major conflict from 1900 until now.

Army Spc. Ross McGinnis, Iraq war

McGinnis saved the lives of four fellow soldiers on patrol when his vehicle was attacked in Northeast Baghdad on Dec. 4, 2006.

While McGinnis was manning the .50-caliber machine gun on top of the vehicle, an insurgent threw a fragmentation grenade inside. McGinnis, age 19, yelled "grenade ... it's in the truck!" At this moment, he had the choice to either jump out of the vehicle or cover the grenade and prevent others from injury. Without hesitating, he jumped on the grenade. McGinnis' platoon sergeant, Cedric Thomas, recounts how he saw McGinnis quickly "pin down" the grenade. Thomas said, "He had time to jump out of the truck ... he chose not to."



McGinnis, a private first class at the time, was posthumously promoted to specialist. Doing what he did was a matter of kindergarten math, McGinnis' parents said. "The right choice sometimes requires honor." He was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 6, 2008.

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Coca-Cola Salutes U.S. Service Members, USO With Patriotic Cans

In a nod to nostalgia and patriotic pride, Coca-Cola this weekend kicks off a flurry of events that pay tribute to the nation’s Armed Forces members and the USO’s 75thanniversary (which also marks the 75th anniversary of the company’s partnership with the USO).

The activities begin this Memorial Day weekend at the Coca-Cola 600. The USO has launched a heartfelt campaign – “Campaign to Connect” – to show service members how much Americans support them (check out the campaign website). This year’s Share a Coke® and a Song campaign will be activated at the race, and limited-edition patriotic cans of Coca-Cola® with the lyric of a song that screams red, white and blue are available at convenience stores now through July 4th. It’s like fireworks before the Fourth of July.

“Since the organization's very beginning in 1941, the USO has been near and dear to us. Our relationship is now part of our heritage, our DNA. The patriotic graphics on special 16 oz. cans and multiple club packs are a small way of saying thanks to the USO for all they do,” said Erika von Heiland Strader, director, Community Marketing, Coca-Cola North America. “On behalf of all our

Coca-Cola associates, we congratulate the USO on 75 years of connecting service members to their family, home and country!”

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Students Give Civil War Vets 'Their Identity Back'

With more than a century of rain, wind, snow and pollution conspiring to erase what was once carved into a row of headstones, about the only thing anyone in the tiny north-central Illinois community of Odell knew of the men buried there was that they'd fought in the Civil War.

That will be different this Memorial Day at Odell Township Cemetery, thanks to scientific detective work by local high school students and a federal government agency that was impressed enough with their work to send new grave markers to the community 90 miles southwest of Chicago.

"These kids gave these men their identity back," said Harold Schook, a 74-year-old Air Force veteran who every year at this time plants small American flags near area veterans' graves with his American Legion buddies.

The last three of five new headstones arrived last month and were put in place with the others - the final chapter in a story that began a couple years ago when Schook contacted Paul Ritter, a high school science teacher at Pontiac Township High School who'd had his students study the effects of acid rain on grave markers. Maybe, Schook suggested, the students could discover the names of the men who were identified simply as "soldier" in the cemetery's plat map.

The chance to solve the mystery proved irresistible.

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Just A Common Soldier

Subject: A Love Letter to My Warrior on Memorial Day

Each Memorial Day, as American families are taking the first dip of the summer in swimming pools and picnicking, husbands, fathers and brothers are traversing enemy terrain around the world, dodging the slings and arrows of war and working overtime to keep our nation safe and prosperous.

Mothers, sisters and daughters are maintaining their households, providing for their children and serving as pillars of leadership and shining examples of civic duty in their communities.

Sometimes even when we are blessed to be with our loved ones, cherishing the very fact that they are alive, and that we can see and feel and touch them in the flesh, the circumstances are fundamentally different from those in your typical household.

In early 2005, my husband had just returned from the Helmand province of Afghanistan after an IED exploded under his vehicle just after Christmas Day, severing both of his legs. We would go through a life-changing process entailing unimaginable trauma.

But from the pain and anguish of the physical therapy process, to the mental scars, to the sheer disruption of moving to five homes in four months in four states, we were in it together.

For those of us who are married to these patriots and heroes, Memorial Day is another reminder of our mission.

While we may be physically separated for months or years on end, our hearts and minds could never be closer. Sacrifice emerges as the predominant theme this time each year. For just as our "quiet professionals" overseas sacrifice for the nation, we sacrifice for them.

Read more here

Always A Soldier

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General Calls For Reflection On Memorial Day

One of the area's largest Memorial Day observances takes place Monday morning at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium.

A 10 a.m. ceremony will honor who have given their lives in service to our country from World II to present day.

The ceremony will recognize, but won't formally honor two local members of the military who have died in the last month.

Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, Keiffer Mitchell, Deputy Legislative Officer for Governor Larry Hogan and and Maryland National Guard Brigadier General Sean M. Casey, are among the guest speakers.



Casey told Maryland's News This Week that he understands that many people view this holiday as the unofficial start of summer.
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This Memorial Day...

Remember and pray for those who gave all for us, not only on the battle fields, but those who came home with injuries unseen to the naked eye and succumb to those wounds. God bless and RIP.

The Downtown Barber Shop Will Be Closed Monday & Tuesday

To some it's not just another day to party

What's the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day?

Memorial Day is May 30, 2016. It's a day set aside to honor the military personnel who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

The day is sometimes confused with Veterans Day, though the two events have distinctly different purposes. Memorial Day is for remembering those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle, according to the Veterans Administration. Veterans Day, held in November, is set aside to thank and honor all those who served in the military – in wartime and peace. The day does honor veterans who have died but is largely intended to thank living veterans for their service.

This underscores the "fact that all of those who served- not only those who died – have sacrificed and done their duty," the VA said.

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