YOU COULD HEAR A PIN DROP

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was
 asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just
 an example of 'empire building' by George Bush.
   He answered by saying, 'Over the years, the United States has sent
 many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for
 freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever
 asked for in return was enough to bury those that did not return.'
   You could have heard a pin drop.


    There was a conference in France where a number of international
 engineers were taking part, including French and American. During a
 break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying,
 'Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done? He has sent an
 aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does
 he intended to do, bomb them?' 
    A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly, 'Our carriers have
 three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they
 are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to
 shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to
 feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several
 thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they
 carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and
 injured to and from their flight deck.  We have eleven such ships;
 how many does France have?'
    You could have heard a pin drop.


    A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included
 Admirals from the U.S. , English, Canadian, Australian and French
 Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a
 large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those
 countries. Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their
 drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, 'Whereas
 Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.' He
 then asked, 'Why is it that we always have to speak English in these
 conferences rather than speaking French?'
    Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied, 'Maybe it's
 because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so
 you wouldn't have to speak German.'
    You could have heard a pin drop.
  

    A group of Americans, retired teachers, recently went to France on
 a tour.  Robert Whiting, an elderly gentleman of 83, arrived in Paris
 by plane.  At French Customs, he took a few minutes to locate his
 passport in his carry on.
    'You have been to France before, monsieur?' the customs officer
 asked sarcastically.
    Mr. Whiting admitted that he had been to France previously.
    'Then you should know enough to have your passport ready.'
    The American said, 'The last time I was here, I didn't have to
 show it.' 
    'Impossible. Americans always have to show your passports on
 arrival in France!'
    The American senior gave the Frenchman a long hard look. Then he
 quietly explained,  'Well, when I came ashore at Omaha Beach on D-Day
 in '44 to help liberate this country, I couldn't find any Frenchmen
 to show it to.'
    You could have heard a pin drop.
   

    What Is a Veteran?
    A 'Veteran' -- whether active duty, discharged, retired, or
 reserve -- is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank
 check made payable to 'The United States of America,' for an amount
 of 'up to, and including his life.'
    That is honor, and there are way too many people in this country
 today, who no longer understand that fact.