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WHAT IS A VETERAN?
Some Veterans bear the visible signs of their service...a missing limb, a jagged
scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece
of shrapnel in the leg, or perhaps another sort of inner steel-the soul's alloy, forged in the refinery of adversity.
Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a Vet
just by looking. What is a Vet? He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons
a day, making sure armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel. He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five
wooden planks, whose overgrown frat boy behaviour is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite
bravery near the 38th parallel. She - or he- is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep every night
sobbing for two long years in Danang. He is the POW who went away one person and came back another--or didn't come back
at all. He is the Quantico Drill Instructor who has never seen combat--but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy,
no account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each others backs. He is the Parade riding Legionaire
who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand. He is the career Quartermaster who watches the ribbons and
medals pass him by. He is the three anonymous heros in the Tomb of the Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington
National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heros whose valor died unrecognized with them on the
battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep. He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket--palsied now and
aggravatingly slow--who helped liberate the Nazi Death Camps and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to
hold him when his nightmares come. He is an ordinary, and yet an extraordinary, human being. A person who
suffered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would
not have to sacrifice theirs. He is a Soldier and a Saviour and a Sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more
than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation every known. So remember, each time you
see someone who has served our country, to just lean over and say, Thank you. That's all most people need, and in most
cases, it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded, or were awarded. Two little words that mean a
lot, "THANK YOU".
Recipe for Country Stew, Sunday May 29, 2005
WBLQ 96.7FM
Westerly, Rhode Island, USA
This special Memorial Day Broadcast is dedicated to the memory of Sgt. Major Maurice
"Popeye" Dickens, founder of Rhode Island Country Horizons and to my father-in-law, the late Norman E. Gilbert
PEG GATLIN - AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL
DOC KILLIAN - TO OUR TROOPS
RED RIVER DAVE - SEARCHING FOR YOU BUDDY
DOLLY PARTON - COLOR ME AMERICA
ANDREW DEAN - IN A MOTHERS EYES
MATT CONNELLY - THE HONOR OF THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE
DAVE DUDLEY - WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR
PHIL BRIGGS - THE SOLDIER
RON THOMPSON - SHELL SHOCKED SOLDIER
ELTON BRITT - THERE'S A STAR SPANGELED BANNER WAVING SOMEWHERE
JESSICA ROSE MEUSE - TRAVELING SOLDIER
THE STATLER BROTHERS - MORE THAN A NAME ON A WALL
REVEILLE TIME IN HEAVEN - MAC WISEMAN
ERNEST TUBB - ITS FOR GOD, COUNTRY AND YOU MOM
CINDY LANE ADAMS - THERE'S SOMEBODY MISSING ME TONIGHT
EDDY ARNOLD - A MOTHER'S PRAYER
AMERICAN THUNDER - GOD'S AMAZING GRACE
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW - BIG TIME IN THE JUNGLE
TRACKER JENKINS - CRIPPLE COWBOY
DAVE DUDLEY - AT MAIL CALL TODAY
EMMYLOU HARRIS - BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY
MARTY ROBBINS - EACH NIGHT AT 9
THE LONESOME DRIFTER - A SOLDIER'S HEAVEN
PHIL BRIGGS - A TRIBUTE TO VETERANS
MARGARET BRZXEY - CAPTAIN ROSY
REBECCA LOU SNYDER - EVERYDAY HEROES
BILLY RAY CYRUS - SOME GAVE ALL
HANK SNOW - A LETTER FROM VIET NAM
BRANT MILLER - CARRY ON
JOHNNY SELPH - OUR FLAG STILL FLIES
WILMA LEE COOPER - COWARDS OVER PEARL HARBOR
DAVID FRANKLIN - 50,000 NAMES
JOHNNY WRIGHT - KEEP THE FLAG FLYING
DICK CURLESS - PRAYING FOR THE DAY PEACE WILL COME
DARRYL WORLEY - POW 369
DOLLY PARTON - WELCOME HOME
JIMMY EAVES - MISSING IN ACTION
PHIL BRIGGS -A SOLDIER DIED TODAY
TERRY DUNCAN AND PURLEY CURTIS - ARMED FORCES MEDLEY
KIMMIE RHODES - WAR PRAYER
HAL LONE PINE - FUZZY WUZZY TEDDYBEAR
NAVY CHIEF TOMMY COX - SAILOR'S PRAYER
1ST LT. BOBBY ROSS - FINALLY WELCOME TO ME
DAVE DUDLEY - FRAULEIN
GENELLE TENNANT - SING OUT AMERICA
GENE LEVERNE - BREAK THE NEWS TO MOTHER
DOC KILLIAN - MY FLAG
WENDELL AUSTIN - OLD COMRADES
STEPHANIE EISLEY - GOD BLESS AMERICA
PROGRAM HOSTED BY PHIL BRIGGS AND PAUL "PJ" JOHNSON
A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO VETERANS
Broadcast Wednesday November 11, 2003 on WBLQ 88.1FM
Westerly, RI
Hosted by Phil Briggs, PJ Johnson and Richard "Hawkeye" Fuller
Produced by Phil Briggs
This program was Country Stew's 3rd Annual Tribute to all our
U.S. Military Veterans, our small way of saying Thank You to them for their sacrifice and service to their Country.
In addition to the music, there were inspirational readings and a roll call of names of Veterans that had been submitted to
us by listeners and friends of the program.
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Hello, American Veterans ~ Wendell Austin
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Its For God, Country and You, Mom ~ Ernest Tubb
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Each Night At Nine ~ Dave Dudley
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Ballad of Ira Hayes ~ Johnny Cash
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Big Time In The Jungle ~ Old Crow Medicine Show
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The Crippled Cowboy ~ Tracker Jankins
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United We Stand ~ Charlotte Bradford
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At Mail Call Today ~ Dave Dudley
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Cowards Over Pearl Harbor ~ Wilma Lee Cooper
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Finally Welcome Home ~ Lt. Bobby Ross
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Riding With Private Malone ~ David Ball
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Deck Of Cards ~ Wink Martindale
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Keep The Flag Flying ~ Johnny Wright
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Thank You American Veterans ~ Wendell Austin
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When A Soldier Knocks ~ Mac Wiseman
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I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby ~ Hugh and Kathy Moffat
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Thank You Old Flag Of Mine ~ Box Car Willie
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Traveling Soldier ~ Jessica Rose Meuse
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What We're Fighting For ~ Dave Dudley
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There's A Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere ~ Elton Britt
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Color Me America ~ Dolly Parton
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Good Bye My Darling, Hello Viet Nam ~ Johnny Wright
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The Sacrifice ~ Navy Chief Tommy Cox
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Blue Eyed Jane ~ Ernest Tubb
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The Last Fox Hole ~ Red Sovine
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Mother's Prayer ~ Eddie Arnold
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Letter From Viet Nam ~ Hank Snow
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Reveille Time In Heaven ~ Mac Wiseman
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Marines Are Tough ~ Jerry Clower
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Welcome Home ~ Dolly Parton
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Song Of The Patriot ~ Johnny Cash
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Break The News To Mother ~ Jim Eanes
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Searching For You Buddy ~ Red River Dave
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Missing In Action ~ Jim Eanes
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50,000 Names ~ Dave Franklin
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The Soldiers Sweetheart ~ Jimmie Rodgers
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Then I'll Come Home Again ~ Dave Dudley
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Did You See My Daddy Over There ~ Eddy Arnold
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If I Give My Soul ~ Billy Joe Shaver
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God Bless The USA ~ Lee Greenwood
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Along The China Coast ~ Roy Acuff
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America The Beautiful ~ Charlie Rich
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Old Comrades ~ Wendell Austin
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Route 1, Box 144 ~ Johnny Cash
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Captain Rosey ~ Margaret Brzxey
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Praying For The Day Peace Will Come ~ Dick Curless
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I'm Gonna Miss You ~ Dolly Parton
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They're Bringing Johnny Home ~ Sherwin Linton
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Big Black Wall ~ Phil Coley
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A White Cross Marks The Grave ~ The Sauceman Brothers
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Play The Star Spangled Banner Over Me ~ Box Car Willie
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Soldiers Last Letter ~ Dave Dudley
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Everyday Heroes ~ Rebecca Lou
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A Veterans Prayer ~ Wendell Austin
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WaterLoo ~ Stonewall Jackson
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God Bless America ~ Stephanie Eisley
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My Daddy's Only A Picture ~ Eddy Arnold
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This show was dedicated to the memory of Sgt. Major Maurice "Popeye"
Dickens
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE WESTERLY SUN, PUBLISHED TUESDAY NOVEMBER
18, 2003
Isn't it strange how we sometimes take things for granted?
Important things like our very lives ...lives that are lived free and proud. These two blessings were not just handed
to us, they had to be worked for and more importantly fought for, sometimes at the cost of the lives of brave men and women
who fought to keep this country free. All of this was brought home to me again as I was listening to WBLQ, our local
radio station, on the evening of Nov. 9. It was a tribute to all veterans on Veterans Day - Veterans from the Civil
War all the way to our present conflict were remembered. Names, branch of service, and where they served were presented
in a solemn and respectful manner. Music of the time was played, which added to the program. It was a very humbling
program. All of a sudden, gratitude and thankfulness were restored. For me, this radio program was the highlight
of my day and made me realize again how fortunate and blessed we are in this country, not only for our way of life, but for
the people who are willing to fight and die for it. WBLQ should be very proud of the station and the people who work
there. Also, the two hosts of the Veterans Day program, Phil Briggs and Paul Johnson, should be congratulated for their
gentle and compassionate presentation of this show. They are both veterans themselves and their pride in being Vets
came across very plainly. What this country needs is more programs like this. It went beyond patriotism.
It was soul wrenching. Signed: Claire Debigare, Westerly
Phil and PJ would like to thank Mrs. Debigare for her kind words.
It means a lot to know that the program touched someone's heart. Phil and PJ have heard from some soldiers who were
stationed in Iraq and have now returned home to Rhode Island. They heard the tapes of the Veteran's Day Show while they
were stationed in Iraq, and wanted to let Phil and PJ know how much it meant to them.
MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE 2004
Playlist for Sunday May 30, 2004
Tonight's show is a tribute to true heros - the men and women who have sacrificed their lives
in service to the United States of America. It is dedicated to the memory of Sergeant Major Maurice "Popeye" Dickens,
Veteran of the Korean War and Viet Nam, recipient of the Bronze Star, Army Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal,
and founder of Rhode Island Country Horizons.
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I'M GONNA MISS YOU ~ DOLLY PARTON
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SEARCHING FOR YOU, BUDDY ~ RED RIVER DAVE
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THERE IS A STAR SPANGLED BANNER WAVING SOMEWHERE ~ ELTON BRITT
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FINALLY WELCOME HOME ~ 1ST LT. BOBBY ROSS
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REVIELLE TIME IN HEAVEN ~ MAC WISEMAN
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COME ON DOWN TO MY WORLD ~ J.D. CROW AND THE NEW SOUTH
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CAPTAIN ROSIE ~ MARGARET BRZXYE
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I OVERLOOKED AN ORCHID ~ "COUSIN" RICHIE ZACK
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SOME GAVE ALL - BILLY RAY CYRUS
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THERE GOES MY EVERYTHING ~ FARON YOUNG
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WHAT YOUR HEART IS TELLING YOU ~ CHRIS HALL
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COWARDS OVER PEARL HARBOR ~ WILMA LEE COOPER
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CAROLINE IN CAROLINA ~ FREEWHEELIN'
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PLAY THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER ~ BOXCAR WILLIE
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WAR PRAYER ~ KIMMIE RHODES
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COWPOKE ~ RIDERS IN THE SKY
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WHEN I STOP DREAMING ~ GLENN CAMPBELL/LESLIE SATCHER
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EACH NIGHT AT 9 ~ MARTY ROBBINS
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ITS FOR GOD, COUNTRY AND YOU, MOM ~ ERNEST TUBB
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WHAT WE'RE FIGHTING FOR ~ DAVE DUDLEY
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TOGETHER ALONE ~ GEORGE JONES
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OLD COMRADES ~ WENDELL AUSTIN
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50,000 NAMES ON THE WALL ~ DAVE FRANKLIN
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THEN I'LL COME HOME AGAIN ~ DAVE DUDLEY
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CRIPPLE COWBOY ~ TRACKER JENKINS
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BIG TIME IN THE JUNGLE ~ OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW
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UNITED WE STAND ~ CHARLOTTE BRADFORD
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SOMEWHERE BETWEEN ~ SUZY BOGGUSS
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KEEP THE FLAG FLYING ~ JOHNNY WRIGHT
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OUT OF JAIL ~ WAYLON JENNINGS
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A LETTER FROM VIET NAM ~ HANK SNOW
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FUZZY WUZZY TEDDY BEAR ~ HAL LONE PINE
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TRAVELING SOLDIER ~ JESSICA ROSE
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DID YOU SEE MY DADDY OVER THERE ~ EDDY ARNOLD
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RIDING WITH PRIVATE MALONE ~ DAVID BALL
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GOD BLESS THE USA ~ LEE GREENWOOD
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OLD GLORY ~ READING BY PHIL BRIGGS (SEE TEXT BELOW)
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AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL ~ CHARLIE RICH
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DISTANT DRUMS ~ JIM REEVES
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A VETERAN'S PRAYER ~ WENDELL AUSTIN
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A SOLDIER'S LAST LETTER ~ DAVE DUDLEY
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GOD BLESS AMERICA ~ STEPHANIE EISLEY
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OLD GLORY
I am the flag of the United States of America.
My name is Old Glory.
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings.
I stand watch in America's halls of Justice.
I fly majestically over great institutes of learning.
I stand guard with the greatest military power in the world.
Look up! And see me!
I stand for peace - honor - truth and justice.
I stand for freedom
I am confident - I am arrogant
I am proud.
When I am flown with my fellow banners
My head is a little higher
My colors a little truer.
I bow to no one.
I am recognized all over the world.
I am worshipped - I am saluted -I am respected
I am revered - I am loved, and I am feared.
I have fought every battle of every war for more than 200 years:
Gettysburg, Shilo, appomatox, San Juan Hill, the trenches of France, the
Argonne forest, Anzio, Rome, the beaches of Normandy, the deserts of Africa, the cane fields of the Philippines, the rice
paddies and jungles of Guam, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Guadalcanal, New Britain, Peleliu, and many more islands.
And a score of places long forgotten by all but those who were with me.
I was there.
I led soldiers - I followed them.
I watched over them.
They loved me.
I was on a small hill in Iwo Jima.
I was dirty, battle worn and tired, but my soldiers cheered me, and I was
proud.
I have been soiled, burned, torn and trampled on the streets of countries
I have helped set free.
It does not hurt, for I am invincible.
I have been soilded, burned, torn and trampled on the streets of my country,
and when it is by those with whom I have served in battle - it hurts.
But I shall overcome - for I am strong.
I have slipped the bonds of Earth and stand watch over the uncharted new
frontiers of space
From my vantage point on the moon.
I have been a silent witness to all of America's finest hours.
But my finest hour comes when I am torn into strips to be used for bandages
for my wounded comrades on the field of battle,
When I fly at half mast to honor my soldiers,
And when I lie in the trembling arms of a grieving mother at the graveside
of her fallen son.
I am proud,
My name is Old Glory.
Dear God -Long may I wave.
written by Howard Schnauber
copyright 1996-2004 City of Fort Collins, Colorado
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE FORT COLLINS PUBLIC LIBRARY LOCAL HISTORY ARCHIVES BIOGRAPHY OF HOWARD SCHNAUBER
LYRICS TO " A TRIBUTE TO VETERANS"
AN ORIGINAL SONG
WRITTEN BY JERRY CALOW
COPYRIGHT 2003
In Vietnam, Korea and World Wars past
Our men fought bravely so Freedom would last.
Conditions were not always best they could be,
Fighting a foe you could not always see:
From mountain highs to valley lows
From jungle drops to desert patrols
Our sinewy sons were sent overseas
Far from their families and far from their dreams.
They never wrote letters of hardship's despair,
Only of Love, yearning that one day soon:
They would come home, they would resume
And carry on with the rest of their lives.
The P.O.W.'s stood steadfast
Against the indignities and cruelties of War.
They could not have lasted as long as they did
If they had relinquished their hope that someday:
They would come home, they would resume
And carry on the rest of their lives.
Medics, nurses and Chaplains alike
Did what they needed to bring back life.
They served our forces from day into night
Nor questioning if they would survive:
They mended bones and bodies too,
They soothed the spirits of dying souls.
And for those M.I.A.'s who were left behind
We echo this message across the seas,
We will search for as long as it takes.
You're not forgotten and will always be:
In our hearts, in our prayers,
In our minds for all time.
A moment of Silence, a moment of summons
Is their deliverance of body and soul
To a sacred place that we all know
Deep in the shrines of our soul:
In our hearts, in our prayers,
In our minds for all time.
INTERLUDE:
GOLD STAR MOTHERS GRIEVE: ENDLESSLY, ENDLESSLY, ENDLESSLY....
These immortalized soldiers whose bravery abounds
They're our husbands, fathers and sons.
They enlisted for the duty at hand
To serve the cause of Country and land:
They had honor, they had valor,
They found glory that changed them forever.
Men standing tall and proud they be,
A country behind them in a solumn sea.
So let the Flags of Freedom fly
Unfurled in their majesty high:
In the sun, in the rain,
In the winds across this land.
Years of tears have brought us here
Gathering around to hear this sound
So let the Flags of Freedom fly
Unfurled in their majesty high:
In the sun, in the rain,
In the winds across this land.
REPEAT:
In the sun, in the rain,
In the winds for all time.
ORIGINAL LYRICS BY
JERRY CALOW
COPYRIGHT 2003
PERMISSION TO POST TO THIS WEBSITE GRANTED 2 JULY 2004
ANY OTHER USE IS AN INFRINGEMENT OF THE AUTHORS COPYRIGHT
MY FLAG
written by Doc Killian
27 December 2003
copyright - used by permission of
Steve "Doc" Killian
When I raise the Flag I do remember
All the sacrifices and no thoughts of surrender.
When Old Glory travels or it stays in my yard
Its not a red, white and blue piece of cloth
But something more by far.
Its a feeling deep inside through decades of its sight
That has bonded our great nation and reminds us of our might.
The Stars and Stripes of which I sing
To those who fought and died for meant many things.
Families back home and keeping them safe,
Our freedoms abound in War's awful wake.
In front of me to burn my flag you'd need to think about
You'd have not the freedom to yell or insults you shout.
My Flag was bought and paid for by oh so many lives
Leaving behind so many parents, children, husbands and wives.
You don't have to agree with the politics that are involved
But remember how Old Glory's ideals evolved.
The Freedoms that we all enjoy come at quite a cost
And if you don't like my flag, then you can just get lost.
Go somewhere else so very far away
And don't insult my nation or my flag that's here to stay.
TO OUR TROOPS
written by Doc Killian
6 January 2004
copyright - used by permission of Steve "Doc" Killian
Dear brave men and women, although you may feel alone
Know this now from your country your're not forgotten at home.
You don't make the policy but you do make a stand
Against dictatorship and tyranny in a very foreign land.
If you ever stop to wonder if there's a difference that you make
Just think of your family's Freedom if someone else tried to take
Freedom, rights and justice others have never known
But because you serve our country we have those rights at home.
You know the strong can do some things
About which the weak can only ponder.
That's why when duty called you ended over yonder.
When your Country called you, you thought not to hide or run
But to give a helping hand in a fight someone else had begun.
Now there'll always be a bully and those on which they prey
That's why the downtrodden call the USA.
Every other nation knows that what we have
Has stood the test of time
With Freedom throughout our land.
We're not afraid to roll up our sleeves and get the hard jobs done
For we know that when it's over, better days will come.
This is a message from back home: We'd all just like to say Hi
Because when we enjoy our Freedom you are part of the reason why.
When you hear my message don't ever feel alone
Because back here's a nation waiting to welcome you home!!!
UNITED WE STAND
by Anna Marie Burden
UNITED we stand for the red, white and blue
And Show our love proud and true
LET"S show that our Country is not divided
And we're holding on completely united
WE"LL show the world America Stands
Joined together hand in hand
LET"S show them we are going to fight
For our freedom with all our might
AND when its all over perhaps they'll see
America stands for liberty
AND when they see the red, white and blue
They'll know it stands for America, proud and true
GOD bless America for which it stands
United proudly hand in hand.
MAY THE LORD BLESS ALL WHO READ THIS
Anna Marie Burden, copyright 2001
Centertown, KY
Wanda's Country Home Tribute to Our Fallen Soldiers
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