I know my readers (from Kiss My Gumbo) expect a daily dose of humor, snark and positive. After all, I am the self-proclaimed "Princess of Positive. This weekend I would like to take the opportunity to encourage and inspire you to do more as an American than wonder about that missing yellow ribbon magnet that said, "I support the troops" (probably at the car wash with the gazillion others). I may like to laugh and be silly, but this weekend I am working on my serious side. I am privileged to be a part of Soldier's Angels and was invited to attend our first ever conference in Pasadena. I have wiped many tears from my face this weekend as we all continue to share our stories and inspire each other to do even more. And please don't tell me you are too busy - no excuses!

THE VIDEO

I am hanging out with many of the greatest Americans in the world: Patriot Guard Riders, Order of the Purple Heart, Gold Star Parents, American heroes, other angels. I promise to help you along as you decide how you can get your "Angel Wings" and start making a difference today. You can stop over to the main site and adopt a soldier (we have 700 soldiers waiting to be adopted) or join one of the many different teams with all levels of involvement. Or you stop on over to the Louisiana site , which I run, for the watered down version of the main site.

Please do something today!!! Our heroes fight for your freedom, they are our responsibility and volunteers do make a difference! YOU can make the difference in the life of a American Hero!

Come view my photo album online and as always, feel free to contact me gretaperry@gmail.com

(this very post can be found everywhere that I can possibly post it...Kiss My Gumbo, NOLA.com, Louisiana Conservative, Hooah Wife and Soldiers Angels' Louisiana) & The Cotillion.

I was perusing The Birmingham News blog entries and ran across this one, featuring a local Marine vet who's making a stand in honor of those who have served and sacrificed for our freedom.

Michael Rudulph, a three-tour Marine veteran, has taken a stand -- vigilantly guarding the Eternal Flame of Freedom monument, a tribute to all war veterans, located in Linn Park here in Birmingham. The flame has been out for many years, and no one knows for certain how long or why. Sitting beside the monument with his own make-shift torch, a fire extinguisher, and some coffee, he has vowed not to leave his post except only to attend his classes at UAB and to sleep.

My hat's off to you, Mr. Rudulph! It does my heart good to see our own local heroes stepping up and setting a good example for the rest of us. I can't speak for anyone else, but I for one am tired of hearing about spoiled rotten starlets and pop stars hopping in and out of drug rehabilitation clinics. Give me more stories like Rudulph's. Stop rewarding bad behavior with press and start rewarding those who are actually trying to make a difference in this world -- even if it's only starting with one monument in a small park in the South.

To Michael, thank you for your service and for raising awareness. To The Birmingham News, we need more of these!

AH-64 gun cameras capture a grueling air rescue:

The Crew Chief operates the hoist, as he pulls a casualty into the aircraft. This is a one person operation that is difficult to perform when the casualty is in a SKED, especially when the casualty has the added weight of body armor and equipment. The Medic rides the hoist to the ground and back up, time and time again.

Imagine performing this operation 20-25 continuous times wearing Night Vision Goggles (NVGs), the Crew Chief continuing to advise the pilots of aircraft drift and rotor clearance as the mountain side is dangerously close. He ensures the hoist is ready for the next lift and watches the Medics hand and arm signals as he also directs the positioning of the aircraft. It becomes apparent this task is physically exhausting and difficult to master in routine conditions, let alone this punishing-unforgiving terrain at night.

The cabin of the aircraft becomes crowded, and the difficulty the Crew Chief and the Medic have maneuvering recovered personnel inside becomes increasingly challenging.

Dust-off has a crew of 4: Pilot, Copilot, Crew Chief, and Medic. During one of the earlier MEDEVAC missions the previous night, Dust-off, with its normal crew of 4, extracted 8 casualties, and 1 non-injured soldier in a single lift for a total of 13 on board. That operation was conducted under zero-lunar-illumination NVG conditions with no supplemental lighting used in the rear of the aircraft due to the tactical situation, adding dramatically to the level of difficulty.

Dust-off departed the pick-up (PZ) zone after 31 combined hours of medical evacuation, and without further incident.

The six men who were killed:

1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, 24, of Torrance, Calif.
Sgt. Jeffery S. Mersman, 23, of Parker, Kan
Spc. Sean K.A. Langevin, 23, of Walnut Creek, Calif.
Spc. Lester G. Roque, 23, of Torrance, Calif.
Pfc. Joseph M. Lancour, 21, of Swartz Creek, Mich.
Marine Sgt. Phillip A. Bocks, 28, of Troy, Mich.

And back home a young man learns his best friend will not be coming home:

At a Pentagon ceremony this month, 1st Lt. Walter Bryan Jackson became one of a handful of soldiers since 2001 to receive the Distinguished Service Cross, the military's second-highest medal, for saving another soldier's life while himself wounded and under heavy fire in Iraq.

Jackson's award was overshadowed a week later, though, when he learned that his closest friend and West Point roommate, 1st Lt. Matthew C. Ferrara, had been killed in a mountain ambush in Afghanistan. Last weekend, Jackson was on stage in Los Angeles for his friend's eulogy. And on Friday, after a quiet Thanksgiving with his parents in Fairfax, Jackson packed his bag for another yearlong deployment, this time to lead a rocket platoon along South Korea's demilitarized zone.

"It's kind of hard to explain" how it feels to be part of a small segment of the U.S. population that is "bearing the brunt of the responsibilities" from today's conflicts, Jackson said as he waited for his flight at Dulles International Airport. "It doesn't affect society at large in the slightest. Life just goes on, and a lot of people . . . are more concerned about the price of gas than about soldiers fighting and dying," said Jackson, who has lost several comrades in the wars.

As young as he is, Lieutenant Jackson has already seen more than his share of action:

"We are a lot more serious," said the fresh-faced artillery officer, who turns 25 today, "because we know how short life is."

Within a few months of his graduation [from West Point], Jackson, the son of a naval officer, was sent to Iraq as an artillery officer for the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment. Based in the town of Hit in Iraq's western Anbar province, Jackson and his company commander were checking on Iraqis detained after a mortar attack when their Humvee almost rolled over, getting stuck in a ditch.

Standing guard with three other soldiers in an exposed area, Jackson spotted a few Iraqi men drive slowly by on scooters, apparently surveying the soldiers' location. A minute later, machine-gun fire tore into the soldiers from two directions, bringing down Jackson's commander, Capt. Eric Stainbrook, and 1st Sgt. David Sapp.

"A round hit me in the leg and kicked my leg out real hard," recalled Sapp, of Metter, Ga. "I fell over, and I felt another round hit my head, and my eyesight went out. Everything was black."

Lying on the ground, Sapp recalled, he began praying he wouldn't get shot again. "I was completely helpless, and I wanted to see my wife and daughters again."

Help came in the form of Jackson, who rushed to give Sapp first aid. But within seconds Jackson, too, was shot, in the left leg and hand. Slumped down, he nevertheless managed to return fire with his M-16 rifle.

Jackson tried to reload, but found the blood loss had left him too weak. "I didn't have the strength to pull the loading chamber back," he recalled. But he managed to stand up and help other soldiers carry Sapp to a Bradley Fighting Vehicle 30 feet away. "I knew how dire the situation was," he said. "If I didn't help out, someone else might get killed or wounded."

Sapp, whose arm and leg bones were shattered by bullets, was screaming in pain, both men recalled. In the Bradley, Jackson grasped Sapp's hand to comfort him, refusing medical aid for himself until they reached their base and he could no longer stand.

Sapp's wounds were life-threatening, and he was at risk of losing his limbs, doctors told him later.

"I don't think I would have lived" without the help of Jackson and another soldier, Sapp said in an interview this week as he underwent physical therapy at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. "I'm forever grateful to both of those guys," said Sapp, who is now legally blind in one eye but hopes to remain in the Army unless he is medically discharged.

Jackson was also evacuated to Walter Reed, where he has undergone more than a dozen surgeries, the latest four months ago. Still, he has gradually made almost a full recovery, and considers himself lucky.

So he was devastated to learn last week that such fortune had eluded his roommate, Ferrara.

Ferrara, 24, of the 173rd Airborne Brigade, was returning from a meeting with tribal leaders in a remote border region in eastern Afghanistan when his foot patrol of about 30 soldiers was ambushed along a narrow mountain path, Jackson said. Insurgents fired AK-47 assault rifles on the patrol from different directions, killing six American and three Afghan soldiers, and wounding 19, the most U.S. casualties of any single incident this year. Without room to maneuver, Ferrara, a nephew of New Zealand Defense Minister Phil Goff, and the rest were trapped.

"Matt was killed instantly," Jackson said of his roommate, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and promoted to captain. "The reason they didn't take more killed in action was a lot of the casualties rolled down the hill."

Jackson said he plans to stay on active duty, at least until his obligation ends in 2 1/2 years. "I feel I kind of owe it to the people who have already sacrificed," he said. Still, he said he wishes more Americans would appreciate how soldiers continue to volunteer and put their lives at risk. "We don't ask for very much," he said.

Sometimes when I see the lunacy in Berkeley, or that fool of a mayor in Toledo playing at being a human being, I wonder why anyone would step forward to defend this nation? But then I read stories like this one:

I am a Marine Corps dad who picked up my son from the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot at Parris Island on Jan. 25. I had no idea what was in store for him when he came home to Columbus.

Upon our return, we have witnessed a gratitude from the people of Columbus that we did not expect. Last Sunday, my son, Pvt. Tyler Allen Leavitt, put on his dress-blue uniform for church to visit those who have prayed for him during the tough training that Marines must endure for the honor of being called a United States Marine.

During this "victory tour," Tyler has witnessed a grateful nation through the awesome, intimate hand of fellowship from the people of Columbus.

Read how the good people of Columbus, Ohio honored the service of a newly minted young Marine. It's a day brightener.

They get it. They really get it. This nation will never fail so long as we have people like the citizens of Columbus, Ohio and like Linda Ferrara, mother to four soldiers serving this country in the United States Army.

And First Lieutenant Matthew C. Ferrara. Killed November 9th, in Nurastan Province, Afghanistan. May light perpetual shine upon him.

Some people don't think that we have to fight just yet,
that we can wait and the crazies will go away
and not harm our little tribe.

They are already harming our little tribe.
All of humanity is our tribe.

- Linda Ferrara
Mother of 1LT Matthew C. Ferrara

Hello to all.

My apologies, for I have been swamped with real life stuff and therefore will have to do the lazy version (instacarnival) of the Cotillion round up.

In no particular order....and with no bedazzling graphics or images....

R-Kat presents Ch-ch-ch-changes! posted at Kat.

R-Kat presents Southside Concerned Citizens: Appeal to Misleading Authority posted at Kat.

Conservative Belle presents UPDATE: Army Captain Fights for Job, Post-Deployment posted at Conservative Belle.

News

R-Kat presents Experiencing God, week three posted at Kat.

Nicki presents What lessons are we teaching our children? posted at The Birthplace of the Process of Illogical Logic.

Politics

Beth presents Ann Coulter is an Idiot, Part Duh posted at MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, saying, "Ann Coulter and her fellow feces-flinging monkeys do more to destroy the conservative movement than so-called "RINOs" do on their worst days.
"Screw 'em.""

I don't think the women of the Cotillion are too big on carnivals but with the powerful entries today, who needs a lot of posts and links? Believe me when I say that these omnipotent women we have participating in the carnival today will make you want to position yourself for their individual scrutiny.

Today kicks off the first day of American Heart Month. In the month of February, Americans are spreading awareness of heart disease and prevention. In particular, women everywhere need to examine their lifestyles and determine what changes are necessary to prevent heart disease.

Leading the charge of this awareness campaign for several years is none other than our lovely First Lady Laura Bush. She is the Heart Truth ambassador and has been since Valentine's Day in 2003. Heart Truth is the organization dedicated to making women aware of the risks of heart disease.

According to Dr. Tedd Mitchell writing in USAToday, the statistics are improving for awareness. But the risks are still great without taking action.

According to hearttruth.gov, in 2000, only 34% of women were aware that heart disease was the No. 1 killer of American women. By 2006, that had increased to 57%. Despite the gains, the campaign remains in full swing: "We want women not only to understand that it's a killer, but also that the 'classic' sign of heart attack [chest pain] may not be present," the first lady says. "Symptoms in women tend to be different than in men. Decreased energy, indigestion, pain in unusual areas such as the jaw or neck -- these should not be dismissed."

Ladies, assess your risk. Know your numbers: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar. These are risks that lead to heart disease. You also should know your family history. Did a parent have heart disease at an early age? Do you have a brother or sister with heart disease? If so, your risk might be increased.

Did you know?

Top 5 causes of death for American womenOne in four women dies from heart disease, making it the No. 1 killer of American women, regardless of race. Here's the death toll in a recent year:

Heart disease: 332,000
Stroke: 91,000
Lung cancer: 68,000
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 64,000
Breast cancer: 41,000
Source: 2004 figures from National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Heart Truth has some tips for women to prevent this deadly disease.

1. Don't smoke, and if you do, quit. Women who smoke are two to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than non-smoking women. Smoking also boosts the risk of stroke and cancer.
2. Aim for a healthy weight. It's important for a long, vigorous life. Overweight and obesity cause many preventable deaths.
3. Get moving. Make a commitment to be more physically active. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.
4. Eat for heart health. Choose a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, and moderate in total fat.
5. Know your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL, triglycerides), and blood glucose. Work with your doctor to improve any numbers that are not normal.

So today I am making a pledge. I promise to exercise 30 minutes every single day in the month of February beginning today. That's 29 days because it's a leap year. And I will even post in the comments here every week to prove I'm doing it.

And in addition, I'm challenging all of my Cotillion sisters (a group of at least 50 women) to do the same thing. So what say you, ladies? Up for the challenge?

What about the rest of you? Will you pledge to do it too?

Cross-posted at Conservative Belle