So around mid-June I was at Baltimore Airport waiting working my way through the throng of people trying to find a seat.  As I settled in I, like those around me, was busy with the normal time killers of checking email, making phone calls, eating, etc. while waiting for our plane to arrive.  As I had  finally settled into my rhythm I hear someone shouting “Excuse me I need everyone’s attention” over the microphone at the gate next to me.  Slowly the din subsided and he makes an surprising announcement.

On the flight about to land from Ohio there were about 20 WW2 Veterans who were part of a Tour of Honor sponsored by the Honor Flight network.  He went on to explain that the Honor Flight provides to WW2 Veterans a cost free trip to Washington DC to see the World War 2 Memorial.  He asked that as they exited the airplane that we show them the honor they deserve by giving them a round of applause.  Then slowly they came out one by one and I was pleased to see that as far as I could see people had stopped what they were doing and were applauding.  Some walked out on their own, others with help, and some in wheel chairs.  The veterans showed their appreciation of the greeting with warm smiles, waves, and a general sense of pride that beamed clearly on their faces.  The crowd, in turn, never stopped applauding and in fact grew even stronger towards the end.

Upon reflecting on the event I couldn’t help but think that here I have spent the prime of my life doing things that help fulfill me spiritually, start my own family and build a career with the only hindrances being the ones i placed on myself.  These honorable soldiers gave up many of their prime years and put family and career on hold to fight for something greater than themselves.  Many of their friends never left Europe or Asia and here they are in their golden years being given an opportunity to see for the very first time a memorial build for them.  Having been to the memorial many times it is a beautiful monument to the heroes that served when called upon and those how sacrificed all that they had.

I want to also mention the Honor Flight network who puts these tours together at no charge to the veterans.  From their website:

The Honor Flight Network program was conceived by Earl Morse, a physician assistant and Retired Air Force Captain. Earl wanted to honor the veterans he had taken care of for the past 27 years. After retiring from the Air Force in 1998, Earl was hired by the Department of Veterans Affairs to work in a small clinic in Springfield, Ohio. In May of 2004, the World War II Memorial was finally completed and dedicated in Washington, D.C. and quickly became the topic of discussion among his World War II veteran patients.

Earl repeatedly asked these veterans if they would ever travel out to visit THEIR memorial. Most felt that eventually, somehow, they would make it to D.C., perhaps with a family member or friend.

As summer turned to fall and then winter, these same veterans returned to the clinic for their follow-up visits. Earl asked if they accomplished their dream of visiting the World War II Memorial. By now, for most of the veterans he asked, reality had settled in; it was clear to most that it simply wasn’t financially or physically possible for them to make the journey. Most of these senior heroes were in their 80s and lacked the physical and mental wherewithal to complete a trip on their own. Families and friends also lacked the resources and time to complete the three- to four-day trip to the nation’s capital.

I was surprised to learn that in 2008 they transported 11,137 veterans and have the abitious goal of transporting 25,000 in 2009.  There their motto really sums up my thoughts on that day as they passed by.  We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to stand on the curb and clap as they go by.” –  Will Rogers

What if I told you there was a town that caught fire in 1962 and has been burning ever since. The town of Centralia, Pennsylvania in 1962 was a small but growing coal mining town. At its height it had over 2500 people in the town and surrounding area. In 1962 the town was burning its landfill to reduce the volume and in doing so an exposed vein of coal caught fire.

The fire spread underground and continued to burn for 2 decades before the full scale of the problem was understood. In 1981 a 12 year old boy was outside when a sink hole opened up underneath him. If it weren’t for his cousin’s help he would have fallen 150′ to an underground inferno. By this time the fire had spread to affect 200 acres of land recent studies show that it could burn as long as 250 years.


With the smell of sulfur lingering in the air, lethal amounts of Carbon Monoxide sometimes coming to the surface, and a fire burning below them that has yet to be even contained this growing town all but abandoned.

As of today about 20 residents still live there and refuse to leave the town they call home. A more detailed story can be found here and here.

Ever wonder what one has do to be called great? Consider Alexander the Great. There have been several people that have ruled great portions of land through out history. What is it he did that causes us to identify him by this one key characteristic?

Here is a list of 10 reasons why we call him great.

I noticed that the siege of Tyre wasn’t included on the list and shows both his determination and creativity but if they included everything it would be a lot longer than 10.