It’s been seven years. Perhaps the emotions you experienced that day - terror, disbelief, anger - have faded. Perhaps you think that day is a horrible part of our history to be filed away. It’s not. The enemy is reforming and will strike again. The war against evil is now and forever a part of our lives. We must be vigilant. We must use all means to defeat the enemy or he will surely defeat us. That is the nature of war. And make no mistake - we are at war.

We must remember the act of war that brought us here. Take a few moments to watch this video. Do you remember that day? Were you angry? Are you still angry?

We are Americans. We honor our dead and we give aid and comfort to those who have suffered. But then we return to the battlefield to engage and defeat the aggressor. He is still there, plotting, planning to attack again. The war is not over…

Remember those who perished that day. Say a prayer for those who carry on without them. Never forget.

I wasn’t able to get this ready in time to make it a Patriot’s Journey post, but for those of you unable to attend our 48th Annual Folsom Pro Rodeo July 3-5, I thought I’d share a couple video clips via MyFolsom.com to give you a taste of the event.

As in past years, the rodeo began with Kent Lane, skydiver extraordinaire, dropping into the arena each night trailing a 2,000 square foot American flag. During a short free-fall from 4,500 feet, Lane spoke to the audience via helmet-mounted radio, then deployed his canopy and guided the huge flag to a soft landing in the middle of Dan Russell Rodeo Arena where a waiting ground crew whisked it from the ground before it touched, all to the sound of Lee Greenwood’s “Proud to be an American.” I’ve seen it done many times and it always makes my chest swell and brings a lump to my throat.

The second clip if of a bronc rider having what looks to be a pretty good ride. Sorry, I don’t have his name. And, as always, the rodeo was preceded on July 2 by the annual longhorn cattle drive down Sutter Street in historic Folsom. We missed it this year, but here are a few photos (click to enlarge) from a prior year.

There are more images in this album.

One of the great things about Americans is the way we all get cranked up for Independence Day. It’s a big event for most, with parades, BBQs and spectacular fireworks shows!

Californians for the most part stayed away from “real” fireworks this year because of the extreme fire danger — we’ve already had more than 1700 wildfires throughout the state precipitated by dry lightening and high winds, so our Governator asked that we not buy fireworks in order to help prevent even more. But many of the usual controlled exhibitions went off as scheduled including northern California’s largest at Cal Expo in Sacramento. Here are a few more images (click to enlarge):

We were blessed this year with cooler temperatures — we call anything less than 106° “cooler” — so Dawn and I took in the annual East Sacramento “Fab 40s” parade followed by lunch on the patio at Rio City Cafe in Old Sacramento. There was a nice breeze and we relaxed watching the boats cruising the Sacramento River. What began as a lousy day for me turned out to be a pretty darn good Independence Day!

This is my final “official” Patriot’s Journey post for 2008 although I’ll continue to photograph and write about this great land of ours as the mood strikes me. If you’d like to re-read any of my previous “Patriot’s Journey” posts, click on “archives” in the navigation bar on the right, then click on “Patriot’s Journey” and you’ll be directed to all of them. And I’m sure my fellow journeyers — Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason — would appreciate a visit, too. I’ve enjoyed participating in this year’s journey with some terrific bloggers and hope to do it again next year. ‘Til then, God bless America!

With tomorrow being Independence Day, today seems an especially appropriate occasion to share this well done presentation from my cousin Mike. It’s a reminder of the mindset of our founding fathers as they shaped our nation. Definitely worth a watch…

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. You may also enjoy visiting the other journeyers: Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

Something that never ceases to amaze me is the level of photographic talent shown by our military combat photographers, particularly those serving or who have recently served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Besides giving us a first hand, front line look at what our fighting men and women do and see, some of their work has to be be described as fine art.

During two tours in Iraq, one of the best was Staff Sergeant Russell Lee Klika (he goes by “Klika” - gotta love that name). In 2004, he accompanied the 278th Regimental Combat Team of the Tennessee Army National Guard, serving as a member of the public affairs staff. In 2006, he returned, this time with the 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment of the Tennessee Army National Guard. During that second tour he worked with the 101st Airborne’s 3rd Division Rakkasans, a unit in which his 21-year-old son, Zachary, now serves. He occasionally sent photos of what he saw and I posted them on my old AFP website and later reposted them here.

Klika believes military photographers should not only document wars and battles, but also preserve and humanize historical events. So in capturing images in war-torn regions, he endured the same hardships and experienced the same risks as the warriors he photographed.

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Some of you know that Dawn and I live in a nice area between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe, much of it undeveloped and unspoiled. It’s one of the fastest growing cities in the tri-counties, yet local government and developers have managed to set aside a generous amount of land as natural habitat. For example, our home backs up to a natural creek, part of a protected strip of land that runs from high in the hills to the valley below providing refuge for a variety of wildlife. So it’s not unusual for us to see foxes, raccoons, wild turkeys, owls and an occasional coyote or deer in our yard. It’s what attracted us to the area — nice neighborhoods close to the city, yet still part of nature.

But every once in a while, nature interrupts our regular routine and last week was a perfect example. From our upstairs bedroom window, we’d been hearing “sounds” late at night and in the pre-dawn hours in our back yard, sounds we couldn’t identify. One night we thought we heard an animal attack and quickly dispose of another, not unusual in nature but something we weren’t used to hearing in our yard. Then, Saturday before last, while moving a deck chair from the garage to the back yard, Dawn heard something she hadn’t heard before — a sort of “growl”! She dropped the chair and raced into the house, but caught a glimpse of a dog-sized animal jumping from a tree near the creek at the rear edge of our property. I mistakenly assumed it had been a fox and dismissed it.

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I read and listened to John McCain’s March 31 speech delivered in Meridian, Mississippi on the first day of his Service To America Tour. I’d wanted to learn something more about the former Naval aviator and Vietnam POW, about his character and core beliefs, how he reasons and what he’s made of. I found the speech a beginning, though I’ll need to delve much deeper if I’m to better understand the man who hopes to be our next Commander-in Chief. From the speech:

“…Like most people, when I reflect on the adventures and joys of youth, I feel a longing for what is lost and cannot be restored. But though the happy pursuits of the young prove ephemeral, something better can endure, and endure until our last moment of life. And that is the honor we earn and the love we give when we work and sacrifice with others for a cause greater than our self-interest. For me that cause has long been our country. I am a lucky, lucky man to have found it, and am forever grateful to those who showed me the way. What they gave me was much more valuable and lasting than the tribute I once paid to vanity.

I am the son and grandson of admirals. My grandfather was an aviator; my father a submariner. They were my first heroes, and their respect for me has been one of the most lasting ambitions of my life. They gave their lives to their country, and taught me lessons about honor, courage, duty, perseverance and leadership that I didn’t fully grasp until later in life, but remembered when I needed them most. I have been an imperfect servant of my country for many years. But I am their son, and they showed me how to love my country, and that has made all the difference for me, my friends, all the difference in the world.”

My first reaction to McCain had been that he was too much a maverick, his positions failing to follow a traditional path along “conservative” or “Republican” lines. But I’m learning that he possesses strong convictions and, unlike most politicians today, is unabashed about sticking to what he believes is best for the country with little or no regard for opinion polls or GOP orthodoxy. Generally, those are qualities I respect. So I’m reserving judgment until I can learn more about what makes the man tick. Perhaps there’s more to John McCain than I first thought.

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. You may also enjoy visiting the other journeyers: Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

Today marks the 64th anniversary of the Normandy Landings known as D-Day. Code named Operation Neptune and Operation Overlord, they were the first operations of the Allied Powers’ invasion of Normandy during World War II. The operation was the largest single-day invasion of all time, with over 130,000 troops landing on June 6, 1944.

I had intended to post something worthy of the event and its historical significance but simply ran out of time. Not wanting to let such an important day in world history go by without remembering and honoring the heroes who fought and died there, I’ve provided a link to last year’s post. These champions climbed the cliffs, took the beaches, braved the machine gun nests, took out the gun batteries, did the unthinkable – the unimaginable. Their deeds that day define their valor and deserve our deepest gratitude and respect. They are the heroes we honor today.

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. You may also enjoy visiting the other journeyers: Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

Cousin Mike sent the .wmv version of this, and if it doesn’t make you stand up and cheer, nothing will! It’s our National Anthem sung by five young girls — Andi, Baylee, Blaire, Madeline and Tatum — ages 8-13 at the time and known as “The Cactus Cuties” after the Cactus Theater in Lubbock, Texas. This performance was at the Texas Tech vs Texas basketball game, January 20, 2008, before a crowd of more than 11,000 spectators.

Having become something of a YouTube phenomenon, their studio recording of the National Anthem is available on iTunes. I don’t know about you, but whenever I see and hear something like this, my chest swells, my throat tightens and my faith in our future is renewed. And yes, sometimes I get a little teary-eyed.

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. You may also enjoy visiting the other journeyers: Drumwaster, Larry at The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

In 1810, English poet William Wordsworth described a “sort of national property in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy”. Painter George Catlin, in his travels though the American West, wrote in 1832 that the Native Americans in the United States might be preserved “by some great protecting policy of government … in a magnificent park … A nation’s park, containing man and beast, in all the wild and freshness of their nature’s beauty!”

Years later, in 1864, the first steps toward creating what would later become our national park system were set in motion by Congress and President Abraham Lincoln. Yosemite Valley, seen as an important national treasure, was set aside by the federal government and ceded to the state of California. In doing so, it was agreed that the state would preserve these lands for public use, resort and recreation, and that no corporate development would be allowed in the protected lands. Eight years later, Yosemite Valley, along with Yellowstone, became the world’s first National Parks.

Dawn and I are fortunate to live close enough to Yosemite for regular treks. With each visit, we marvel at its splendor, its magnificence, its massive beauty. Its sheer enormity provides a cornucopia of hiking and photographic opportunities, far more than we could hope to experience in a single lifetime.

It’s been said that one cannot visit Yosemite and not feel closer to his creator. For us, it’s true.

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers: Drumwaster, The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

Senator Barack Obama has claimed the Democratic presidential nomination having secured enough delegates and pledged super-delegates to claim victory. Of course, technically, this assumes that the supers all vote as they say they will, and they are free to change their minds. So, no doubt we’ll continue to hear debate on this subject until either the convention or Hillary steps down.

Meanwhile, I’m assuming it’s pretty much a done deal. I’ve said before that I could never vote for Hillary. And I can’t vote for Obama because I see him as a racist, a Marxist and an empty suit. So despite some serious misgivings about McCain, I guess he’s my choice. Here’s my bumper sticker…

I know we sometimes take for granted our right to free and open elections in this country. But stop and think about it. We grumble openly about the candidates but hold their feet to the fire in order to make an informed decision about who will guide our country. It’s an infinitely important process and an invaluable right. I’m grateful that I live in a country where we are all free to help chart our own destiny.

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers: Drumwaster, The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

Debbi forwarded this moving rendition of a classic hymn. It’s purportedly a performance by four combined High School choirs and a group of grade school children, with the recording and presentation made by the father of one of the students. The song, of course, is Battle Hymn of the Republic. I grew up singing this hymn and hearing it always makes me proud to be an American.

The hymn was born during the American Civil War when Julia Ward Howe visited a Union Army camp on the Potomac River near Washington, D. C. She heard the soldiers singing the song “John Brown’s Body” and was taken with the strong marching beat. She wrote the words the next day:

“I awoke in the grey of the morning, and as I lay waiting for dawn, the long lines of the desired poem began to entwine themselves in my mind, and I said to myself, ‘I must get up and write these verses, lest I fall asleep and forget them!’ So I sprang out of bed and in the dimness found an old stump of a pen, which I remembered using the day before. I scrawled the verses almost without looking at the paper.”

First appearing in the Atlantic Monthly in 1862, the hymn was sung at the funerals of British statesman Winston Churchill, American senator Robert Kennedy, and American presidents Ronald Reagan and Richard Nixon. (Requires Flash Player)

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers: Drumwaster, The Bastage, the folks at The Line Is Here and Shortbus from The Edge of Reason…

This is a Patriot’s Journey post. Remember to check out the other Patriotic Journeyers: Drumwaster, The Bastage and the folks at The Line Is Here…

Throughout history, patriotism and the fulfillment of duty have been considered among the highest virtues. Perhaps the highest virtues.

In the Iliad, Achilles was angry at Agamemnon and thought that the war wasn’t worth his effort. However, in the end, he completed his duty, rising to the call and going into battle for Greece.

The central theme of the Aeneid was Aeneas’s sacrifice for duty. He abandoned all of his personal desires to fulfill his duty to his country, to establish a new empire.

The civilizations to which we owe our modern thought, to which we owe our own civilization, all praised patriotism and fulfillment of duty. Yet today, some say that dissent is patriotic, that duty should not be required, that when duty interferes with personal interests or beliefs, it should be ignored.

I’ll agree that dissent is required in some cases, but too often it walks a fine line with treason. I’m instead aligned with the seers of old, with Homer and Virgil, with the civilizations that generated our modern society. I’m a patriot and try to be a responsible citizen.

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Today is Memorial Day, first observed on May 30, 1868, declared a national holiday by Congress and, since 1971, celebrated on the last Monday in May. It also marks the unofficial beginning of summer when families enjoy a long weekend of outdoor activities. In the process, I hope you’ll all remember what it commemorates by remembering and honoring those who gave their lives defending our freedoms in the service of country.

While preparing this post, I thought about the 272 words so eloquently delivered by President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg when he paid tribute to the honored dead who had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. In that memorable address, he summarized what we today celebrate as Memorial Day.

I thought, too, about my family’s long history in this country. Our ancestors arrived in the Massachusetts colony around 1630. That an ancestor of ours has fought in nearly every conflict in which this country has engaged is highly probable. It is documented that one ancestor fell at Gettysburg, so Lincoln’s words hold special meaning for our family.

I thought of my father who, though still with us, served proudly as a B-29 pilot during WWII. It was my pride in him and his service to country that made me want to follow in his footsteps. I thought of my brother, Ken, and my daughter, Shannon, who served in the U.S. Navy, and how proud I am of them both. I thought of all my ancestors, known and unknown, who have served in the fight for freedom…

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Another of the many things I cherish about our wonderful country is the patriotism Americans proudly and enthusiastically display in celebration of Independence Day. Flags fly as families and friends gather for neighborhood parades and backyard barbecues all across the nation. We’re proud of our heritage and, although our history is comparatively short by world standards, on this day more than any other we embrace and celebrate the birth of our great nation.

One such gathering is the “Fab 40’s 4th of July Parade”. Billed as the oldest continuing neighborhood parade west of the Mississippi, this East Sacramento event has become a tradition with us. Hundreds of neighborhood families get involved, decorating anything with wheels, themselves, their kids and even their dogs! It’s always a fun outing and I always bring a camera. I’ve posted a gallery of 40 images to give you a taste of East Sacramento Americana. Enjoy, and have a wonderful 4th of July. God bless America!

This is my final “official” Patriot’s Journey post for 2007 although I’ll continue to photograph and write about this great land of ours as the mood strikes me. If you’d like to re-read any of my previous “Patriot’s Journey” posts, click on “archives” in the navigation bar on the right, then click on “Patriot’s Journey” and you’ll be directed to all of this year’s related posts. And I’m sure my fellow journeyers, JimK, Scott, Larry, Drumwaster, and Cosmicbabe would appreciate a visit, too. I’ve enjoyed participating in this year’s journey with some terrific bloggers and hope to do it again next year. ‘Til then, God bless America!