Happy Thanksgiving!

17:35

At Santa Fe; 45 degrees F. and a clear sky, forecast is: Clear and temperatures in the teens and twenties tonight.

To all veterans, their families and supporters of veterans, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Please remember all of the military personnel and their families who do not have the opportunity to celebrate and give thanks with their home town!

The American Legion and the Knights of Columbus both put on a nice food spread for our veterans without loved ones to celebrate with them, I do not think I will need to eat for quite a few days.

Trivia:

Why are sailors in engineering spaces called snipes?

In the mid 19th century, when steam power was new to the Navy, those in the engineering spaces were not treated as equals to their topside mates, given sub standard berthing and food, etc.; that is until an engineering officer named Snipe demanded equal treatment for his men, they were known from that time on as Snipes' Men, which was shortened to snipes.

Statistics:

467,499 Pounds of turkey being served to troops in Afganistan and Iraq.

$3.7 billion is the three year cost of the Veterans' Caregiver and Omnibus Health Benifits Act.

522  Number of additional women being recruited for the year 2010.

Online:

Wilderness Challenge 2009, a two-day adventure race in West Virginia, open only to active-duty military personnel.  www.militarytimes.com/multimedia  keyword search: rafting, wilderness

Please feel free to comment on such subjects as VA health-care, education benefits, VA disability claims, etc. 

I will publish these comments after ensuring they are relevant to veterans issues.