Holiday weekend

[Les]

Like most everyone else, I am off for the three day week-end.

This morning I wanted to be sure I didn't forget why we are having this long holiday, so made a few calls to be sure the American Flag had been placed on my Father's grave.

He was drafted into World War Two, even though he had three kids and was a farmer. Back then you did not question the wisdom of our mission, so he held an auction and literally sold the farm and went off to war. We all survived just fine and ended up being the classic middle class family here in Michigan. The only thing my Dad ever said about the privilidge was he wanted to be sure an American Flag was on his grave, along with every other veteran in that country cemetary.

For the record: I also want that flag on my grave (someday)and have made sure my son and grandson know that. The "war" I was involved in did not require one single sacrafice from me. Just lost emotions and friends that have made be a better person.

I am lucky that most of my ancestors are in this same cemetary and am quite proud and thankful for the "Flags" on many of their graves.

Maybe I am gettin' old, but would ask the people on this board to remember how and why we get this time to have fun. I know me and my Dad would appreciate it!

Forgive the spelling errors - I just felt like posting this exactly how I wrote it.

[mgbinspect]

I thank you for your service along with all who have served!

My pop was training to be a Navy pilot when WWII ended. He had gained a signature from his mom to enlist even though he was under-aged. Imagine that. The country was full of guys back then eager to serve whether they were not yet old enough or not fit to serve.

My uncle retired, a Naval Academy Grad and Academy Professor. He wrote text books for the Academy.

My now ex-father in law flew B-17s (The Flying Fortress) over France. He was shot down and taken prisoner. He lost both of his legs due to lack of anti-biotics while a prisoner. The Germans actually saved his life by packing his wounds with maggots to eliminate the gang-green. I was holding his hand in prayer at the moment of his passing due to lung cancer. He was buried at Arlington Cemetary with all of the normal pomp and traditional ceremony such as the cason, the unridden horse with empty boots in the stirrups, 21 gun salute, etc. which was more emotion than anyone can bear.

My son, Keith, ran a catapult on CVN 74 (Stennis) for four years. He spent much of his time in the North Atlantic and Middle East. He had the distinct honor of hooking up the first F-18 Super Hornet ever hurled off a carrier. (I was able to go out to sea twice with Keith on a dependants day cruise and enjoy an amazing air show. Those guys topside on an aircraft carrier work extremely hard and survive on an average of 4 - 5 hours sleep for six months at a time. It truly is the most dangerous job on the planet and one can loose their life in an instant by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The hanger bay is 3.5 football fields long and walking from one end to the other of the flight deck seems to take forever. They are able to get 80 planes in the air in 15 minutes.)

My son-in-law, Kirk, stepped onto the same boat a week after Keith got out as a navigator aboard the A-6 Prowler. He is a Naval Academy Grad and flew for nine months over the sandbox during dessert storm. He now is in California testing our next generation of jet fighters.

I too am eternally grateful to all who are willing to put their life on the line for the preservation of our way of life.

Thank you, Les and Mike O. and God bless! It's guys like you that truly make a difference.

And, having said that, I too am off to enjoy this weekend at my beach getaway.

[StevenT]

Thank you to all of the heros that have made it possible for me to live, and to raise my children in the most wonderful country in the history of mankind. I would also like to acknowledge the proud, but yet heartbroken survivors that have lost loved ones while protecting us.

I often wonder what life on this planet would be like if it wasn't for the United States and it's brave sons and daughters.

G-D Bless America.

G-D Bless all of our heros and martyrs.

G-D Bless all of us and our loved ones.

Pray for peace.

[randynavarro]

Uh,oh. I made a wisecrack over on the 'Electrical' forum kidding about "What holiday weekend?" My point was that its always the holiday weekends that seem to pack out busy and I choose to work. Of course, everyone else is off and it seems to be the best time for them to get their inspections done. When you work for yourself, your holidays don't correspond to everyone else's.

To set the record straight, I meant no disrespect to all of our veterans and families. I am sincerely grateful and thankful for the sacrifices and commitments of our American men and women (and children!).

[mgbinspect]

You know, it's truly sobering and stupifying to ponder the fact that our way of life has literally come to pass through the willingness of others to lay down their lives or at the very least sacrifice limbs and quality of life to make it so.

No words or actions can adequately convey our gratitude for such a resolute commitment.

And, we owe this thanks to servicemen from many countries.

Among them are Great Britain, Canada, Australia, the French underground, Russia (in WWII) and more I'm sure.

I'm thankful for them all

[Les]

Randy,

I take no offense with your remark nor the fact that you are working. The remark give us proof positive that what the vets did is for you and me to have choice. Besides that I have only one work rule - never on Sunday. I follow the farmers rule, the cows never know what day it is and the corn keeps growing!

[randynavarro]

That right. I forgot to mention, I never work Sundays either!

[StevenT]

Although, I try to have my weekends off (especially Saturdays), this weekend I had to work (Friday and Saturday nights). I am installing three separate instant hot water systems, serving seven different scrub sinks, four faucets each, for the operating rooms in a hospital. We have to take advantage of the nights and holiday to drill through the floors while the O.R.'s are not as busy.

I'm hoping to take some pictures to post. It should be an interesting job. Besides the instant hot on 3 separate loops, it will be backed up by the regular hospital hot water system (steam heated), the temperture at the mixing valves have to be alarmed and the whole system has to be computer monitored.

We did one section a night, in order to leave the other section available.

Friday night, we got a 4 hour late start, as there was an emergency surgery, and they weren't finished yet. Then, one of the company plumbers had a problem, couldn't stay... I ended up doing his work.

Saturday night, I started out with all the right help... I thought... The substitute plumber that came in, showed up injured, ( he put a drill through his hand while doing something at his home before coming to work) and spent half the night downstairs, in the E.R. (how convienient). He tried to help as much as possible, but, really wasn't able to do much. Then one of the laborers had to leave. He came down with a case of Saturday Night Fever.

Well, once again, I rolled up my sleeves, finished making my penetrations and stubbing them out. But I worked very, very hard.

This job is the first time in about 30 years that I have worked for someone else, I thought that "having a job" would be a lot less pressure, and in ways maybe it is. But it sure reminded me why I'm trying to get my H.I. business to the point that I will not need the additional income.