Almost 30 years ago, Colonel David “Hack” Hackworth, America’s most valor-decorated soldier, and journalist Roger Charles formed a lifelong friendship rooted in their individual Vietnam War experiences as well as their shared definition of what it means to serve one’s country, from a military veteran perspective.
Hack was a “maverick,” an officer who came up through the ranks, served in the military for ...
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The iconic comic book hero Captain America commands a significant role in our national culture. His selfless commitment to service embodies the best of part of us. Having had the opportunity to observe a diverse cross-section of America’s people serve and sacrifice under conditions of great personal danger and privation, I assure you that the ...
When the oncologist called and told me they wanted to share the scan results in person, you knew better than to listen to me when I said I could do the appointment solo. I’d argued about needing a mammogram at all, skipped my first appointment, and never researched any ...
By Brian Delate
The following quote comes from The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides. I reflected on these words briefly for my friend Peter Meineck, PhD, professor of classics in the modern world at New York University. For SFTT I felt I had to expand it.
“Every man in the army was filled with tears and so disturbed that they found it hard to leave, even from enemy territory, where they had already experienced misery beyond tears, and considering what future pain ...
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I simply responded to a social media post. It was a meme complaining that there would be no fireworks this year on the 4th and I commented that a lot of Veterans out there would be thankful. The response that followed surprised me: “I don’t know of any Veterans that would be disturbed by fireworks.” Over a week later, I’m still pondering this.
With all ...
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By Patrick Dillon
If there’s one thing I can’t stand more than sending very young True Believers like me off to fight an unwinnable war with one arm tied behinds our backs, it’s walking.
Why? Because ever since I moved almost 30 years ago uptown to Harlem (where my WWII vet Irish-born father was a fireman for more than 35 years) from Hell’s Kitchen, where I was born almost 68 years ago, I’ve bicycled, uptown and down, well over 70,000 miles. That is, Dear Reader, more than twice the circumference of planet Earth.
As a result ...
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STAND FOR THE TROOPS (SFTT) is honoring service dogs with our Service Dog Salute Photo Campaign that celebrates the unique relationship between Veterans and their canine companions. SFTT recognizes the significant role these support animals play and wants to show-and-tell this fact to the world.
Lance Corporal Charlton E Johnson Weapons Expert USMC, and his Canine Companion Aliana (Ali)
I am Lance Corporal Charlton E Johnson Weapons Expert USMC, Attached to a Weapons Plt in Golf Co 2nd Bn 5th Mar 1st ...
Continue Reading →For some inexplicable reason, the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) has a “thing” about service dogs. Despite an overwhelming amount of evidence that service or companion dogs help Veterans, the VA insists on studying this issue still further. SFTT wishes the VA had taken the same level of precaution in prescribing OxyContin for Veterans with PTSD.
A companion service dog program appears to provide comfort and support to ...
Continue Reading →Is it too late to wish you all a happy new year? We think not!
Here at SFTT we’ve been busy wrapping up our 2017 initiatives and planning for an even better 2018 with new programs and partners to help Veterans suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD).
During the past year, Stand for the Troops, the Little Organization That Could and Has, hit a major milestone — we turned 20! Twenty, old enough to be a combat soldier which, in many ways ...
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Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” is an entertainment staple of the holiday season. In the story, a wealthy and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by a procession of three ghosts who accompany him through scenes of Christmases past, present, and future. It is a story that resonates with us.
In a Christmas past, I found myself ...
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