Rainbow Gate Farm - American Solider

Rainbow Gate Farm salutes the. . .

I was born in the United States. In fact I was born in New York City General Hospital. New York was my
home for several years. I love my country. I am a Christian and I love my Father God and my family. I
remember where I was the moment we heard about the twin towers on September 11th 2001. We turned on
the TV and two minutes later watched the second tower fall on live TV. That changes you.
I will also never forget what Jay Leno said that night about there not being any more Republicans and
Democrats - just Americans. I wish it could have stayed that way.

This page is dedicated to the American Soldier - each and every one of you. Thank you for defending our
freedom and for ensuring that an event like September 11th will never happen again.

It is especially dedicated to Cpl Stephen Daniel Shannon who gave his life for us on January 31st, 2007 in
Iraq and to Staff Sgt Scott Nisely and SPC Kampha Sourivong, who also gave their lives for us on
September 30th, 2006.

To read about a true hero.....go to
these two sites...please don't miss
reading about this young American
hero whose sacrifice allowed two other
young men to return home to their
families.
MARINE CPL JASON DUNHAM

CPL JASON DUNHAM

My son Dan is a soldier and a proud member of
the Iowa National Guard and I am proud of him!
He was deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom
with the 1-133 Battalion and spent nearly two
years in Iraq.
Click the icon to the side of this text to visit the
Iowa National Guard website!

Once again, if you need to be reminded of
what we are fighting for and you didn't
visit the link on the index page, please
click on the flag below and it will remind
you. It takes a while to load but you will
never forget what you see. It is worth
waiting for.

Not sure who drew this beautiful drawing below but I hear it is now hanging in the Pentagon.
Whoever you are, thank you.

"PASS THE COLORS"

...now if you have a sense of humor......see the pictures below!

We caught Saddam and we will catch Bin Laden too!

FOR THE REAL THING>>>>>SEE THESE PHOTOS
BELOW SENT BACK BY A SOLDIER IN IRAQ WHO
WAS IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME!
THESE ARE REAL PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN AT THE
TIME OF SADDAM HUSSEIN'S CAPTURE

To me he looks like a worried elderly man.
Hard to believe he is the ruthless dictator
who tortured and murdered thousands of
innocent people - his own people and
others. Remember, no freedom of speech
where this man ruled.

Subject: (U) A Day at the Baltimore Airport

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Just wanted to pass along this pearl from an American Citizen!!
The writer and his wife live in LA and both work for Uncle Sam.
A Day at Baltimore Airport

Dear Friends and Family,
I hope that you will spare me a few minutes of your time to tell you about something that I saw on Monday, October 27. I had been attending a
conference in Annapolis and was coming home on Sunday. As you may recall, Los Angeles International Airport was closed on Sunday, October 26,
because of the fires that affected air traffic control. Accordingly, my flight, and many others, were canceled and I wound up spending a night in
Baltimore.

My story begins the next day. When I went to check in at the United counter Monday morning I saw a lot of soldiers home from Iraq. Most were very
young and all had on their desert camouflage uniforms. This was as change from earlier, when they had to buy civilian clothes in Kuwait to fly home. It
was a visible reminder that we are in a war. It probably was pretty close to what train terminals were like in World War II. Many people were stopping the
troops to talk to them, asking them questions in the Starbucks line or just saying "Welcome Home." In addition to all the flights that had been canceled
on Sunday, the weather was terrible in Baltimore and the flights were backed up. So, there were a lot of unhappy people in the terminal trying to get
home, but nobody that I saw gave the soldiers a bad time.

By the afternoon, one plane to Denver had been delayed several hours. United personnel kept asking for volunteers to give up their seats and take
another flight. They weren't getting many takers. Finally, a United spokeswoman got on the PA and said this, "Folks. As you can see, there are a lot of
soldiers in the waiting area. They only have 14 days of leave and we're trying to get them where they need to go without spending any more time in an
airport then they have to. We sold them all tickets, knowing we would oversell the flight. If we can, we want to get them all on this flight. We want all the
soldiers to know that we respect what you're doing, we are here for you and we love you."

At that, the entire terminal of cranky, tired, travel-weary people, a cross-section of America, broke into sustained and heartfelt applause. The soldiers
looked surprised and very modest. Most of them just looked at their boots. Many of us were wiping away tears. And, yes, people lined up to take the
later flight and all the soldiers went to Denver on that flight. That little moment made me proud to be an American, and also told me why we will win this
war. If you want to
send my little story on to your friends and family, feel free. This is not some urban legend. I was there, I was part of it, I saw it happen.

Will Ross
Administrative Judge
United States Department of Defense

....How did you sleep last night?
Look below...

If you would like to send Christmas gifts to our
troops overseas please click on the "Support Our
Troops" below to visit the Southern Illinois Yellow
Ribbon Campaign

September11th
2001

We will never forget 9-11-01. My
heart goes out to those who lost
their loved ones on that day.

This is a prayer request for a man in need of prayer.

Please, take a moment and pray for this man. He is in a situation that few people find themselves.
He is criticized at every turn, and few people have thanked him for the good things he has done.
Few people know the extent of his situation. We need to pray that God gives him the guidance
he needs to do his job effectively. I have attached a photo of this man. Look at it. Most of you
will recognize him. Please pray for him.
He hasn't asked me to send this request, but I am sure that he will appreciate all your prayers. If
you were facing what he is facing, you'd want people praying for you! No matter what political
party you belong to
the Bible tells us to pray for our leaders.

Thanks. (and yes, when the elections are held, and we have a new president, the photo will
change regardless of which party wins.)

No matter what party you support, this man is our
President right now and needs our help in prayers.
This country belongs to all of us.
IN GOD WE TRUST

To GO BACK TO THE MAIN PAGE
CLICK ON THE FLAG BELOW

To go to our other Tribute page click
on the photo of Ground Zero below.

"A DIFFERENT CHRISTMAS POEM

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
a lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

"What are you doing?" I asked without fear,
"Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!"

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light.
Then he sighed and he said "Its really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night."

"It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My Gramps died at 'Pearl on a day in December,"
Then he sighed, "That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers."
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.

I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall."

"So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."
"But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
"Give you money," I asked, "or prepare you a feast?"

"It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son."

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.
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PRAY FOR OUR MILITARY PERSONNEL EVERY NIGHT!