Military Veterans and Patriots

Tag: Celebrate

  • Dancing Dad – The Feel Better Boogie

    Dancing Dad – The Feel Better Boogie

    We may have discovered COVID-19’s Achilles Heel – American men who are named Chuck. No matter how disrupted, discomfited or outright inconvenient the disease can make a life, at least two men carrying the same monosyllabic moniker have not allowed a viral sucker punch to knock ’em off of their feet. Chuck Robic kicked COVID’s viral tushy when it dared to invade his 97-year old person. Chuck Yielding, 48, has been busy shaking off one of the virus’ inescapable side effects while dancing to his son’s favorite music.

    In April, when the Wuhan novel coronavirus outbreak was approaching its peak, Chuck and Lori Yielding of Fort Worth, TX brought their 14-year old son in to see the doctor. He’d been running a high fever for a few days and there were real concerns young Aiden was infected with COVID-19. That would have been a relief. After some tests had been run, the teen was diagnosed with B-cell ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia), a form of blood cancer.

    from cancer.org:
    -Leukemia is the most common cancer in children and teens, accounting for almost 1 out of 3 cancers. Most childhood leukemias are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL).
    -The 5-year survival rate for children with ALL has greatly increased over time and is now about 90% overall.
    -The 5-year survival rate refers to the percentage of children who live at least 5 years after their leukemia is diagnosed. With acute leukemias (ALL or AML), children who are free of the disease after 5 years are very likely to have been cured, because it’s very rare for these cancers to return after this long.

    They have been a tight group, the Yielding family, as they wage war against leukemia. Or, “koolemia” as Aiden prefers to call it. Chuck and Lori share in every blow their son takes and lands; both parents even stay with Aiden when he is receiving chemotherapy treatments at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. That is, until COVID-inspired changes to hospital visitation rules wedged themselves between family members.

    Cook Children’s Medical Center adopted a one parent policy for their pediatric patients. The hospital’s young patients would be permitted only one adult companion for all medical appointments, in-patient hospitalisations and out-patient procedures, period. The family had to make a choice. Since Lori works as a nurse anesthetist at the hospital where Aiden was receiving his chemotherapy treatments, the Yieldings decided it would be sensible for Dad to play chauffeur, driving Aiden to the hospital while Mom would stay with their son during the treatments.

    “He’s really been struggling with bone pain and it’s hard not to be able to reach out and touch him,” Yielding said. “But what I can do is make him laugh.”

    See also: Cul-de-Sac Commandos Indicted


    On Tuesdays, when Aiden is receiving chemotherapy treatments while in the company of his mother, Chuck is outside sitting in a lawn chair he brought along, working on a laptop – between performances. Situating himself where he knows Lori and Aiden are able to get a good view, Chuck dances and gyrates to some of Aiden’s favorite songs in an effort to take the teen’s mind off of his pain, even if just a little.

    “It’s funny watching him figuring out all that he is going to do. Yup. It just cheers me up some times,” said Aiden.

    From his folding chair vantage point, Yielding is able to see inside the building and keep his eye on Lori and Aiden – knowing just when to spring into action. The Dancing Dad isn’t worried about strangers opinions when bustin’ a move, he’s there to make his boy smile. During breaks between rounds of treatment, Aiden might go up to the window and break it down with Dad.

    “My dad always cheers me up when I’m having a bad day,” Aiden told TODAY Parents. “We’ve been creating our own dances since I was little. We get down with it!”

    Father and son dance and laugh with one another, despite the social distancing, mask mandates, and three stories of building trying to keep them apart. Lori said she loves to see the routine between her husband and son, and she said it proves just how important family is during these tough times.

    “Family is everything, togetherness is everything, but even when you can’t be together as a whole family as a unit you find ways that you can,” said Lori.

    Camden, Lori, Chuck and Aiden Yielding (Lori Yielding)

    Aiden’s prognosis to beat ‘koolemia’ is good. He has more than two years of on and off again chemotherapy treatments in his future. The visitors and employees of Cook Children’s Medical Center probably won’t mind if COVID restrictions aren’t lifted before Aiden’s treatment program is completed. So long as Chuck Yielding has to stay in the parking lot.

    https://www.facebook.com/cookchildrens/videos/406514170335860/
  • Celebrate Communication – Non-Verbal is Fine

    Celebrate Communication – Non-Verbal is Fine

    There are people who are unable to articulate their thoughts using the spoken word. Not deaf or ‘mute’ or at all intellectually challenged, some are trapped by a neurological disorder that seeks to isolate them in a world of confusion. A basic ability most of us who function on a somewhat “normal” level take for granted was not part of the standard factory-installed kit in these frustrated beings, verbal language skills.

    When Lisa Reyes welcomed her bouncing baby boy into the world, she did not know the bouncing would morph into stimming as young Philip grew up into an intelligent teenager, a self-advocate with his own blog – Faith, Hope, and Love…With Autism. Philip Reyes, a non-verbal autistic, found his “path from silence to communication” using letterboards and computers. Thanks to modern technology, he is able to express himself and share his perspective on the autistic life through his blog posts and other internet publishers.

    According to the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition), ‘Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, including deficits in social reciprocity, nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, and skills in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships.’ (APA, 2013)

    Autism is called a spectrum disorder due to the variety of symptoms and levels of impairment that will manifest in people diagnosed with the disorder. A ASD diagnosis is not an auto-indicator of substandard individual intellect. It is folly to believe a person struggling to convey their thoughts and/or control physical behaviours is unable to process information, or, is somehow less intelligent than those who verbally speak while sitting still. Albert Einstein has been diagnosed from afar with a form of autism called Aspberger Syndrome, or Aspberger’s – it is considered a higher functioning manifestation of ASD as the disorder is accompanied by relatively low levels of physical and intellectual impairment.

    The View From Here


    Approximately 40% of people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder are affected by a form known as Non-Verbal Autism. The ability to carry on a conversation with another person, or even to speak at all, is greatly impaired in this form. Some people with non-verbal autism do not speak because they’ve been deprived of proper instruction in verbal language skills; caretakers decide there’s no point teaching what cannot, supposedly, be learned. In other situations, apraxia of speech – the inability to make the mouth form words – is the cause of the speech disorder. Non-verbal autistics often know exactly what they wish to say, they are simply unable to form the utterance.

    On April 2, 2015, World Autism Awareness Day, then 12-year old Philip Reyes published a short essay in his blog, describing what it was like to be autistic. The blog is full of insight on what he perceives to be inadequate or inappropriate educational practice norms used when teaching autistic children, as well as honestly expressed feelings, hopes, dreams and worries. Here are some excerpts from Philip’s 2015 post:

    “Let’s pretend you are like me. You can’t talk; but having a thinking mind, you can understand. Imagine you are each day answering back what you mean to say. But only you can hear it. People hear your voice saying things you don’t necessarily mean. They think that’s all you are capable of thinking. People see you stimming by your repetitive flapping or tapping. They think there is no purpose. They don’t understand the minute you stop, the moment is flooded with lights that hum, loud sounds that echo, kids moving too fast for me to keep up with, and people trying to engage me.

    … People see your hyper movement. They prefer you to sit quietly. It’s hard to feel my body in space. I prefer to move because I can feel my body better

    … No person should be without a voice.

    … Meaningful communication means being able to say what I really want to say.

    … Love is felt when you are accepted. Love is felt peacefully when you are no longer seen by your momentary deficits but by your attributes that make you a complete person.

    … Each life is special in its own way.”

    Philip Reyes – 2015

    Philip is blessed with access to devices that make it possible for him to interact with others on a real time basis. Not all who carry the Non-Verbal Autistic diagnosis are so fortunate. There are so many without the power to control their own vocal chords and mouths – unable to verbally express a need, a worry, a query or a warning – the words stay trapped in their head. A few weeks ago, one such silent stoic was discovered by a passerby in California.

    September 14, 2020, Stockton Police were notified by a citizen that a “scared and confused” child had been seen wandering near the downtown area. Officers on patrol were notified to keep an eye out for a lost boy and get him to safety. In short time, one of Stockton’s finest bike cops radioed that he had located the lad – everybody exhaled with relief.

    The child, thankfully, was found unharmed but there was a problem. Scared and disoriented, he was not speaking. The police officer tried in vain to glean the boys name, his mother’s name, a phone number or an address. Something was quite clearly amiss. Was the boy shutting down due to trauma? Was there a language barrier? Did he not trust the white police officer who was trying to help him find his way home? Officer Bike Cop had the option to call Social Services and have one of their employees come collect the child, let them figure out what the problem may be, where the boy belonged. Instead, he patiently embarked on a journey of discovery.


    Senior citizens and people with disabilities in the Los Angeles area who qualify for reduced public transit fares carry a TAP (Transit Access Pass) bus pass/card. Though he was not carrying any type of formal identification, the lost boy did have a TAP bus pass tucked into one of his pockets. (It is unclear whether the boy offered the pass or if Officer Bike Cop happened across same while gently searching for a clue.) The symbol on the pass which denotes reason for/type of disability was the letter ‘N’ for Autism. The frightened youngster was a non-verbal autistic, unable to ask for help when he found himself lost, or to answer the questions now being presented.

    The police officer realised what was going on and provided the disoriented boy with pen and paper, opening a channel of communication between cop and child. The information began to flow. A relative of the boy was soon located and he was delivered into their care, safe and sound.

    While police officers receive regular training on how to deal with all kinds of different people in all manner of situations, Officer Bike Cop utilised tools the Stockton Police Department had neither instilled nor issued to resolve the lost autistic child problem. Paraphrasing Philip Reyes’ beautiful expressions, the officer lost sight of a momentary deficit and found the special, complete person seeking acceptance and an avenue of meaningful communication. Qualities like human kindness cannot be taught, only emulated.

    No person should be without a voice. Patience, human kindness and determination seem the ideal tools to wield in a battle to find meaningful communication. Kindly ask a non-verbal autistic if he or she might agree. If you do ask, be patient. It might take a minute to find a meaningful communication channel that works for the both of you.

    Lisa and Philip Reyes

    Philip Reyes is a nonspeaking autistic self-advocate and aspiring writer. He uses the Rapid Prompting Method and types to communicate. He is a high school student in Buffalo, NY, and writes the blog, Faith, Hope, and Love with Autism.

  • Celebrate Misnomers – Divide County, North Dakota

    Celebrate Misnomers – Divide County, North Dakota

    Some have said the three most beautiful scenes offered by Nature are a ship in full sail, a woman near the end of pregnancy and a field of ripened grain grasses, rolling gently under a breeze. Lane Unhjem would probably have agreed with at least the third part of that sentiment as his gaze wandered across fields of heavy-headed grain, ripe and ready for harvest. His fields, his grain, on his farm. Also, his chore to reap what he had sown earlier in the year.

    The Unhjem family farm was a one man operation. The only assistance Lane had with tending to the tasks on his land was one part-timer, hired on a seasonal basis, and family when their own jobs allowed. Working by himself, it would take the 57 year old farmer about two weeks to get all 1,000 acres of durum wheat and canola in the bin. His fields would be fully cut by September 23, or somewhere thereabouts.

    North Dakota farmers produce the majority of the nation’s barley, bean, canola, durum wheat, field pea, lentil, red spring wheat and sunflowers. This beautiful September day during peak harvest season had fields all over Divide County, N.D. buzzing with machinery as farmers gratefully gathered healthy crops, staving off concern that uneven balance sheets would open a path to certain bankruptcy with every filled grain cart. Unhjem settled into the seat of his combine and officially launched the family farm’s wheat harvest.

    He’d hardly started to reap the fruits of his labors when, suddenly, smoke and flames began erupting from the combine harvester. Unhjem escaped the burning machinery and urgently began working to extinguish the fire now moving across his field of dry wheat. Neighboring farmers saw the smoke and flashes of light and immediately ceased their own harvesting chores, speeding to the Unhjem farm, preserving his field by vanquishing the blaze before it had opportunity to burn much of his durum wheat.

    Lane Unhjem’s combine harvester engulfed in fire Sept. 9. (Lynn Torgerson)

    Severe smoke inhalation and the stress of the incident sent Mr. Unhjem into cardiac arrest. He’d suffered a heart attack a few years earlier and recognised the signs. The amazing neighbors who had just saved his crop now rushed Lane Unhjem to Crosby’s St. Luke’s Hospital in effort to save his life.

    “He flatlined three times in the emergency room,” his daughter Tabitha Unhjem, 31, said.

    Emergency air services transported the father of four, grandfather of 11 and great-grandfather of two from St. Luke’s to Trinity Medical Center in Minot, 100 miles away. His wife, son and one daughter traveled to the hospital in Minot while two other daughters kept an eye on the farm. Lane Unhjem had been raised on that farm, it had been in his family for more than 60 years. What the land produced was the Unhjem family’s livelihood To lose their fall harvest would be ruinous, financially and emotionally. Those amazing neighbors, however, did not intend to allow one of their own to fall.

    “I talked to a couple of farmers, got their equipment, and then other people just started calling and we had equipment offered from all over the place in the county, and their workers to go with it,” said family friend, Jenna Binde.

    “Everybody knows the Unhjems, and they’re good people and good in the community, and just kind of the farming way of life, too. You help your neighbor out when they need it, and don’t expect anything in return,” added Binde.

    Three days after the fiery incident that had thrown Lane Unhjem into cardiac arrest and an intensive care unit in Minot, 60 of his neighbors interrupted their own harvesting labors to show up at the Unhjem farm. They came with 11 combine harvesters, six grain carts and 15 semi-trucks. In less than eight hours, the invasion of kindness put all 1,000 acres of Unhjem’s durum and canola in the bin.

    “In this part of the country, any time anybody needs a helping hand, everybody will stop what they’re doing at the drop of a hat and come help,” said Brad Sparks, a neighboring farmer. “That’s just the way it is here. People from 30 miles away showed up with trucks.”

    Other friends and strangers, and local businesses, came to the farm with food for the workers and other resources for the family, often settling down to witness the act of mercy greeting their sensibilities after arriving. It was enthralling, the sight of so many people utilising these huge pieces of farming machinery, working in cooperative unison for the good of another. A local professional photographer who’d heard what was going on showed up to snap some pics for the family and posterity. Once he arrived at the farm, it didn’t take long for Don Anderson to realise there was no way photographs alone would be able to capture the scene.

    “You can’t truly appreciate it unless you were there,” Don Anderson said. “The ground was rumbling. It’s not only something you felt emotionally, but it was also a physical feeling. It was really something to be proud of.”

    Photo of neighbors helping on Unhjem family farm. (Don Anderson, this photo and main image)

    Tabitha and Samantha, Lane’s daughters at the farm, sent photos to their family at the hospital as the dozens of farmers worked their labor of love.

    “Mom was being strong, but every time a photo came in, she got emotional,” said Toni White, 41, Unhjem’s daughter at the hospital. “You could see her heart overflowing, and you could also see the relief.” White said if her father was not sedated and aware of what his neighbors were doing for him, “he would tear up and try to figure out how he could ever repay them.”

    Kind Electrician Sparks Community Effort

    The good people of Crosby and beyond did not stop taking care of the Unhjem’s after the durum and canola task was complete. A GoFundMe page was set up by a friend of the family and the local pancake house held a special fundraiser to help raise money to pay Lane’s medical expenses. Other members of the community have worked to fill the family freezer with food and continue to labor on the farm, moving cows from pasture to pasture, harvesting the soybean crop and hauling hay.

    Lane Unhjem has had a heck of a time, including organ failure. As of October 2, 2020, he’d been in a lower level care facility for a few days and was beginning to eat solid food. He has a long, long road to recovery in front of him. The Unhjem family has been overwhelmed by the blessings being poured on them in such a time of need. Family members have been using the GoFundMe page as a bulletin board, posting updates about Lane’s health journey and expressing their endless gratitude to the amazing people of Divide County, North Dakota. From an update posted on September 22, just about the date a 57 year old farmer had been thinking he’d be done harvesting his 1,000 acres of grain, all by himself:

    “The incredible community of Divide County that showed up to save my parents livelihood to harvest 1000 acres in one day. And then continued to support with food for the harvesters on that harvest bee plus helping bring in the soybeans a week later and hauling hay. The incredible support of each of our employers & our teams at work that support us as we take time off to help Lane fight his way back; DC sheriffs office, Kocher Accounting, Kay Jewelers & Ryan Nissan. Please know that it’s Your light that has illuminated a potentially very dark time for our family. And it is only right that this same light brings hope to people across the US and beyond.

    What makes this even more remarkable is these incredible people did it because it was the right thing to do. Not for publicity or fame. But because when a person is in need this is what the people of Divide County & ND do: You step up & you take care of your neighbor. Helping others is the way of life here.

    It is your support and your prayers and positive energy that we have shared with each other & Lane to guide us through and inspired him to “claw his way back” as one Dr put it. And it is this same light that I have no doubt continues to lead us out of the woods. We still have a long way to go; but please know you have made a difference in Lanes recovery, this family’s livelihood & in the peace of our hearts and minds. Thank you with all of our hearts 🖤 Lane Unhjem Julie Unhjem Samantha Coates Tabitha Unhjem Michael Unhjem”

    Lane Unhjem (center in cap) with most of the family – July 2020

    God bless the Unhjem family and the community of hard working Americans they are blessed to call, Neighbor. The cooperative spirit is alive and on display in Divide County, North Dakota. Potentially, the most inappropriately named place in the United States of America.

  • Celebrate Sport – Why lacrosse, though?

    Celebrate Sport – Why lacrosse, though?

    Lacrosse – The Medicine Game or The Creator’s Game – has been growing increasingly popular in the USA and around the world. Far from a European invention, lacrosse (from the French de la crosse) finds its genesis in North America. Native Americans were playing many varieties of the medicine game long before an Italian hired by Spain ‘discovered’ the New World. While basic lacrosse play was fairly universal amongst nations, rules and equipment were as different as the peoples of the land. The Iroquois aka the Six Nations aka the Haudenosaunee Confederacy are the officially recognised architects of todays long stick lacrosse game.

    Recommended: The View From Here


    Modern lacrosse matches do not bear much similarity to a competition once used by the Cherokee for combat training. They called their version ‘little brother of war’ because of the strength and skill it took to survive a match. Native Americans did not meet on the village green for an hour or two to play a friendly game of toss and roll the ball around. Match fields were wide expanses of land with goal posts set miles apart from one another. Teams could number up to 1,000 people and games would last for days. It was brutal, vicious, the goal was to disable your opponent, not merely get past him or her in order to score a goal. Attendant ceremony and ritual practices varied depending upon the beliefs of the peoples playing.


    Although competitors on today’s lacrosse teams no longer engage one another for the games original purposes, or are hauled off the playing field to get the Last Rites, lacrosse still inspires passion and ferocity. There are local, national and international leagues. Children, college students, adults . . . mens teams, womens teams, coed teams . . . indoor, outdoor . . . the world is in love with lacrosse. A fella is even able to try their luck at being part of a team representing his nation at the World Games. So long as he is not part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy men’s international field lacrosse team – the Iroquois Nationals – that is.

    The following men’s international field lacrosse teams were invited by the International World Games Association (IWGA) to compete at the 2022 World Games: Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Israel, Japan and the United States. Ranked No. 3 in the world, the Iroquois Nationals did not receive an invitation. When inquiries were made by astonished team leaders and members of the press to find out why on earth the 2018 Men’s Field Lacrosse World Championship bronze medal winners (Canadian Lacrosse Association) would not be competing, and lower placed teams would be, the official response was that the Iroquois Nationals did not represent a sovereign nation. Therefore, according to International Olympic Committee rules, they were not eligible to play.

    Unsurprisingly, that news was not well received or accepted.

    “It was a disappointment and sort of boiled my blood,” says Lyle Thompson, an Iroquois Nationals player.


    Lacrosse loyalists of all nationality were outraged and acted to find a solution. Over 50,000 signatures landed on a petition demanding that the Iroquois Nationals be invited to compete at the World Games. The IWGA took a second look, decided they’d erred and sought to include the Iroquois Nationals in the 2022 Games. Too late. Men’s international field lacrosse play is limited to eight teams, period. All eight of the previously invited nations were planning on being in Birmingham, July 2022. Young men on Team Iroquois Nationals were crushed.

    “All my life lessons really come from the game of lacrosse. Playing in those medicine games, those traditional medicine games and using a traditional wooden stick,” said Thompson.

    2022 would be the inaugural year for men’s international field lacrosse at the World Games. And, the Games are being held on home dirt, in Alabama. Family would have been able to travel, cheer them on to victory. Maybe, in four more years . . . Shaking off the dejection, the young men of the Iroquois Nationals turned their energies toward supporting Team USA. It is understandable that they were downright guffawed when World Lacrosse publicly announced that the Iroquois Nationals would be competing at the 2022 World Games, after all.

    How could this be? The team line up was complete. Right?

    “None of us would be going to Birmingham, Alabama in the first place if it wasn’t for the Iroquois and giving us the gift of their medicine game,” Sonny Campbell, a player for Ireland Lacrosse told NPR’s Morning Edition.

    In a stunning act of selfless and unified respect Ireland Lacrosse voluntarily withdrew from the 2022 World Games, giving their team slot to the Iroquois Nationals. The IWGA confirmed that the Iroquois Nationals were eligible to compete. No objections were filed by the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Lacrosse Association, United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee or U.S. Lacrosse. They’re going.

    “We recognized that there was a problem with us going and with the Iroquois being number three in the world and not being deemed eligible for this event,” said Catherine Conway, communications director for Ireland Lacrosse and assistant coach for the women’s senior national team. “We felt really strongly that just putting another graphic on social media saying we support the Iroquois was not the appropriate thing to do because talk is cheap. We very much felt that action was necessary.“


    Iroquois Nationals Lacrosse tweeted a response:

    To @IrelandLacrosse,

    You have gone above and beyond not only for us, but for what you believe is right.
    Your actions have spoken louder than words showing everyone the true power of sport, and the spirit of lacrosse.

    We will never forget that.
    I dteannta a chéile
    #TogetherAsOne


    There will be eight men’s international field lacrosse teams going for the gold at the July 2022 World Games in Birmingham AL: Australia, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Israel, Japan, USA and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

    “The Iroquois Nationals are going to put together the best team the world has ever seen, and representing not just the Iroquois Nationals, but Ireland lacrosse also,” Lyle Thompson says.


    I believe him. 🙂

  • Celebrate Life – Fire and Movement, Roll On!

    Celebrate Life – Fire and Movement, Roll On!

    August 5, 2020. That is the day 97 year old Chuck Robic of Pinellas Park, FL was admitted to hospital with a COVID-19 viral infection. Some considered his ride to the hospital a Final Voyage – surely his would be a one way trip. Though Chuck Robic’s age did place him in the High Risk category for COVID-19 unhappy endings, he was not going to go down without a fight.

    “I probably hesitated for half a second before I just said ‘he’ll beat this’,” said Ken Chatelain, the husband of Robic’s great niece.

    Family used the word “tenacity” when asked why they felt so certain he’d be coming home. Modest, helpful, good-natured, respected and hero are some other words that are used to describe Mr. Robic’s character. The U.S. Army seems to agree with those assessments. Early June of 2009, Redstone Arsenal invited PFC Robic and 11 other former soldiers to celebrate the Army’s 234th birthday.

    “I just don’t think about it or talk about it much,” Robic said. “That all happened 60 years ago.”

    Chuck Robic is a veteran of World War II, an Army scout. The ink on his graduation diploma from Chicago’s Farragut High School – Class of 1943 – had barely dried before he was drafted. After living on Army bases in Little Rock, Arkansas and Florida, Robic asked for a transfer to the U.S. Army Air Force. He wanted to be a pilot. The request was denied and Army shipped him off to the European theater where he became part of the Pennsylvania Keystone Division aka the PA National Guard aka the 28th Infantry Division.

    The 28ID has lineage tracing back to Benjamin Franklin’s 1747 Associators. Old and storyed, the Division holds a hellacious reputation, well-earned. During World War I, General Pershing began calling members of the division “Men of Iron”, referring to the 28ID as “my Iron Division.” In World War II, the 28th Infantry Division landed on Omaha Beach, were the first U.S. Division to parade through Paris, breached the German Westwall and fought through the Huertgen Forest. The Pennsylvania Keystone Division got a new nick from the Germans during the second World War, the “Bloody Bucket” Division. In part because of the red, keystone shaped patches worn by these warriors. In much larger part because of destruction the division wrought on their enemies. Warriors assigned to the 28ID carry the reputations of their brothers who served before them, with pride and honor.

    Chuck Robic, former Army scout for the Pennsylvania Keystone Division, was not going to be an easy takedown. He’d bested many other foes, in far more grim environments. Not even the enemy waiting for him on a Normandy beach, June 1944, found stealing his life an easy feat.

    “Many soldiers died and were injured,” Robic quietly recalls.

    Operation Overlord is the official name of what we generally refer to as the Normandy Invasion – a horrific space and time in human history. U.S., Belgian, Canadian, English, Polish and other national troops stormed – from air and sea – beaches codenamed Gold, Juno, Omaha, Sword and Utah. During this intense fighting, Robic was shot in the leg. The British spoiled him in one of their military hospitals for 45 days before he was released and sent back into battle.

    See Also: QUIZ: Name that Song!


    The next major altercation our tenacious fella found himself amidst was the Ardennes Offensive, generally referred to as The Battle of the Bulge. Far from a skirmish, this contest lasted more than a month – December 16, 1944 to January 25, 1945. Icy cold, snowy weather piled atop war’s attendant miseries. The United States lost over 19,000 soldiers in that one battle, the bloodiest for the nation. When the dust had settled, Chuck Robic emerged from the forest, miraculously unscathed.

    At war’s end, Private First Class Chuck Robic was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army and returned to Chicago. Alcoa Steel snatched him up when he applied for employment with them. After 37 years as a heavy equipment mechanic, Robic retired from Alcoa and started a horse training venture in his beloved Michigan. It took years of his sisters cajoling, urging Chuck to wave goodbye to Michigan winters and move on down to sunshiney Florida where she lived, before he decided her logic was sound. Shuttering his business, he relocated to the Pinellas Park area of Florida. Family members, including a retired Air Force Colonel nephew, became neighbors. He enjoyed Florida, going fishing and puttering about, helping people wherever they needed a hand he was able to provide. Then, he caught COVID-19.

    A month and a half after he was admitted to hospital with a rough draft death sentence, 97 year old World War II veteran and Purple Heart recipient Chuck Robic was released from care. He is 100% clear of COVID-19 and has been enjoying being back home with friends and family this past two weeks or so. Like many other combat veterans, he’d rather not talk about his U.S. asset days.

    “I let bygones be bygones,” he said. “I don’t like to live in the past.”

    Roll on, Chuck Robic . . . Roll on!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHpfdIuURsI
  • Celebrate Joy 1 – Amazing Grace

    Celebrate Joy 1 – Amazing Grace

    Too much. There is far too much tension in the world today. The River of Life is being engineered to toss and turn us around until we are so hopelessly confused and exhausted, we forget we are possessed of the skills and gifts necessary to escape the chaos. There are days this average Jane and maybe some of her fellow Patriots appreciate a reminder of what we actually are, of the spaces in which natural order wishes our hearts and minds to dwell.

    American Eagles are not helpless victims of thermal updrafts and other air currents. Intelligent raptors take advantage of lift so they are able to soar above the treetops, creating their own destinies in harmony with what is natural. Intimidating, magnificent creatures – not even gravity can tell them what to do if they are willing to put in the effort. Flap flap . . . airborne . . . joyously free.

    SIDENOTE: ‘Bald’ eagle is a misnomer. They are actually wearing white berets. Death from Above, OG. 😉

    The 2020 General Election campaign season has been absurd. That’s the long and the short of it. As we get closer and closer to the point of no return, November 3, the absurdity continues to spawn outrageous, inhuman, unnatural behaviours. While I could spend the next month and a half fretting over deceits crafted by cunning Man, this ‘Merican would prefer to spread her wings and fly on back to the centered calm of Balance. To shake off the unnatural dis-ease born of manmade facility in order to face the world with unrestrained vim and vigor. So, a new kind of campaign is being launched – Celebrate Joy. 🙂

    Every day until the election results are finalised, I will (try to) share a “feel good” people story to remind myself, and all of us, that humanity holds more beautiful promise than it does hopeless disgust. Nature provides all the balm we could ever need to soothe our besieged minds and souls. Including, human nature.

    First up – Paul Harvey Flute Guy

    Eau Claire, Wisconsin holds a national treasure, Mr. Paul Smoczyk. As he was wandering through a music shop in South Dakota a few years back, his hand landed on a flute. Picking it up, Mr. Smoczyk began to experiment – gently blowing and fingering the instrument until he was able to play a melody.

    “Started to play and [the store employee] was like, ‘Hey if you keep playing and somebody buys one I’ll give you $100 off.’ I kept playing and he said, ‘well nobody is buying but I’ll give you 60% off.’ That’s how I picked it up.

    “I’ve never had any music lessons but I can play almost any woodman instrument, clarinet, saxophone, bagpipes. Native American style flute, Irish flute,” he continued. “I’ve pretty much been able to pick it up and play.”

    In other words, Paul is self taught and plays by ear . . . a natural gift, discovered and developed, free of “proper” restraint.

    One of the things that makes this talented mans story so special is who he is. Father of two, Smoczyk is a former youth pastor and an iron worker. He’s a big, strong, hardworking straight man of faith who happens to be a flautist. And, has chosen to bless us by sharing his gift. He started a YouTube channel after people told him how relaxing it was listening to him play.

    “I had uploaded a couple videos and I was like you know whatever, but then I recorded at that 40 story tower that I was working on, I uploaded it to Reddit and it just blew up,” he said. “My niche is finding unique places to play. Abandoned buildings, underneath bridges, construction sites. Wherever I can find that natural acoustic.”

    People message him directly and leave comments, thanking Paul for sharing his gift, for calming shredded nerves and lifting people up out of the blues. The reactions have been a surprising blessing for this flute playing iron worker, people love what he does as much as he loves doing it. Paul Smoczyk has found his joy and is spreading it around.

    “I think the combination is this sort of big, burly iron worker playing a flute. I get a lot of ribbing from the guys at work but it’s worth it because being able to bring peace to people, and getting those messages, that’s where it’s at. Being able to help, even in a small way is awesome.”

    You’re awesome, Paul.
    Paul Harvey Flute guy YouTube Channel

    Jump on in and share your stories of good news for modern man! Wait, I think that’s already been written. No plagiarising without giving credit to the original author, please. (Was that a lightning strike?)

    See Also: Always with the negative waves man