In Memory

September 11, 2001.

We will always remember.

In Memory

Rest In Peace, Corey.

I thought that Corey Haim was such a cute kid in the movie, The Lost Boys, especially in the scene where he was singing one of my favorite oldies, Ain't Got No Home, by Clarence "Frogman" Henry, in the bathtub. (Kind of a scary scene, though).

It's such a shame that so many young people who become famous turn to drugs. What a waste of a beautiful life.

Rest In Peace

Today I watched the memorial for those who died in the Ft. Hood shooting.

When men and women join the military, they know going in that there is a chance that they will die while protecting their country. They never expect to be shot down by a "fellow soldier" while at home. It makes this tragedy hurt even more.

It's hard to explain the family feeling of being in the military, but it is there. It's a kind of "we're all in the same boat" feeling. And when soldiers are killed or injured, all of us hurt and mourn for them.

I pray for the victims of Nidal Malik Hasan (list from Fox News):

Michael Grant Cahill, 65, of Cameron, Texas, had just returned to work as a physician assistant after suffering a heart attack. (AP)

Maj. Libardo Eduardo Caraveo, 52, of Woodbridge, Va., is a native of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. (AP)

Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, 32, of Evans, Ga., was helping train new soldiers on how to help new veterans with paperwork. (AP)

Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, of San Diego, Calif., was a psychiatric nurse and had arrived at Fort Hood the day before the shooting to prepare for deployment to Iraq. (AP)

Spc. Frederick Greene, 29, of Mountain City, Tenn., is described by his family as someone who displayed Army traits before even joining the army -- "loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage." (AP)

Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Tipton, Okla. was one of 12 soldiers killed. Known as J.D., Hunt was voted "most quiet" in his senior class. (NewsOK.com)

Sgt. Amy Krueger, 29, of Kiel, Wis., was killed. The sergeant with the Madison, Wis.-based 467th Medical Detachment had arrived at Fort Hood on Tuesday and was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in December. (Herald Times Reporter)

Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah, was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan in January, his family said in a statement. Nemelka had enlisted in the Army in October 2008, Utah National Guard Lt. Col. Lisa Olsen said. (AP)

Spc. Michael Pearson , 21, of Bolingbrook, Ill., was killed in the shooting. (MyFoxChicago)

Capt. Russell Seager, 51, of Racine, Wis., was a psychiatrist who joined the Army a few years ago because he wanted to help veterans returning to civilian life. He had gone to Fort Hood to for training before deploying to Afghanistan in December. (AP)

Francheska Velez, of Chicago, was killed in the shooting. She recently had returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. The 21-year-old was in the building where the shooting occurred filling out paperwork due to her pregnancy. (MyFoxChicago)

Juanita Warman, 55, of Pittsburgh was a military physician assistant. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Army Spc. Kham Xiong, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., died in the attack Thursday. Xiong graduated from St. Paul's Community of Peace Academy in 2004. He was at Ft. Hood preparing for a January deployment. (MyFoxTwinCities)

Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord, and may perpetual Light shine upon them.
May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen

Prayers also for those who were wounded in the terrorist attack. †

Last Dance

1952-2009



Rest in peace, Patrick.

We Remember 9-11

"Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger."
George W. Bush

"All of a sudden there were people screaming. I saw people jumping out of the building. Their arms were flailing. I stopped taking pictures and started crying."
Michael Walters, a free-lance photo journalist in Manhattan.

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
Ronald Reagan

Memorial Day Remembrance

Ours is a military family, and it is heart-warming to see the honor paid to those who defended our country in the past and present on Memorial Day.

The World War II veteran nearest and dearest to my heart lies in a little country cemetery. I don't get to visit there very often, but I think about him every day, and pray for his soul.

I miss you Daddy, and I love you.

Memorial Day
by CW Johnson

We walked among the crosses
Where our fallen soldiers lay.
And listened to the bugle
As Taps began to play.
The Chaplin led a prayer
We stood with heads bowed low.
And I thought of fallen comrades
I had known so long ago.

They came from every city
Across this fertile land.
That we might live in freedom.
They lie here 'neath the sand.
I felt a little guilty
My sacrifice was small.
I only lost a little time
But these men lost their all.

Now the services are over
For this Memorial Day.
To the names upon these crosses
I just want to say,
Thanks for what you've given
No one could ask for more.
May you rest with God in heaven
From now through evermore.

Rest In Peace, Father Kim

Today was the funeral Mass for our dear Father Philip Kim. The Rosary was held last night. Crowds for both the rosary and funeral Mass were very large. Everyone loved this kind and gentle man.

Father Kim was an amazing man. His life story would make a good movie. He probably never dreamed when he was a little boy in Korea that he would someday be a priest in America. God does work in wonderful ways.

You can read Father's obituary here. There are news articles here and here.

Our Archbishop Jose Gomez presided at the Mass, and there were many, many priests in attendance. At the end of the Mass they (the priests) sang the Salve Regina in Latin. It was very beautiful sung a cappella in all those bass voices.

Pray for us, Father Kim, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat ei. Requiéscat in pace. Amen.

We Have Not Forgotten

I woke up that morning and turned on the TV, something I never do. It was a morning news show--Good Morning America or The Today Show. I wasn't much interested in what they were saying, so I fluffed up my pillows and leaned back, settling in to read a magazine.

The newscast was from a tall building in NYC. I was half listening when I heard one of them say something about a plane flying too low. As they watched the plane, I could hear the alarm begin to sound in their voices. Then the camera focused on the airplane. It was low and it was headed toward one of the towers of the World Trade Center. The announcer was saying something about pilot error or problems with the plane, but my first thought was "terrorism." I said, "Oh my God," and the plane hit the tower. It was unbelievable.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Crying, hands pressed to my mouth, I continued to watch in horror as smoke poured from the building. The news people continued talking about the crash, speculating about what had happened. One of them mentioned the possibility of a terrorist attack.

I started calling my loved ones. I called Ron at work, who hadn't yet heard what had happened. The second plane hit the second tower after I talked with him. They had turned on the TV at the office and saw it happen, too. We knew for sure then that it was a deliberate attack. I called my kids and my mom. I don't know what I thought. Maybe in the back of my mind I was afraid the whole country was being attacked and I needed to let them know what was happening, and that I loved them.


The rest of the day was spent glued to the television. It was heartbreaking. The people in the streets of NYC were in shock. The firemen and policemen everywhere. The priest blessing the firemen. And then the sight of bodies falling from the building. Was I seeing what I thought I was seeing? The firemen could hear the sound of bodies hitting the roof where they were gathered.

And if that wasn't enough horror, the news came of the attack on the Pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania. It was one of the most horrible days of our lives in America.

I don't like to remember, but I think we must never forget. There are people in the world who hate our country, who hate us and want us destroyed. We can become too complacent. The tragedy at the WTC, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania was a wake-up call, wasn't it? We must not think this won't happen again. We are vulnerable if we are not on guard.