Tracy Lynn's Viewpoints

Archive for May, 2010

This morning I tweeted a song, One that I sang with my dad thousands of times, “I’ll meet you in the morning”. It seems “Andrea” on twitter had a problem with that song. She said it was “not a song for Memorial day”. Actually I should thank Andrea for being insensitive and arrogant, It made me truly reflect on my family of soldiers today. I beg to differ Andrea. Let me tell you a little about the stock I come from. About the men in my family that fought for our freedom.

As far back as I’ve thus far traced my ancestry, the men in my family have always fought for our freedom. My Great, Great Grandpa fought in the War. Here’s his picture…

My Great Grandfather fought in WWI. I clearly remember sitting on his lap and rubbing my small hand along his right arm which, although he was always tan from farming, that arm was as white as snow and bare of hair. It was from the mustard gas he was exposed to in the war. He went on to live into his 60′s, although he had many, many health problems from the mustard gas he farmed and raised 2 great children, one of which was my dad. He took care of his wife who could neither read nor write but she could quote any bible scripture you named. Here’s his picture….

My dad fought in WWII, earned 3 Purple Hearts along with many other medals. In fact while he lay wounded in a foxhole he found God. He spent the rest of his life preaching the word. Wonderful man, humble, smart, funny, fun. He came home and raised 16 children. This is my dad…

I have lost many relatives and friends to war, too many. I still believe in this Country, I believe in our Flag, which, Andrea, I fly 365 days per year. These are only 3 of the soldiers in my family. I come from strong stock. Good genes. Good values. We believe in doing the right thing even if it’s not the easy road. We believe in standing up when necessary. We believe in honoring our dead. That song is special to me because I know that some day, all of these great men and many, many others will be there to “Meet me in the morning”.

To all that have served, to their families, I say, “Thank You”, and those are not meaningless words to me.

God Bless Our Soldiers; Past, Present and future!

I DID NOT WRITE THIS, I RECEIVED IT IN AN EMAIL AND I WANT TO SHARE IT… I thought it appropriate with Memorial Day coming up. May God Bless This Airline Captain!

He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, “We have an H.R. on this flight.” (H.R. stands for human remains.) “Are they military?” I asked.
‘Yes’, she said.
‘Is there an escort?’ I asked.
‘Yes, I already assigned him a seat’.
‘Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early,” I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was
the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked
him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if
they are still alive and still with us.

‘My soldier is on his way back to Virginia ,’ he said. He proceeded to
answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told
him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the
work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer
and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to
find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful
departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead
flight attendant in the cabin. ‘I just found out the family of the soldier we
are carrying, is on board’, she said. She then proceeded to tell me that
the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son,
husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see
the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a
major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting
flight home to Virginia .

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was
below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for
him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was
anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The
family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken
off the airplane.. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice
when she asked me if there was anything I could do.. ‘I’m on it’, I said. I
told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail
like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight
dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the
operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I
was in direct contact with the dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on
board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood
and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to
get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text
message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher
and the following is the text:

‘Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy

on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated

escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the

ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary

van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and

escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a

private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the

family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being

loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are

veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.’

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I
printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to
the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, ‘You have
no idea how much this will mean to them.’

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After
landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge
with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with
aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the
ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic
was being held for us.

‘There is a team in place to meet the aircraft’, we were told. It looked
like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat
belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from
getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to
tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an
announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said,
‘Take your time.’

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public
address button and said, ‘Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking
I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a
passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private
XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your
feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also,
on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew
is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to
exit the aircraft first. Thank you.’

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown
procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the
two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was
told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in
their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started
to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the
entire aircraft was clapping. Words of ‘God Bless You’, I’m sorry, thank you,
be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their
way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the
ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had
made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over
again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices
that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety
in these United States of AMERICA .

Foot note:

As a Viet Nam Veteran I can only think of all the veterans including the ones

that rode below the deck on their way home and how they were treated. When I

read things like this I am proud that our country has not turned their backs on

our soldiers returning from the various war zones today and give them the

respect they so deserve.

I know every one who has served their country who reads this will have tears in

their eyes, including me.

Prayer chain for our Military…

Prayer:

‘Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us.

Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform for us in our

time of need. Amen..’

Prayer Request: When you read this, please stop for a moment and say a

prayer for our troops around the world.

Of all the gifts you could give a Marine, Soldier,

Sailor, Airman, & others deployed in harm’s way, prayer is the very best one.

Remember the guy who got on a plane with a bomb built into his shoe and tried to light it?

Did you know his trial is over?
Did you know he was sentenced?
Did you see/hear any of the judge’s comments on TV or Radio?

Didn’t think so!!!

Everyone should hear what the judge had to say.

Ruling by Judge William Young, US District Court.

Prior to sentencing, the Judge asked the defendant if he had anything to say. His response: After admitting his guilt to the court for the record, Reid also admitted his ‘allegiance to Osama bin Laden, to Islam, and to the religion of Allah,’ defiantly stating, ‘I think I will not apologize for my actions,’ and told the court ‘I am at war with your country.’

Judge Young then delivered the statement quoted below:

January 30, 2003, United States vs. Reid.
Judge Young: ‘Mr. Richard C. Reid, hearken now to the sentence the Court imposes upon you.

On counts 1, 5 and 6 the Court sentences you to life in prison in the custody of the United States Attorney General. On counts 2, 3, and 7, the Court sentences you to 20 years in prison on each count, the sentence on each count to run consecutively. (That’s 80 years.)

On count 8 the Court sentences you to the mandatory 30 years again, to be served consecutively to the 80 years just imposed. The Court imposes upon you for each of the eight counts a fine of $250,000 that’s an aggregate fine of $2 million. The Court accepts the government’s recommendation with respect to restitution and orders restitution in the amount of $298.17 to Andre Bousquet and $5,784 to American Airlines.

The Court imposes upon you an $800 special assessment. The Court imposes upon you five years supervised release simply because the law requires it. But the life sentences are real life sentences so I need go no further.
This is the sentence that is provided for by our statutes. It is a fair and just sentence. It is a righteous sentence.

Now, let me explain this to you. We are not afraid of you or any of your terrorist coconspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before. There is too much war talk here and I say that to everyone with the utmost respect. Here in this court, we deal with individuals as individuals and care for individuals as individuals. As human beings, we reach out for justice.

You are not an enemy combatant. You are a terrorist. You are not a soldier in any war. You are a terrorist. To give you that reference, to call you a soldier, gives you far too much stature. Whether the officers of government do it or your attorney does it, or if you think you are a soldier, you are not—– you are a terrorist. And we do not negotiate with terrorists. We do not meet with terrorists. We do not sign documents with terrorists. We hunt them down one by one and bring them to justice.

So war talk is way out of line in this court. You are a big fellow. But you are not that big. You’re no warrior. I’ve known warriors. You are a terrorist. A species of criminal that is guilty of multiple attempted murders. In a very real sense, State Trooper Santiago had it right when you first were taken off that plane and into custody and you wondered where the press and the TV crews were, and he said: ‘You’re no big deal.’

You are no big deal.

What your able counsel and what the equally able United States attorneys have grappled with and what I have as honestly as I know how tried to grapple with, is why you did something so horrific. What was it that led you here to this courtroom today?

I have listened respectfully to what you have to say. And I ask you to search your heart and ask yourself what sort of unfathomable hate led you to do what you are guilty and admit you are guilty of doing? And, I have an answer for you. It may not satisfy you, but as I search this entire record, it comes as close to understanding as I know.
It seems to me you hate the one thing that to us is most precious. You hate our freedom. Our individual freedom. Our individual freedom to live as we choose, to come and go as we choose, to believe or not believe as we individually choose. Here, in this society, the very wind carries freedom. It carries it everywhere from sea to shining sea. It is because we prize individual freedom so much that you are here in this beautiful courtroom, so that everyone can see, truly see, that justice is administered fairly, individually, and discretely. It is for freedom’s sake that your lawyers are striving so vigorously on your behalf, have filed appeals, will go on in their representation of you before other judges.

We Americans are all about freedom. Because we all know that the way we treat you, Mr. Reid, is the measure of our own liberties. Make no mistake though. It is yet true that we will bear any burden; pay any price, to preserve our freedoms. Look around this courtroom. Mark it well. The world is not going to long remember what you or I say here. The day after tomorrow, it will be forgotten, but this, however, will long endure.

Here in this courtroom and courtrooms all across America , the American people will gather to see that justice, individual justice, justice, not war, individual justice is in fact being done. The very President of the United States through his officers will have to come into courtrooms and lay out evidence on which specific matters can be judged and juries of citizens will gather to sit and judge that evidence democratically, to mold and shape and refine our sense of justice.

See that flag, Mr. Reid? That’s the flag of the United States of America . That flag will fly there long after this is all forgotten. That flag stands for freedom. And it always will.

Mr. Custody Officer. Stand him down.

So, how much of this Judge’s comments did we hear on our TV sets? We need more judges like Judge Young. Pass this around. Everyone should and needs to hear what this fine judge had to say. Powerful words that strike home.

Many people have been asking for a health update and this is the easiest way to do it. Perhaps not the best time for me to be putting words to paper since I’m rather upset at the entire medical field right now but I’ll do my best to keep my temper in check. For those who know me…stop laughing.

I have been on some heavy duty chemo treatments since my last surgery. They cause pretty bad side effects but that’s all part of the game so I don’t mind it too much, in fact the worse the side effects are the better I think my troops are doing at battling the dreaded enemy cells. My doctor was hesitant to give me these chemo drugs because they are so hard to take and my old body is pretty worn down from the previous surgeries, chemos ect. I had to agree to daily blood work so he could keep a close eye on my white and red blood cells. No problem, I agreed to it. Things were going along well I thought until this week the doctor decided that my blood work and other tests were suggesting that the cancer might possibly be in my bones now. He wanted to biopsy my bone marrow to find out. At first I agreed then 2 minutes later I got madder than I’ve been in a very long time. of course every question I asked him he had an answer for but I wasn’t buying it. Why you ask, well I’ll get to that in a minute.

I spent all day yesterday at the medical library pouring over everything I could get my hands on regarding bone cancer. I went back to my doctor today and told him my decision. And here it is in a nutshell…
IF the cancer is in my bones, so what? I’m already on potent chemo, it’s not like they can remove my bones to take care of the problem so why bother going through another test when the outcome of the test matters not. The only benefit I see is the doctor, hospital and labs make more money.
I have reached my breaking point. Not physically but mentally. Here’s the problem as I see it. I have Blue Cross. Seriously, you should see their eyes when they hear I still have traditional Blue Cross, it’s like they just saw Santa Claus. Now we’re at the crux of the matter. I don’t mind having the tests that are necessary but I’m tired of having tests just for the sake of having them.
I have a dear friend that is in need of medical attention but she can’t afford it. When she does see a doctor they don’t even give her pain meds although she cries from the pain. I know people with cancer that have PPO coverage and they don’t get the tests they should nor do they get pain management. It really ticks me off!
Along with those reasons also consider this…Yes I have Blue Cross but I still pay 20% of any and all bills. So while the doctor, hospital and labs make a good living by giving me test after test after test after test, 20% adds up quickly. If I thought for a minute that a bone marrow test would make any difference in my treatment I would have it done tomorrow but I know that’s just not the case.
I believe that doctors do save lives but I also believe that it’s an industry that is easily abused. They know that you’re sick and scared and they think we know nothing about medicine so it’s a free ticket. Nope. Not anymore, not with this patient.
As of today any test the doctor thinks I need he can plead his case then I will go to the medical library and decide for myself if it’s something that needs to be done. No more free rides on my illness. You’re probably wondering why I don’t just find another doctor. Good point. The truth is, when it comes to the bottom line they’re all alike. I know they have their reasons, medical malpractice insurance is astronomical. That’s not my problem. I have a job. I’m busy fighting cancer. They have their job, help me fight it. But the decisions will be made together, after I have read up on whatever test they deem necessary.
So, as for how am I doing, I’m doing OK. I’m still fighting, I’m still willing to go head to head with cancer. Will I beat it? Only God knows. It is what it is and I will see it through to the end. God gave me a fighting spirit and I intend on keeping it until my dying breath!
Thanks to my husband, friends and especially my Twitter family I feel strong. If cancer wants to take me, so be it. But it’s going to get one hell of a fight! LOL
Thanks for reading.
TL ♥

It’s been awhile since I wrote anything. I’m not really sure why, but a twitter friend asked me to get back to it so I will write about what’s been on my mind a lot lately. My dad. He was a wonderful man. Dad was a Southern Baptist Minister, worked at Pontiac Motors, Janitorial work on the side, raised 16 kids, buried 3 to breast cancer. He was my rock and I miss him every day of my life. We lost him to Parkinson’s Disease. Oh what a cruel end it was. Dad loved to talk and talk he did, at the end he was robbed of his speech.
I hear dad’s words often though. His favorite saying was, “Because I must”. When I’d ask why he had to leave the dinner table to visit a sick person..”Because I must”. Why do you spend so much time with the homeless dad? “Because I must”.
I remember when dad was first diagnosed, I cried and cried and I asked “but why you dad?”, “Because I must”. I don’t think I fully understood that until after he was gone. Isn’t that always the way it is? He was a man of great faith, from the time he was 19 yrs old and he found God in a foxhole in Germany. He lived his entire life after that serving God.
I can honestly say that in all my years I never once heard my dad raise his voice, not once. He was a great teacher to us kids. Mom was the disciplinarian with the belt. That belt, though it left marks on the skin, never hurt as much as a sad look in dad’s eyes because we had disappointed him.
We lost dad before my diagnosis. I’ve always thought that was for the best. It was so incredibly hard for him as he watched 3 daughters die of cancer. I believe each death took a piece of him and I would not want him watching me go through this.
He is with me though. When I feel like I’ve had enough and I start feeling sorry for myself I hear dad saying “Because I must”. Now I get it. It’s not for me to ask why or to understand. I just must.
On twitter last night we were actually discussing another of dad’s sayings. “Baby girl, (how I miss hearing him call me that!), You must believe in God but keep on hoeing”. We used to laugh every time he said that! I’m not laughing anymore for now I also understand those words.
I can pray for God to help me through this but it is still I who has to do the work. Take the treatments. Suffer the side effects. Help myself. Stay strong. Believe.
Mike is the man at my side, has been at my side for more than three decades. I am so very thankful to have him in my life! He also loved my dad and dad treated him like a son. After all, out of 16 kids dad only had one son. But while Mike’s at my side, dad is on my shoulder. I feel him with me. When the treatments become too much it’s dad’s words that get me through.
If you’re a dad and you’re reading this, please understand, a dad’s words stay with a daughter like none other.
Speak to your kids, it may seem like they’re not listening or not interested but believe me, they hear you. I’m…well, let’s just say I’m well over legal age, and I remember every word of conversations I had with my dad when I was very young and sitting on his lap. He taught me many things but as it turns out the greatest thing he ever taught me was..”Because I Must”.
I miss you dad and I love you. Thanks for being my dad! Save me a spot.

The origin of this letter is unknown, But I love it!

To realize The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone Who doesn’t have one.

To realize The value of ten years:
Ask a newly Divorced couple.

To realize The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize The value of one year:
Ask a student who Has failed a final exam.

To realize The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.

To realize The value of one month:
Ask a mother Who has given birth to a premature baby..

To realize The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize The value of one minute:
Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize The value of one-second:
Ask a person Who has survived an accident.

Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.

You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.

To realize the value of a friend or family member:
LOSE ONE.