Thank you! That is how this site switched from being my little home page to some sort of "unofficial" meeting place in cyberspace... I was trying to show my appreciation for one person and it sort of snowballed. However, it is well worth it if it lets you know how much others appreciate your sacrifices.

To the soldiers' families and friends:

Thank you, too! You are the soldiers' primary support system. I know it is hard being apart from your loved ones. If these pages are of any comfort to you, then they have truly served a good purpose.

To the casual visitor:

I am glad that you stopped by (especially if you sign the Guest Book and leave some kind words for the soldiers **hint**hint**). I hope you enjoy your visit.

Now, here are some answers to the questions that I've been hearing.

1 - "Are you real?" Yes, I am a real person and I do exist. While we may never meet this side of Heaven, I care about our troops and am very proud of them.

2 - "Why are you making this web site?" That is a little longer answer, but here goes...

My brother-in-law was in Vietnam in the 60's and I remember my sister tracking his movements with each letter... and praying that she would receive another one soon. In most letters, he would tell her where he was and she would try to find it on a map that she kept on the refrigerator. It was during that time that SSgt. Barry Sadler had the hit song, "Ballad of the Green Berets" and "Letter From Vietnam" on the flip side. She had the 45 and would listen to it often. It can still make me cry.

My youngest brother (he's still older than I am) was in the 101st Airborne. He served in the U.S. and then in Germany for a year. Even when he was stateside, he was somewhat sporadic about calling or writing letters. It wasn't until many years later that I learned he planned it that way. For those of you in the service, you know what "going on alert" means. For you others, it means that the unit is on stand-by and may be deployed at a moment's notice. While on alert, soldiers could not call off base or mail anything. This was a pretty regular occurrence during the early 70's when the Vietnam War was winding down, but we didn't know it then. He figured that if we were not used to regular communication, no one would be upset if we didn't hear from him for a while. Years later, he told me that some guys would write home on a regular basis. Then, when they were on alert and their families didn't hear from them, their loved ones would get all worried. Lack of communication was his way of protecting us.

My next-to-youngest brother was a Navy pilot for about 10 years serving on the USS Enterprise and the USS Constellation. One night, the evening news told of a pilot taking off early that morning in a dense fog with the wings of the plane still folded up... a tragic accident that took the pilot's life. The name of the ship was that of the one my brother was on. At the end of the report came these words: "The name of the pilot is being withheld pending notification of the nearest of kin." Time stopped. My mother and I could barely speak. Although it seemed like an eternity, it was only about an hour or so later that the phone rang. Being faster, I reached it first. I heard my brother asking if we had heard the news report and a few other questions. He also explained that he had not called earlier because he was on the ship off the coast of Florida and had to get back on land to call us. Because I was so relieved and excited, I was just saying, "Uh huh... uh huh... uh huh... " When I looked over, I realized that mom was turning whiter with each response I gave, still not knowing if her son was alive. I quickly told her who it was and, for the first time since we'd heard the news, she began to cry.

Back in those days, communication was certainly not what it is today. The Internet was barely even thought of and most computers were the big mainframes that wouldn't fit in your house. Cell phones? Yes, there were a few... a very few... and only the very rich had them. It would have been wonderful to have seen more pictures, but cameras... well, you know. So, this site is my little way of communicating... something I would have loved to do when my family members were far away from home.

Tell him to send back a few pictures of you and I'll put them up here as well. I won't use your names if you don't want me to and will even edit the names off of your uniforms if you wish. Or -- you can send them yourself (the email address is on the home page). We'll keep going until I run out of web space!

Stay safe & come home soon!

Diane