10/14/2008
<br>Author: Devin Pickard
<br>Title: GOD BLESS 771
<br><br>"There is discipline in a Soldier; you can see it when he walks....There is honor in a Soldier; you hear it when he talks. There is courage in a Soldier; you can see it in his eyes....There is loyalty in a Soldier that he will not compromise. There is something in a Soldier that makes him stand apart....There is strength in a Soldier that beats straight from his heart. A Soldier isn't a title any man can be hired to do....A Soldier is the soul of that man buried deep inside of you.<br>A Soldier's job isn't finished after an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week....A Soldier is always a Soldier even while he is asleep.  A Soldier serves his country first and his life is left behind; A Soldier has to sacrifice what comes first in a civilian's mind. If you are civilian - I am saying this to you.....next time you see a Soldier, remember what they do. A Soldier is the reason our land is 'Home of the free'....A Soldier is the one that is bravely protecting you and me.<br>If you are a Soldier - I am saying this to you.....Thank God for EVERY SOLDIER....Thank God for what YOU do!"<br><br><center>Written By:  Angela Goodwin</center> <br><br><br><br>This Friday morning around 8 am, our local National Guard group, Unit 771, will be leaving town headed for Iraq.  This will be the second tour for many of these men and women in just the last few years.  There are many who would tell you that we live in one of the most “selfish” times in the history of the world....and I would generally have to concur....myself not withstanding.  We live in a society that is increasingly far more concerned with self rather than their fellow man.  Many of us go through each day with blinders on.....oblivious to the needs and struggles of those around.  But this one thing is for sure....just as God found an honorable Noah in the vast array of selfish and sinful mankind in the early days of the earth....he no doubt looks upon the fine soldiers of the 771st and those like them in very much the same way....they will just happen to be riding in a tank rather than an ark.<br><br>There are still some very good people in this  ole' world.  The men and women of the 771st are some of the best examples of what it is to be selfless and sacrificial.  I know some of those folks leaving for Iraq, but I don't know all of them....and they don't know me.  Yet, in spite of that, they are still willing to leave their families for several months to protect the freedoms which my family and I will continue to enjoy.  And not only that, their families are willing to let them go do it.  Nothing about any of that sounds selfish to me at all.  May God bless Unit 771 and those they leave behind.                              <br>                                                                                                               <br>Go the extra mile - Devin