by Bob “Bulldog” Ousley
Dear Fellow Veterans and Patriots:
There are some significant events this month associated
with honoring service and sacrifice in defense of the
freedom of our nation. These give us an opportunity to
ride motorcycles with patriotic flags flying high.
Armed Forced Day is Saturday, May 16, 2015. It is a day
to pay tribute to men and women who serve in the United
States armed forces. If you see or know someone who
is in service please take a moment to thank them for
serving. It is also a great day to fly the American flag and
the service flag of your choice. My personal preference is
the U.S. Army flag but I owe much of how I think, who
I am and what I do to this great institution of higher
learning. That’s just me. Those who serve or served in
the Navy, Marines, Air Force or Coast Guard carry an
inner pride in their service just as I and those who served
in the Army do. I have to tell you, it is always touching
when someone gives us a thank you for the sacrifices we
have made.
Memorial Day is Monday, May 25, 2015. Memorial Day
is the day we honor and pay tribute to everyone who
died fighting for our country. I have several good friends,
many I knew and worked with and others I knew of
that I pay special honors to on this most important day.
They are the ones I ride for because they can’t. It is
also a day that I thank God I’m an American and that
many have been willing to put their lives on the line to
preserve the freedoms we have in this country. Please
don’t take that to mean we still have the freedoms we
used to have because we don’t but we still have more
freedoms that most countries and many men and women
with courageous hearts went to battle with enemies
who have tried to take those freedoms and
enslave us. Many of them gave
their life to preserve selfdetermination and the
freedom to decide how
you want to live your life.
Those who enter service
take an oath to protect our
country from enemies both
foreign and domestic. In a
few years I will have lived
seven decades as an American
citizen. In my life I have never
seen the threat to our way of
life so large and clear as it is
today. I don’t know if I will again
be put in a position to participate
in protecting our country from our enemies but I fail to see
how my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren
will not face that option at some point in their life. I only
hope they will rise to the challenge when faced with the
choice of fighting for liberty and accepting the risk of death.
For those who value freedom, that day will come. We can
lessen the chance if we come together as a nation and stop
allowing so called leaders to pit us against each other with
a “divide and conquer” strategy aimed at keeping them in
power and us in check.
Another event that will take place over the Memorial Day
weekend is “Chrisapolooza.” This is a reunion event in
Lafayette, Tennessee for soldiers of the 4th Brigade, 10th
Mountain Division. The reunion honors Sgt. Christopher
Scott Readling who served with distinction as a sniper in
the unit. He was wounded in combat and returned home.
He was rehabilitating when complications from his injuries
took his life in January of this year. His mother, Dana Jones,
told me the reunion is to give soldiers from 10th mountain
a chance to be together away from the military and have
some light hearted fun together. Christopher has been
ho