URGENT PRAYERS/PETITIONS:May 24 - In lieu of the majority of the leadership voting to admit homosexual Scouts on Thursday, PRAY 1) that somehow the Scouts will somehow maintain their long history of developing true character in boys and young men and not furthering sexual and political agendas, 2) for the millions of Scouts and their parents who must now decide whether to stay in the program, and 3) that a safe alternative may somehow be created for those boys who do leave the program.
Same -Sex "Marriage"- PLEASE PRAY WITH ME (every day untill the decision is revealed around mid-June) THAT THE SUPREME COURT WILL VOTE TO UPHOLD THE 2 LAWS REVIEWED SUPPORTING A TRADITIONAL DEFINITION OF MARRIAGE.. PRAY that the Court will resist any pressure to MAKE new law based on "cultural trends." PRAY as though the very future of the institution of the family is at stake because it is. PRAY! - for the sake of possibly millions of children, and for our country if it is to continue to be shown any more favor by our Heavenly Father, who I promise you will be very displeased if homosexual marriage is legalized; "GOD IS NOT [TO BE] MOCKED..." - (Gal. 6:7) - Stan [Be sure to check out my brief essay at post #478.]
GOING TO THE GONE - A Checklist For Memorial Day by Greg Asimakoupoulos
Go look in on your children still asleep
within their bed.
Remind yourself they're safe and warm
because of some long dead.
Go for a walk through cemeteries
lined with little flags.
Take time to ponder homebound heroes
flown in body bags.
Go stand between those granite stones
engraved with names and dates.
Imagine all who died defending
our United States.
Go on and kneel beside a marker
offering a prayer
with gratitude for those who gave their lives
defeating terror.
Go home and count your blessings
from the hands of those now gone.
Then vow to the Almighty that their
mem'ry will live on.
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Copyright 2008 Greg Asimakoupoulos. Permission is granted to send this to others, with attribution, but not for commercial purposes.
Hunter Hogan," By Lauren on May 24 2013 http://www.hannity.com/pages/hunter-hogan
The word “hero” seems to have lost its significance these days. Today, a gay basketball player (Jason Collins) and a young woman who publicly demands
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Hunter
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Many of our true heroes and their stories are often overlooked by the press and garner little limelight. They don't receive encouraging phone calls from the Commander in Chief. They aren't featured on daytime talk shows or the evening news. They aren't invited to campaign with the President for his reelection--and they are content with that, oftentimes never feeling as though they deserve recognition in the first place.
This Memorial Day week, I’d like to highlight a real hero; a man who—inspired by his own love of country and his father’s Marine Corps service—forfeited multiple college scholarships in order to serve the United States of America and paid the ultimate price.
Lance Cpl. Hunter “HD” Hogan was killed in action at the age of 21 in Helmand province, Afghanistan on June 23, 2012. It was his very last mission before his return home. He joined the Corps in October of 2009 and he served proudly with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division.
Raised in Norman, IN, HD loved rodeo and competed in bull, bareback saddle bronc riding. His love of the sport eventually led to several full-ride college scholarship offers, but H.D. put all of that on hold in order to fulfill his dream of serving his country and to "be like his dad," who also served in the Marine Corps.
“Always the littlest guy”, standing at 5”7’ and weighing 130 lbs., one word to accurately describe the Marine was “tough.” As far back as when HD was in the 4th grade, his father recalled how a horse had fallen on top of his son. Hunter simply stood up, brushed it off, and kept going about his daily activities, which included baling hay and riding bulls. It wasn’t until two weeks later, when he spoke of a pain in his chest, did his father realize he had broken ribs. When he broke his neck at a rodeo in Abilene, KS at the age of 17, the first question HD asked was, “When can I ride again?”
Perhaps the ultimate display of HD’s “toughness” occurred after he completed Marine boot camp. The final stage of Marine training is called “The Crucible.” It is a mentally and physically demanding 54 hour-long event that includes food and sleep deprivation while traveling 48 miles on foot. HD tore his ACL and two MCL’s on the first morning of the Crucible and decided to push through the event. When his drill instructor forced him to seek medical help, Hunter was informed he would need surgery. He insisted that they should just “put some ice on it” so he could get back to his platoon and finish the Crucible. And that’s exactly what he did. HD graduated the Marine Corps on crutches despite his supervisors urging him to seek medical discharge and reap financial benefits from a military disability status.
Hunter was someone people gravitated to. His wit, loyalty and fun-loving spirit made him the kind of friend everyone wanted to have. Family was of utmost importance to Hunter and he spoke often of them while he was overseas. After he was killed, two of Hunter’s fellow Marines rekindled relationships with members of their own family, saying HD’s love of family was what inspired them to reach out.
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Hunter's father and wife
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The only thing comparable to Steve’s love of country is his love of his only son, HD. All throughout Hunter’s deployment, Steve would scour TV reports and websites (both foreign and domestic) in order to understand what his son was going through during the war. He—along with HD’s wife—also set up an annual bull ride, in memory of the Marine, which takes place in Nebraska every year.
Steve is fearless. Having served the United States in the Marine Corps from 1981 to 1985, he’s undaunted in his efforts to memorialize his son while also continuing to do everything he can to shed light on the blatant hypocrisy of the media for failing to highlight the military death toll in Afghanistan under president Obama. While some veterans say it’s taboo to criticize the President, Steve isn’t concerned about playing by the rules; he’s concerned about the state of our country and the safety of the men and women who serve it. Steve believes the rules of engagement changed dramatically under Barack Obama’s leadership and he says they are contributing to the high number of military fatalities coming out of Afghanistan.
America is a nation founded by freedom loving heroes and today, is protected by heroes like Hunter Hogan. HD will never make headlines for receiving a phone call from President Obama. No one will recognize him as a campaign buddy of the Commander in Chief. Instead, HD will be remembered as a patriot who was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in order to serve his nation
Here’s to all those who have selflessly died defending the freedoms we so easily take for granted. Here’s to HD—America’s cowboy; and to his father, my personal hero and Marine Corps veteran, Steve Hogan.
May God [Continue To] Bless the United States of America.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
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