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Dec 10
Orlando, FL
9:00 AM

In the middle of Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, FL is a magnificent fountain that spews water high into the air and also creates this magnificent waterfall effect. We set up along the north east corner of the park at the WW2 Memorial statue with the fountain in the background. We had a good sized crowd assembled and one TV camera as well as a reporter from the paper, although later on another TV camera showed up.

Now with a full roster, the rally was better than ever. Diana Nagy opened began the program by singing the national anthem for us. Buzz Patterson gave a great speech about his own experience being in the military and missing his family on Christmas.

Sometimes Buzz will mention different experiences and anecdotes, sometimes from his days of flying missions over Granada or Kosovo, other times about his service in the Clinton Administration. Still other times he will talk about his visits to Iraq to speak with our soldiers there. One anecdote that is particularly important for this trip is about how Buzz received a box of cards from a school in Deluke, Iowa that adopted him. At the time, Lt. Col. Patterson recounts, he was flying mission after mission, sleeping only 4 hours between landing and takeoff and flying basically non-stop. Weary and exhausted from the rigorous schedule, the cards he received from the school kids who adopted him reinvigorated Buzz to his mission and helped him through that Christmas in 1994 when he could not see his family.

Deborah Johns and Debbie Lee also gave earnest speeches about how difficult it is to have that empty chair at the table come thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, and how its tough not knowing whether or not to put a present under the tree. It’s even harder for Gold star families like Debbie Lee’s when you know that the empty chair will never be filled again. But thank God, Deborah John’s son William will be home this Christmas!

After the rally was over we hung around and talked with a bunch of people as usual, it’s always great talk with all our supporters and sign some Christmas cards with them. While we were packing up I saw this goose, which is weird because I’ve never seen a black goose before…not something I really think about all the time so I didn’t really know that geese were black sometimes. Well I tried to get a closer look at this goose…and he like reared up and put his neck up tall and I swear he actually HISSED at me! I didn’t know a goose could hiss either…it was like a cat when cats get all crazy and their hairs stand up on their backs. But this was such a goofy looking bird and it was so pissy! Well that was a funny day…

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MAF Blogger Danny
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December 9
Tampa FL
2:30 PM

We arrived at the park in Tampa not really knowing exactly what to expect. The story about Tampa starts with yours truly, MAF Blogger Danny, being tasked with the job of finding a suitable location to hold a rally. When I called the parks and rec’ department for the City of Tampa, they told me that I would need at least 45 days advance notice to secure a permit for a public park. Well it was already less than 30 days away, so basically I had no options except for trying to find some private property, but without knowing anyone in Tampa who owned property, etc.

Then I got an E-mail that Ryan forwarded to me from this guy, Ron, who was near the Tampa area, an enthusiastic and patriotic supporter as well as a vet who wanted to help out. So I asked Ron if he could help me find a place to hold our rally and he totally came through by suggesting the Veterans Memorial Park controlled by the county, not the city.

So when we arrived at the park I was a bit scared, not really knowing what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised to see an awesome crowd of people gathered and waiting for our arrival. We parked the bus off to the side of the cul-de-sac there and hopped out, setting up the sound system and the tables to face the lake.

At the conclusion of the rally Ron came up and recited a poem he had written about a visit he made to The Wall. It was a really moving piece and I was impressed that Ron had it memorized…but he wrote it after all, so I guess that might make sense. It was called “Someone Who Came” about a guy who visits the Vietnam War Memorial and sees another person who is also visiting the wall, and seems very emotional. So the poet asks the other visitor if he knew someone in the war, or why he was there…and is told that no, the visitor knows no one who died in Nam, served in it, or ever served in the military at all. The visitor was just grateful, and understood the sacrifices of those brave servicemen and their importance despite not having been touched personally or in his family by that sacrifice.

I thought that was a great message…because most of the people who come to our rallies they are either a vet themselves, knows a veteran or knows someone who is active military. It’s somewhat of an uncommon event when anyone at our rallies are just there because they are patriotic or just there because they honor and respect the military. I think that’s sad because every American should know and recognize the importance of our military even when they don’t see or think about them every day.

Our soldiers don’t just protect their own families and friends, they don’t defend freedom for any one part of society…they defend freedom for ALL OF US. Democrats, Republicans, Rich, Poor, White, Black, Brown, Conservative, Progressive, Religious, Atheist, Young, Old, Patriotic, even the Unappreciative. They defend our freedoms whether we care to recognize them for it or not.

I also had the opportunity of talking to the fine young ladies who head up “Operation Baby Battalion” which is an organization based in Florida but has operations on the west coast as well. The project was founded by Cindy Surace with her daughters Tina and Tracy and son Ted. The group produces a visually amazing and emotionally moving calendar featuring the infant sons and daughters of servicemen. These images cut to the core of you when you see them, and when our servicemen receive them while away at war they serve as a reminder of what we are fighting for. Visit their website at www.operationbabybattalion.com and order one of these awesome calendars!

Finally there was Ltjg. Joe Vermet of the United States Coast Guard who works in Tampa at Central Command in the Public Affairs Office. Lt. Vermet has been in the Coast Guard for 7 years and is a spokesman for Central Command to the press, media and to the public. Catherine Moy, Move America Forward’s Executive Director (acting) came into contact with Lt. Joe while trying to get our applications to go to Iraq through CENTCOM and forwarded to MNF-Iraq. Lt. Vermet helped us expedite our applications and has done a lot of MAF to help us achieve our goals of reaching out to the troops in person for Christmas. Joe came to the rally simply to drop off these here boxes of Christmas Cards. CENTCOM receives cards all the time, but due to restrictions set by the Department of Defense, they cannot actually be sent to Iraq by CENTCOM themselves. So Lt. Vermet donated these cards, over 6,000, to Move America Forward so that we could get them to Iraq in time for Christmas! What an amazing blessing to have the cooperation and support of individuals like Lt. Vermet to help Move America Forward spread the good word!

E-mail any questions/comments/corrections to mafbloggerdanny@gmail.com. Thank you for reading

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December 8
3:30 PM
Tallahassee, Fl
State Capitol

We arrived at the state capitol about half an hour late. I actually thought we were early, but apparently I cannot remember schedules. I guess I should have put ‘organizationally inept’ on my resume, just to be honest…but really I just wanted to work with Move America Forward so badly I would have said anything.

Heh.

Also, a little less than halfway from Pensacola to Tallahassee we needed to switch drivers and I ended up driving the Penske van into Tallahassee. Okay so, don’t tell anybody…because I like riding in the bus, but if Joe knew how much I enjoyed driving that van to Tallahassee, they would kick me out of the bus and put me on permanent driving detail! Sometimes though, it’s nice to be alone for a while, where you can rock out to whatever you listen to, and catch a glimpse of the scenery.

When we arrived at the old capitol of Florida, which is situated right to the back of the new Florida capitol building, there was a great crowd sitting on the stops and a few people out on the grass right by the street with signs, waving flag and getting passersby honking and energized. It was the perfect setting for our arrival. Looking at the old and new capitols together, you can see an interesting contrast. The old capitol is simple and small, but styled much like many other state capitols I have seen. The old capitol is a domed rotunda in the middle, and two wings on either side to house the state legislatures with classical looking columns and patterns. The new capitol is this big, tall, modern looking building that rises up into the air and makes the old capitol seem smaller. It has two domes for the house and senate just like the old capitol, but each house has it’s own rotunda instead of sharing one rotunda in the middle.

Our crowd for this rally was soooo enthusiastic, I noticed that compared to a few of our other crowds they did more ‘interrupting for applause’ whenever Buzz or Debbie Lee would say something that was really profound. They were just a really energized group of people A lot of people were honking from out in the street and our crowd responded with whoops and cheers as the honking cars drove by. It just contributed to a great feeling of activity and energy for what seemed like the whole city of Tallahassee, it was like the whole town was out for us!

E-mail any questions/comments/corrections to mafbloggerdanny@gmail.com. Thank you for reading

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MAF Blogger Danny
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Saturday December 8
9:00 AM
Pensacola, Florida
The Wall South and War Memorial Park

There was this eerie fog and that was ominously hanging over everything when I got up this morning. It was just bizarre how thick the fog can get here in Pensacola. When the bus arrived at the rally I asked around to see if this kind of fog was normal but everyone kept telling me that it never ever happens. That’s so creepy how the fog was so thick and everything…fog always makes you feel like that…as if something crazy is about to happen…I guess because you can’t see what’s coming. But that feeling is always much worse when it’s late at night and there’s heavy fog, but since it was 9 in the morning we could overlook it.

When we got to the rally, which was only a five minute short drive from our hotel…probably walking distance if we had wanted to do that… we could see that we had a great crowd for Pensacola. There were bikes lined up all along the left hand of the parking lot…the Patriot Guard was here! There were lots of other patriots around too. In fact, we had several real celebrities in our midst for this rally!

Dave and Karen Jeffers are a gold star mom and dad. Their son Eddie was killed in Iraq just this September, only a few months ago. Eddie himself was already a celebrity in the pro-victory crowd before his death, using his voice and amazing talent for writing to speak out on behalf of our troops serving overseas who have no voice. This is a small excerpt of what he had to say:

“It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we’ve done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed? It’s all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of President Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.”

…Eddie wrote many articles talking about the reality of the war on terror over there in Iraq, about his experiences there, and about his disdain for the mass media and anti-war protesters and politicians back home who dishonor the sacrifices of all our soldiers over there. Here is some more from one of his articles “Hope Rides Alone”:

“We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end.”

Eddie was also featured in Buzz’s book War Crimes. Also, his dad, Dave, is an accomplished writer and voice in the conservative community himself. I was talking to Dave and Karen about their son, and Dave was telling me about the kind of man Eddie was. Once, when he saw something on TV about the Patriot Guard and the Westboro Babtists, Eddie asked his dad why the bikers would be needed at a military funeral. Dave told his son how the bikers of the PGR go to military funerals in order to protect the attendees from the slander and protest of the Westboro Babtist Church who stand there and scream that God is pleased with the death of their sons, and keep them separated from the rest of the crowd. Eddies response was… “if I was at that funeral, and I saw those people from that church there saying that God loves IEDs they would be lucky that the Patriot Guard was there to keep them safe from me! I don’t think I could stop myself, I’d be going to jail”

We all miss Eddie and I can’t help but think that our victory in Iraq…as much faith as I have in our military…is less assured now that Eddie has moved on to a better place. Dave and Karen do what they can to continue his legacy here on earth by continuing to write and blog. Check that out here: Dave Jeffers Blog

I also chatted with two other influential figures in the movement, grassroots leaders of Eagles Up, Col. Harry Riley and Chaplain Ed Anthony who also collaborated with Cpt Larry Bailey and Kit Lange when they all started Gathering of Eagles. Since then Eagles Up and GOE have taken different directions, a two-pronged approach on attacking public opinion, if you will. I asked Chaplain Anthony to help clarify this for me and the best way to describe it is that Eagles Up concentrates more on moving ‘boots on the ground’ getting the grassroots base to come out and rally ‘in the streets’ to confront the anti-war crowd. Gathering of Eagles has the same goals but a different twist on how to use their influence, GOE does more visiting with congress, lobbying, and working within ‘the system’ in order to create political change.

As I understand it, and Move America Forward knows this too, real lasting political change will require both of these approaches. It starts on the ground, in the streets…all social and political movements do…but then we need articulate well connected people to take that message from the streets and bring it to congress, drop it right on their desks and tell them why the message is important and why congress cannot afford to ignore it.

I got to talk with Col Riley at length about what Eagles Up has planned for the future and where he sees the movement going, it was really insightful. When I asked Col. Riley why he continues to work so tirelessly on the Eagles Up mission he told me, ‘Basically, because America can no longer remain quiet, silent. America must stand up or it will kneel to a barbaric and brutal enemy.”

Mister Riley, I could not agree more.

Here are some pictures of some of the memorials around the park. The inscription on this WW2 memorial reads ( ironically and fittingly )

“VICTORY AT ALL COSTS, VICTORY IN SPITE OF ALL TERROR, VICTORY NO MATTER HOW LONG AND HOW HARD THE ROAD MAY BE, FOR WITHOUT VICTORY THERE IS NO SURVIVAL”
-WINSTON CHURCHILL
MAY 13, 1940

E-mail any questions/comments/corrections to mafbloggerdanny@gmail.com. Thank you for reading

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MAF Blogger Danny
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Friday December 7
Mobile, AL
3:30 PM

[[ Chris, our driver, thought this would be the perfect time to wash the bus ]]

We arrived in Mobile with about an hour and half to spare before the rally even started. Chalk it up to more planning oddities; it seems like you can’t ever plan something on time, you’re either really late or really early…but more often late.

I think it might have possibly been Chris Walker and his magical mystery bus creating another one of those wormholes so that our bus could transcend space and time and magically appear at a rally location on time, no wait, EARLY!

Having parked at the rally and everything with plenty of time to go, I had the opportunity to walk around the area near the park. I went to the police station and made sure we were okay to park alongside the park where the rally was to be held, Bienville Square. The police station here has this awesome little museum inside the lobby of the station with all kinds of neat stuff in it! Guns. Lots of guns! For pistols they had the coolest things, from like, old derringers and early colt six guns to home made zip guns, a Lugar, some large handgun that shot .22 LR cartridges, and an AE Desert Eagle .50 caliber. My favorite was a huge Smith and Wesson model 626 12-inch barrel .44 magnum, chrome with a black grip. It reminded me of the same SW 626 that I have (was my grandfather’s before) except it’s only a 6-inch barrel and a .357 mag instead of that monster .44 cal. Also mine is chrome with a wooden handle, which I like better anyways. They also had a wall of rifles with all kinds of things…and M1 Garand, and M1 Carbine (but they were missing the little guard plate along the top of the barrel) several variations of AK-47s and SKS, an Uzi, Mac-10…all kinds of stuff. There were also lots of old vintage police uniforms and helmets. Pretty awesome stuff…

Anyways back to the rally….It’s really weird trying to do a rally when you’re there before all of your supporters. Usually when we are late to a rally, we pull up in the bus there is already a big crowd there and everyone goes crazy…cheering and exalting because they’re tired of waiting! But when we’re already there, it is more apparent how the supporters trickle in. Either way, they all still got there and I have to say we had a great little rally by the Christmas tree in the middle of Bienville Square. There was one reporter and one TV camera there.

One mom brought her kids, who were students at St. Pious Catholic School and they had collected cards from their classmates. They brought me a big plastic bag full of them. It was so cute too because the TV camera was right there and this little girl who must have been 7 or 8 was handing me the bag on camera. I will post a link to the news report so y’all can see what I’m talking about.

E-mail any questions/comments/corrections to mafbloggerdanny@gmail.com. Thank you for reading