Saturday, December 12, 2009

Project Red Shirt

This was forwarded to me by a friend last night:


If project red shirt is new to you, read below how it went for a man...

"Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant travelling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together..

After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

'No', he responded.
'Heading out?' I asked.

'No. I'm escorting a soldier home.'

Going to pick him up?

'No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq , I'm taking him home to his family. '

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.

I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, 'Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do.'

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.

'Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign.'

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.. "

So here's a public Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do.

Red Fridays.

Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority." We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country, and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that every red-blooded American who supports our men and women a far, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red, much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is.. "We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.

PLEASE, invite your friends from school, church, or anywhere! Get your communities involved and tell everyone you know.

9 comments:

  1. would like to see you post some blogs about tna eric

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  2. Canadians have been wearing red on Fridays for nearly three years now to support our troops.

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  3. thank u eric for posting this i am an army wife and my husband is very humble when someone thanks him he says im just doing my job and alot of soldiers feel the same way but they still silently enjoy being thanked. red fridays is a great way to show we stand with u thank u

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  4. My family will be wearing red on Fridays from now on.

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  5. I support our troops, but I don't see how wearing a red shirt is going to help them. I understand the symbolic gesture and meaning behind it, but I would rather have a flag or wear a flag pin or something of that nature, but I concur with the notion that we must support our troops.

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  6. Thanks for posting this. Today, many Americans gathered at national and veterans cemeteries across the county, to lay evergreen wreaths on the graves of soldiers buried there. This is so timely today.

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  7. Very Touching I will do what I can in Tulsa/BA Oklahoma to spread Red Friday- Thanks for posting this

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  8. Duly noted. I'm wearing red now but will do so on Fridays from here on out.

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  9. Eric, thanks for posting this, I had not heard of Project Red Shirt previously. I think it's a great idea, because it's something that every American should want to support- Democrat, Republican, Independent, pro-war and anti-war. No matter what an individual's political stance is, these troops are _our_ fellow Americans, putting their lives on the line every day.

    I did some research on this project. The reason why the color red was chosen is because, "They bleed red, so we wear red" (just as how red on the American flag represents American blood than has been shed). Below is a website dedicated to the project:

    http://www.redshirtfridays.org/

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