November 6th- November 9th 2017 Sunset
Honoring the victime of the Sutherland Springs, Texas shooting.
President Trump has ordered the U.S. and all subordinate flags to fly at half- staff in honor and remembrance of those killed in the shooting in Sutherland Springs.
Flags are to be flown at half-staff from November 6-9.
You ask me why I love her? Well give me time, and I'll explain...
Have you seen a Kansas sunset or an Arizona rain?
Have you drifted on a bayou down Louisiana way?
Have you watched the cold fog drifting over San Francisco Bay?
Have you heard a Bobwhite calling in the Carolina pines?
Or heard the bellow of a diesel in the Appalachia mines?
Does the call of Niagara thrill you when you hear her waters roar?
Do you look with awe and wonder at a Massachusetts shore...
Where men who braved a hard new world, first stepped on Plymouth Rock?
And do you think of them when you stroll along a New York City dock?
Have you seen a snowflake drifting in the Rockies...way up high?
Have you seen the sun come blazing down from a bright Nevada sky?
Do you hail to the Columbia as she rushes to the sea...
Or bow your head at Gettysburg...in our struggle to be free?
Have you seen the mighty Tetons? ...Have you watched an eagle soar?
Have you seen the Mississippi roll along Missouri's shore?
Have you felt a chill at Michigan, when on a winters day,
Her waters rage along the shore in a thunderous display?
Does the word "Aloha"... make you warm?
Do you stare in disbelief when you see the surf come roaring in at Waimea reef?
From Alaska's cold to the Everglades...from the Rio Grande to Maine...
My heart cries out... my pulse runs fast at the might of her domain.
You ask me why I love her?... I've a million reasons why.
My beautiful America... beneath Gods' wide, wide sky.
I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town"
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it"
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down
"Is this the first time you've been to our little town"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag
"You see, we got a little hole in that flag there
When Washington took it across the Delaware
And It got powder burned the night Francis Scott Key sat watching it
Writing "Say Can You See"
It got a bad rip in New Orleans, with Packingham and Jackson
Tugging at its seams
And It almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag
But she waved on though
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag
"On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun
She turned blood red in World War II
She hung limp, and low, a time or two
She was in Korea, Vietnam, She went where she was sent
By her Uncle Sam
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam
And now they've about quit wavin' back here at home
In her own good land here She's been abused
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused
And the government for which she stands
Has scandalized throughout out the land
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in
'Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more
"So we raise her up every morning
And we take her down every night
We don't let her touch the ground
And we fold her up right
On second thought
I do like to brag
'Cause I'm mighty proud of
That Ragged Old Flag"
Special thanks to Costco and locals who are helping with food costs and serving!!!!
Also, we are still in need of 4 new flags which we will raise during noon in observance of Veterans Day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMdkcTmPS2U
At Fort Villanow Veterans Project our main mission is and has always been, to help fellow Veterans in the community. If you know anyone who may by in need, please feel free to contact The Fort at (706)397-8860 or the number shared with us in the letter below.
Dear Fellow Veterans and Colleagues,
A brief request and a favor. Right now, while you’re reading this … put this in your phone. National Veterans Crisis Line, 800-273-8255. You never know when you or a Veteran you know might need some help, right now. Now you have a number that can help.
Thank you.
Curtis L. Coy
Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Opportunity
Veterans Benefits Administration
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Washington, DC 20420
VA Core Values: Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, Excellence (“I CARE”)
Marines, Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, P.O.W & American Flags are needed annually for the Fort! Donate money to help with purchasing a flag or buy your own & bring it here to hangup.
Special thanks also to Will Freeman from Nevada, with all his help at the Fort this Summer!
Veterans who will need help during the storm recovery, please feel free to contact us at:
706-397-8860
Off of I-75 emergency Horse Stable/Pens/Pastures are available in Valdosta/Moultrie Georgia, contact Scott at 907-942-2044 and farther towards Atlanta in the Locust Grove, Georgia area contact Forrest at 404-862-2839.
Also, the Perry, GA fairgrounds (off I-75) will be having a horse shelter available to the public. Click here for more details.
Horse-boarding is available near Newnan Georgia, Rhaelyn at 912-294-0666
Guidelines for Display of the Flag Public Law 94-344, known as the Federal Flag Code, contains rules for handling and displaying the U.S. flag. While the federal code contains no penalties for misusing the flag, states have their own flag codes and may impose penalties. The language of the federal code makes clear that the flag is a living symbol. In response to a Supreme Court decision which held that a state law prohibiting flag burning was unconstitutional, Congress enacted the Flag Protection Act in 1989. It provides that anyone who knowingly desecrates the flag may be fined and/or imprisoned for up to one year. However, this law was challenged by the Supreme Court in a 1990 decision that the Flag Protection Act violates the First Amendment free speech protections. Important Things to Remember Traditional guidelines call for displaying the flag in public only from sunrise to sunset. However, the flag may be displayed at all times if it’s illuminated during darkness. The flag should not be subject to weather damage, so it should not be displayed during rain, snow and wind storms unless it is an all-weather flag. It should be displayed often, but especially on national and state holidays and special occasions. The flag should be displayed on or near the main building of public institutions, schools during school days, and polling places on election days. It should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously.
Click here to learn more about our great country: https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/celebrate/celebrate-america.pdf
Meeting other Veterans who will be our "Hosts" for the 2018 trip to Montana!
Blacksmith experienced in ornamental and ole timey, techniques to setup shop, demos on Saturdays and will offer Blacksmith courses for Veterans (coal forge provided). On location at Fort Villanow Veterans Project.
The House unanimously passed the biggest GI bill expansion in a decade. From now on, new service members will be able to use the GI bill's education benefits for their entire lives. This is a big change, and it is truly great news for all those who wear the uniform.
The GI bill helped build today's middle class, and now, Congress is redoubling America's commitment to our veterans.
The GI Bill helped build today’s middle class. It sent millions of World War II veterans to college, to work, and to the suburbs. Tom Brokaw called it “a brilliant and enduring commitment to the nation’s future.”
One way we make sure that the GI Bill endures is by updating it to meet the times. So today the House is set to take action on the biggest GI bill expansion in a decade. Here’s what H.R. 3218 does:
The American Legion says this bill will mean “a new era for all who have honorably served in uniform, and for the nation as a whole.” According to Student Veterans of America, it will represent “a new era for education for veterans.”
Just last month, the president signed into law major legislation to bring real accountability to the VA. Now we are building on this work, and we are going to keep at it so that our veterans and their families get the care and treatment they have earned.
To learn more, read the bill, and check out this background information from the Veterans Affairs Committee.
*Please Note: Most school now accept GI Bill funding.
Brenda Cole is presented the flag by saluting Army Veteran Brandon Stowe, at Oak Hill Cemetery. Cole is the sister of Franklin "Cowboy"Eugene Biddy, who died in November, 2016, and was an Army Veteran. Cole, brother of Carl Biddy and members of the Fort Villanow Veterans Project, held a ceremony at the cemetery to honor Biddy. Taps was performed and a marker was put on Biddy's grave.
Friends,
What do healthcare, Wall Street and the VA have in common?
Over the last few weeks, the House passed legislation affecting each of these.
Healthcare
I believe Obamacare’s death spiral is accelerating, and the mission to rescue Georgia families is urgent. The House is acting quickly to move the different pieces of President Trump’s three phase healthcare plan forward, including passing Phase 1, the American Health Care Act, last month.
Additionally, last week, the House passed three more bills that each make targeted reforms. Click HERE to read more about these bills and the president's reform plan.
When taken together, I believe the President Trump’s plan will reduce health insurance premiums, increase access to healthcare and put patients first.
Wall Street
The House also passed the Financial CHOICE Act earlier this month. It's a Wall Street reform bill that turns the page on, what I believe was, a misguided financial takeover by the previous administration.
I think our bill strikes the right balance between protecting Americans’ financial future and eliminating unnecessary regulations so that more of Georgia’s families, entrepreneurs, and businesses can grow and thrive.
Importantly, I believe our Wall Street reform bill also protects taxpayers. It ensures working families are never again asked to bail out any financial institution with their hard-earned tax dollars, and cuts the deficit by $24 billion.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
This month, the House passed, with an overwhelming bipartisan majority, the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act, sending it to the president’s desk.
This legislation will help improve services and care at the VA by empowering the Trump administration to fire the bad apples so the good employees can do their jobs.
While this doesn’t fix every problem at the VA, it’s a big step in the right direction. That said, I promise I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress and the administration to fix the ongoing issues at the VA. Our veterans and their families deserve nothing less.
Freedom first,
Tom Graves
