united we stand:

AAs we begin a new year We look back and reflect upon 2007.  The year was filled with serious challenges and a changing mood in the country toward our military and the mission in Iraq.  We saw the media steering public opinion back to sound like the war fatigued 70's.  Many began to doubt our military's ability to respond as it was trained, and we saw for the first time our Military leaders being insulted, and their honor and integrity challenged by those who predicted failure.

I personally was sickened by hearing many in the House and Senate refer to our troops as terrorists, calling our theatre commanders incompetent and labeling others as traitors, while questioning their loyalty to the nation they are sworn to serve.  The criticism for the commander-in-chief had lost all substance and became only personal as he was referred to as a liar and a criminal.

Then a funny thing happened as we came near the end of the year.  We started to see a strategy working toward success, and those who were most critical were silenced by our Military's success in Iraq.

It is clear that strategic and tactical mistakes made in the beginning of the war were at a very high cost, however those of us from the Vietnam War era remember how quickly public opinion can turn against the military when the flames are fueled by a radical movement that believes that America is what's wrong with the world.

It was all starting to happen again, then the best trained, most professional and mission oriented military in the world proved the "Blame America" crowd wrong.  None of us were really surprised by this success.

As members of the US Military Vets MC, we look at the world differently due to the viewpoint we have from our military service and sacrifices.

We know that America is the true source for good in the world, and that those who serve her deserve our respect and support, for without them the world would be much different.

Every day we see fellow Veterans, they ride amongst us in or ranks, struggle through rehab at Walter Reed or Bethesda, walk the streets homeless on a cold winter day, stand on a curb wearing a military unit ball cap and salute while the stars and stripes pass by,  or sit in a wheel chair in a nursing home near the end of their life.  We honor and respect their service to our country.

We also saw some good brothers leave our ranks in 2007 due to illness and accidents.  We will never forget what they meant to us, and how it felt to ride with them or to embrace them and call them brother.  They live on in our hearts and minds as we honor their memory by wearing their name on our vest.

We are fortunate to have our USMVMC brotherhood, and the freedom we have to ride as brothers.

I was proud to see many of my brothers in many chapters do the hard work on 2007 to support our troops and fellow veterans by giving their time and by raising money for the Vets in their areas.

Lets fly our colors proudly in 2008, as it is truly an It is an honor to be wear them each and every day.

VFFB

Bulldog