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I'm The One, I'm The One
With apologies to Johnny Rivers and a wag of the tail to . Everybody talkin' 'bout the Kenyan's son I'm The One, I'm The One I can talk these words that will sound so sweet I'm The One, I'm The One I can tell your future, it will come to pass I'm The One, I'm The One |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 2, 2008 at 06:21 PM in , , , | | | |
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When Barry Comes Flyin’ Home Again…
Best appreciated when humming the tune of the popular Civil War song, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again,” or the Irish folk classic, “Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye.” Also, with sincere apologies to my Hibernian forbears whose folk lyrics and music I keep misusing for political purposes. Somehow, however, I think their Irish eyes are smiling. When Barry was comin’ to see the troops, hooah, hooah; He met all the generals sure as life, hooah, hooah; Our wounded off to Landstuhl go, hooah, hooah; So this whole damned trip was just a show, hooah, hooah, When Barry comes flyin’ home agin’ hooah, hooah Russ Vaughn |
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Contributed by Russ Vaughn on July 27, 2008 at 10:38 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Tony, We’re Proud We Knew Ye
You’re on the road to eternity, huroo, huroo, Where is that voice so smilin’ mild, huroo, huroo, We’ll miss that spirit that loved the run, huroo, huroo, We’re sad young lad to see Ye gone, huroo, huroo, Author’s note: I am so saddened that we have lost this bright spirit, this so very talented young man. I do not know if Tony Snow is of Irish extraction, but his origins are in Kentucky which was mainly settled by the Scots-Irish, of which I am one with my American roots in that region as well. For that reason, I chose to make my tribute to Tony a derivation of the old Irish song, “Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye.” The music for the American version of this ballad, When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again, can be found here:
Listening to it as you read my words may help you better appreciate this tribute. It is a simple tune and these are but simple words, so it is easy to sing them. I think Tony would like that, hearing all us singing him off on his eternal journey. |
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Contributed by Russ Vaughn on July 13, 2008 at 01:20 PM in , , | | | |
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The official OWD Music Video of the Month
If I could find a way to imbed this one I would but I can't so you'll just have to watch it . This post will remain at the top of the site through the end of March. *** You'll like , too. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 31, 2008 at 11:59 PM in , , , | | | |
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Unsalutable
Unsalutable Unsalutable, that’s what you are, Unsalutable, you’ve gone too far, American veterans have just been given the legal right to salute the passing flag when wearing civilian attire in lieu of placing the hand over the heart. Somehow, I seriously doubt that too many would exercise that right in the presence of a President Barack Obama, considering that this jerk can’t muster the energy or patriotic zeal to hold his hand over his heart when our flag passes. And this asshole wants to be our Commander-in-Chief? GOOD GRIEF!! Russ Vaughn |
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Contributed by Russ Vaughn on November 8, 2007 at 09:28 PM in , , | | | |
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Where Freedom Flies
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Contributed by Bill Faith on August 17, 2007 at 02:02 PM in , | | | |
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"I'm Already Home"
Read OIF vet C J Grisham's posts and for background. Thank you GSM Debbie Lee for making sure I knew about them. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on May 18, 2007 at 06:42 PM in , , , | | | |
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"You Ain't Gonna Touch This Wall" -- The MP3
You read it , listen to it , or to the slightly tamer "radio version" . Buy a copy at . [Original timestamp 2007.03.16.01:41] |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 16, 2007 at 11:52 PM in , , , , , , , , , , | | | |
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Bumper of my SUV
I've posted about Chely Wright at least once on this blog and at least three times on so I'll keep this short. It's always great to see a wonderful person get some publicity from one of the bigger blogs and I was thrilled to see on Michelle's site. Click that link, folks. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 12, 2007 at 04:08 PM in , | | | |
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Am I too old to fall in love again?
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Contributed by Bill Faith on March 2, 2007 at 01:39 AM in , | | | |
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"You Ain't Gonna Touch This Wall"
"Let us make it clear, we've all come here
(I'm including the front and back images below the fold in this post.) "You Ain't Gonna Touch This Wall" has been sitting on the Old War Dogs server as draft post for three days now and I've had a hell of a time making myself wait till the right moment to post it. I'll include a copy of the words from Russ's draft below the fold. A larger view of the front of the shirt: A larger view of the back of the shirt: And here's Russ's post that he saved as a draft and asked me to sit on till Ty had the shirts ready:
***
Please click to see the entire Old War Dogs Gathering Of Eagles series on one page, then click to check out the rest of the site. You might also enjoy a visit to my personal site, . |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on February 24, 2007 at 03:54 PM in , , , , | | | |
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Facing the Wall
When we band together on March 17, 2007, we will turn our back on those that have turned their backs on America. We will face the Wall. I have a new project that I hope will also “face” the Wall. Please read what has been posted at the original GOE forum, and hopefully will be posted in many locations this weekend: Fellow GOE Participants: Many of you have seen the Flash Video I literally threw together on a Saturday afternoon almost two weeks ago. If you have not, please click on . Your response has been both kind and overwhelming. I now have had an idea for a tribute video that would represent the ‘WHY” we are meeting this March 17, 2007. For me this could be the largest project I have taken on to date. What I am asking you for is help. This is perhaps the last time I will have such an opportunity to be able to communicate directly with such a large group of vets that would be required to pull off this project. So, here is the idea
If you are a fellow service member that does not have a picture of the person you wish to honor, I will include a separate section for just names. I cannot accept physical paper pictures. If you do not have a digital version, you can have your photos scanned at any business or office supply store such as Kinkos, Office Max, Office Depot or Staples. Either .jpg or .gif formats preferred. Please, nothing larger than 800 X 600 pixels. What I am trying to produce is a tasteful tribute that puts faces on the wall and will serve as a reminder of why we are going to be there on the 17th to defend and protect it. The actual length and scope of the project will largely depend upon your interest and response. If possible I will strive to have a product available prior to that weekend. What will the product be?
Please include your real name, address and if you feel comfortable a phone number. The initial video run time is scheduled to be 10 minutes. It will contain content on a first come, first serve basis. If you are interested and wish to participate please send digital pictures and other requested info to: Forum Administrators: Please broadcast email/pm to your forum members so that they can see this quickly and respond. Thank you. |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on February 22, 2007 at 08:25 PM in , , , , , , , , | | | |
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A Gathering of Eagles
You may notice that for this particular post that there are a lot of 'categories' selected. The problem with BLOGs in general is there are often not enough categories. For this one, I need to click over 58,000 more. By now, you have all heard about the veteran movement to defend the memorials in Washington D.C. on March 17, 2007. If you are still undecided about making the effort to go, please watch the following:
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on February 11, 2007 at 02:58 PM in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | | | |
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Wicked
The true story of what happened in Oz before Dorothy landed. |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on January 14, 2007 at 08:47 AM in , , , , | | | |
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Video: “Open Season” -- the anti-CAIR remix
DO NOT let me keep you from reading the posts below this one but this is too good to keep. Another important video that may not be available long. Click to read the post at my place so I can keep this short. Tip: The video downloads too slowly to watch in real time, even over a fast cable connection like I have. Turn your speakers down, start the video, come back to this site for long enough to read the next few posts, then go back to the window the video opens in and click "Watch Again." *** (Helmet tip: 1stCav) |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on January 6, 2007 at 10:05 PM in , , | | | |
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Merry Christmas
As we near Christmas Day, I look back at this year of exceptional blessings, not the least of which was an invitation to participate at Old War Dogs. I want to wish each and every Old War Dog the merriest of Christmases and also to offer the same sincere wishes to our troops who on this Christmas will stand in harms way, thousands of miles from home. I hope that each of you will that stumbles across my blog will keep them in your hearts and prayers this Christmas season. |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on December 24, 2006 at 12:54 AM in , , , , , | | | |
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Free music from James Hooker
Dogs, forgive me for so many posts in a row (What, is everyone out shopping or something?) but when James Hooker offers our troops free music I'm gonna help spread the word. In my email:
Thank you James. My personal favorite is "Hanging Out With The Boys" but listening to James is never a waste of time. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on December 19, 2006 at 05:11 PM in , , | | | |
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May It Be
There are hundreds if not thousands of Flash tributes circulating the blogosphere. Tonight I humbly offer mine. The pictures are not mine, the music is not mine and the brave men and women who are the subjects of these images are not me. I have simply combined the artistic photographs of others and a hauntingly beautiful celtic melody with the men and women of valor to produce this simple offering. |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on November 28, 2006 at 09:45 PM in , , , , , , , , | | | |
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Merry Christmas My Friend // A Soldier's Silent Night
Rather than load down this site with the amount of Christmas poetry and music I'll be posting in the next month I guess I should just say once "Click to see my 2006 Christmas posts and check back often." I just posted "" and "," the original poem on which it was based. I guess I need to email Tony and ask his attitude about copying entire poems from the IWVPA site. For now, just a couple of notes: 1. "Merry Christmas My Friend" first appeared in Leatherneck Magazine and has been emailed without proper attribution so much I consider it to be pretty much "public domain." 2. After the first time I posted part of a Michael Marks piece I got email from him telling me it was OK to post all of anything of his I wanted to. (Come to think about it, that's pretty much how Russ and I started staying in touch too.) Until I've discussed it with Tony I won't copy all of anything off his site except in cases where I have the original author's permission (which is the same way I treat any other site on the web). |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on November 26, 2006 at 12:35 AM in , , , | | | |
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A Tale of Two Two years ago, Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards campaigned with the theme “Two Americas.” It was typical liberal tripe that attempted to evoke a form of class warfare between the evil wealthy corporate Republicans and the poor starving children. And while Edward’s characterization of two Americas was off mark, the core phrase has rung true to throughout America’s history. Tories vs. Patriots, Union vs. Confederacy and White Sox vs. Cubs are but of the few rivalries that have threatened our nation’s existence. Only forty years ago, Malcolm X advocated for the creation of a new black nation by having the U.S. cede to the Black Muslim leadership, five southern states for that purpose. Oh that “X,” what a joker. It was a screwball idea that the X-man in later years publicly recanted, but I have begun to believe the idea of really creating two Americas is not without some charm. After all, since the 2000 presidential election, we have become a nation of “Red” and “Blue” states. So why not make it formal? No civil war would be necessary. Just treat it like a messy divorce. Property Settlement Real and tangible property: Each state shall retain ownership and/or governance of all land, buildings, businesses, military bases and natural resources through the consent of its citizenry, as it exists within each state at the time of this decree. Capital Hill (Blue) The U.S. Constitution (Red) |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on October 19, 2006 at 08:48 PM in , , , , , , , , , , , , , | | | |
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(
Left as a comment on :
Thank you, sir. *** I understand from James that he's editing like crazy trying to get a video up to go with the MP3. Watch for it. *** Email from James:
It's a big download, but worth it. Full disclosure: The speakers attached to this computer died a couple of days ago (at least I hope that's it) and I can't afford new ones right now (ref: ). The slide show's beautiful and James never recorded anything in his life that didn't sound good. Check it out. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on September 10, 2006 at 05:16 PM in , , | | | |
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Imagine
Subtle, yet ironic is the proximity of the fifth anniversary of 9/11 to the thirty-fifth anniversary of the September 9, 1971 release of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Subtle, because of the differences of magnitude and time between the two events, yet ironic for the way that each defined the American psyche of its era. Many of us, particularly Baby Boomers have a strong recollection of both events, yet few may see the eerie correlation. While I naively spent many years mumbling half remembered lyrics that easily wafted atop this simplistic melody, to many others, “Imagine” was becoming an anthem emblematic of a generation. For decades I ignored the impact of John Lennon’s words, yet now, I hear them each day resounding from the speeches of John Kerry, the protests of Cindy Sheehan, the actions brought to court by the ACLU and the decrees issued by Anna Diggs Taylor. Imagine there’s no heaven Not one to subject myself to the ritualism of religion, I have lived an agnostic life. Yet even I dare to imagine a heaven. To not imagine a heaven is easy, only if you do not try. Hell, on the other hand requires little imagination. I attended my 10th high school reunion in 1979. While fortunate to have not lost any of our classmates due to combat in Viet Nam, we were no less shaken to learn that three had returned only to take their own lives. Only a visit to hell could have caused such young men to relinquish their spirit before their time. Yes John, imagine. And like the seventies, America continues to be cursed by its very blessings. While our military is engaged in a protracted multi-front war, many have time to energetically protest our government and blame America for the ills of the world, while never missing an episode of 24 or American Idol. Living for today… Imagine there’s no countries In Europe’s rush to find Utopian bliss, their dreams of a European Union are quickly distorting into a Euro-Arabian nightmare. America, likewise dons blinders while an invasion from the south threatens to turn the “great melting pot” into a centrifuge of disparate cultures and language. No longer is there a unifying identity in America. Instead, young men driven by ethnic hatred kill and die for a few blocks of turf or an ounce of smack, ignorant and unaware of the blood spilt by their fathers and grandfathers for a nation that was intended to be their salvation. Religion remains sacrosanct as long as it does not involve Christianity. America has become a nation intolerant of the very Christian tenets on which it was founded. Living life in peace… Imagine no possessions In the Utopia of Sharia law, possessions, greed and hunger abound. Of course women are the possessions, greed is tolerated for those in power, and hunger is a shared virtue. Yes John, imagine this idyllic brotherhood of man. Sharing all the world… You may say I’m a dreamer Yes John, you were a dreamer and not the only one. Like your homophonic brother Vladimir, your lyrics have helped to slow the natural advance of human progress while leaving it vulnerable to an enemy even you didn’t imagine. I can only hope that as 9/11 approaches, I will hear a more hopeful positive message than the one you left behind. Maybe Dylan’s “The Times, They are a-Changin’” comes to mind. |
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Contributed by The Gray Dog on August 24, 2006 at 11:59 AM in , , , , , , , , | | | |
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"Hadji Girl"
Dirka dirka Mohammed ! H/T: |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on July 29, 2006 at 12:39 PM in , , | | | |
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Give Jihad A Chance -- The Musical
Do. Not. Miss. |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on July 26, 2006 at 10:08 AM in , , | | | |
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Now on video: "Hanging Out With The Boys"
[Webmaster's note: I'm using a bogus date stamp to keep this near the top of the blog for a while. Scroll down for newer posts.] Damn, y'all. Just damn! Have you ever tried to blog with tears in your eyes? James Hooker has just made "Hanging Out With The Boys available as a video on his web site, "." Click the image to go straight to the post. Helmet tip: . |
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Contributed by Bill Faith on July 16, 2006 at 02:23 AM in , , , | | | |