The Traveling Wall...

Ann FitzHenry wrote a story for Secure the Fort about her husband's second cousin, Tom Piper, who died in Vietnam. The story spoke about her emotional discovery of his name on the Memorial Wall in D.C. (Read the following article: http://www.vietnow.com/pagesmagazine/powerofaname.htm)

Recently, Ann visited the traveling wall in MN where she took the above photo. I was totally unaware of what the photo entailed when I clicked the link! Imagine my surprise and honor when I did....Ann, I cannot express my thoughts in words for what you did here. It humbled me greatly, and made me weep. What an honor...thank you.

Of note: a soldier that served with Tom contacted Ann through http://www.thewall-usa.com/. He told her about the coin toss that led Tom out on patrol on that fateful day. This man and his wife are planning a trip to Minnesota to "visit" Tom some time next year. He's never forgotten him after all these years, even though they only knew each other seven days.

Lucy

What an Honor!

The Military Writers Society of America just awarded Secure the Fort (And Remain Under God), A Military Mother's Message to America the 2007 Gold Medal Award for Best Anthology! This is a huge honor to me, to be included with some of the authors they have. Many are veterans who have become writers, telling history from a personal perspective. That's what these types of books do. They preserve our nation's history...
To visit their website, go to www.militarywriters.com.
As always, all glory is HIS! :)
Lucy

Definition of a Veteran

A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America,"
for an amount of "up to and including their life."
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
Author Unknown

In Honor of Those

In honor of those left behind
In a strange and foreign land,
We close our eyes and contemplate
On the sacrifice at hand.

In honor of those who gave their life
We salute with tear-stained eyes.
We reap the rewards of your suffering-
Freedom remains through your compromise.

In honor of those who made it home
We say a prayer for you,
For you have to live your every day
With memories of what you had to do.

In honor of those who serve today
We thank you for heeding your call.
May the Lord our God lead this land
And may we never let freedom fall!
©Lucy A. Cain
Excerpt from Secure the Fort (And Remain Under God), A Military Mother's Message to America

Secure the Fort GOES TO SCHOOL!

What an honor! Secure the Fort goes to public school! Read the following note I received today by email...from Richard and Shirley Leonard. They bought a copy for their son for his birthday.

"Thanks so much to you and Dad for the copy of the book, Secure the Fort.I enjoyed looking at your contributions and I have taken the book to school in order to use some of the selections in the classroom."

(Written by Ray Malmgren 9/07 to his parents, Richard and Shirley Leonard, who submitted pieces for the book. Ray teaches English in a public school setting, and attained the rank of Sergeant in the Army.)

Wow! All I can say is that God is at work in using this book in ways I never dreamed...keep praying for those who are impacted by God's Word through reading Secure the Fort!
Lucy

Prayer Circles

I saw the above image of praying soldiers in an email I received today and thought I'd share it here with my patriotic poem "When Soldiers Pray." May it touch you in some small way, and please...feel free to share this poem with the link to my "Secure the Fort" blog!

Lucy

When Soldiers Pray

When we call upon our men and women
To step into harm’s way
We should without a doubt step up
To be the first to pray

For soldiers pray out in the field
In circles before the Lord
Each one taking turns in prayer
Before they draw the sword

As soldiers leave their security
And step into the zone
They have the courage given by God
And given by God alone.

The battle is the Lord’s they know
And trust without a doubt
Mentally they get their minds in gear
As they give that warrior shout

Circles of prayer out in the sand
And heat of Iraqi sun
Strengthen our soldiers in the field
Until this war is won

So in circles of prayer we pray
For safety of them all
But we also pray for the families
Of all the ones who fall

Lord, protect our precious soldiers
Bring them home again
Give them strength to endure the fight
For freedom’s sake and then

Protect their minds from all they did
And all they had to see
Let them know You are the Prince of Peace
And keep their minds on Thee
©Lucy Cain

Excerpt, “Secure the Fort (And Remain Under God), A Military Mother’s Message to America” Xlibris, July 2007
http://securethefort.blogspot.com
www.allgloryishis.com

Soldiers' Moms Video

I hope you will take a moment to watch the following video of the song, "Soldiers' Moms." This song was recently released by a friend of mine in Nashville, TN. All of the women portrayed in the video and song are people Angela has either met or at least talked with by phone. Please send this video link along and remember to continue to pray daily for all military families with loved ones serving all around the world.

Video link: http://www.eaglesup.us/Flash%20Video/Soldiers_Moms_EU.html

Lucy