Working Together To Bring A Purple Heart Home

More than 1,500,000 Purple Hearts have been awarded to American servicemen and -women since World War Two. The medals are among the military's top honors and are usually found proudly displayed on uniforms, resting places or in family homes. They're not the kind of items you'd expect to find in a thrift shop-and when one recently was, it sparked a cross-country effort.

Gene Dobos was browsing through a secondhand store in California when he came across a worn, heart-shaped medal mixed in with the knickknacks. It was a Purple Heart bearing the name "Frank N. Smith." Purple Hearts are awarded to American soldiers who are wounded by the enemy and to the next of kin of soldiers killed in action or who die from wounds received in battle. Dobos, who understood the significance of the medal, purchased it from the shop and helped set off a national search for its owner.

Dobos contacted the Military Order of the Purple Heart-an organization of combat veterans who work to honor the medal and its recipients. They call themselves the "Keepers of the Medal." Ray Funderburk, the group's public relations chief-who is a Vietnam veteran with two Purple Hearts himself-researched the medal and eventually found that Frank N. Smith was a private in the U.S. Army who died in Vietnam nearly 40 years ago.

Smith, who was 20 at the time, was in a convoy that was ambushed on December 17, 1968-just two weeks before he was scheduled to return to his home state of Ohio for good.

After learning Smith's story, Funderburk turned to an Ohio genealogist for help in tracking down Smith's resting place and surviving family.

"It looks as if the medal has been handled many times," said Funderburk. "I envisioned his mom and dad taking the medal out and holding it in their hands, thinking of their son."

Eventually, Smith's grave was found in a cemetery not far from his childhood home in Ohio. His parents had died, but his siblings were found using e-mails they had sent memorializing their brother at an online registry for fallen Vietnam War troops. They did not know the medal had gone missing and were "overwhelmed" that a group of strangers had worked so hard to return it to them.

Frank N. Smith was married and had a child shortly before shipping off to Vietnam (he enlisted voluntarily). After his death, his widow and daughter moved west, presumably taking the Purple Heart with them. It is not known how the medal landed in a thrift shop.

For Smith's sister Jonna, the return of the medal brought with it a flood of emotions-and she was not alone in her reaction. Funderburk, of the Purple Heart Order, was so inspired by the number of people who came together to return the medal to Smith's family that he penned a poem. His son-in-law helped him set the words to music and a CD was created that is being sold. Proceeds help pay for a scholarship program that joins young people with veterans who are bedridden and living in Veteran Affairs facilities.

The song's chorus reads:

Purple Hearts are won in battle; grenades explode, machine guns rattle; a soldier dies, a mother cries; that's how Purple Hearts are won.

The Order and Smith's family planned a small ceremony to be held in the cemetery. The Purple Heart will be encased in glass and attached to Smith's headstone.

Private First Class Frank N. Smith's legacy will be seen in every VA hospital in America as young people move among the veterans and tell the story of a young man who left Seneca County, Ohio to defend freedom-and who finally got his medal.

Wrong Blames Can Kill A Life

To blame means to accuse someone of doing something wrong. It is very easy to put blame on a person when things begin going wrong and hammer that person left and right for being responsible for all the mess. Let us look at this further.

Sometimes, in our personal relationships, when we say that things are in mess, the truth may be different. The situation may not be messy, but our viewpoint may have become messy. What we call as going wrong may indeed be going wrong, but not in the way we look at it. Let me try to explain. Some of us lie. We get caught, or feel guilty. We blame someone for exposing our lie and making a mess of something good. Can a lie be good? We wished our lies to flourish and keep us safe from the bitterness of truth, but our comfort zone got broken because of the exposure. Is this bad? Or our viewpoint was wrong to begin with? When we think more, we find that truth may be very bitter and highly discomforting, but it is always better than a lie. Is it correct to blame a person who exposed our lies? But we do that. Blame the other person for making us face the music. What the other person did was correct but since it hurts us, we accuse.

Let me tell you something. What if someone accuses you of crimes never committed by you? What if the accuser himself/herself was the guilty party, but targeted you because you are a soft target? Between a couple this happens. If one of the partners is a compassionate person, the other partner can develop the habit of blaming him/her all the time of all the crimes realizing well, that no retaliation will occur.

Many of us act like brutes at times and then we suffer in the guilt for a lifetime. Some of us, who are evil people never, suffer any guilt. But some of us carry the guilt of having done something wrong forever in our life. This guilt will never go, because the deed was indeed done. Why not to desist doing wrong? Why to travel on a wrong path? Why to torture others with blames that they never deserve?

Year in review - Top 12 News stories of 2005

As yet another New Year dawns, it is time for us to look back on 2005 and view from the outside all that happened. There were joys, triumphs, and tears. That everything that happens is a learning experience is quite true.


Among the many occurrences of 2005 news stories that were significant were:


1. Google made history in June 2005 as its share price made it the most highly valued media company.


2. Hurricanes of great intensity hit the US disrupting life in all its aspects. Of these Katrina was the worst and the long predicted nightmare for New Orleans came true. Attributed as an effect of global warming
scientists are making all efforts to protect the country from disasters of this kind.


3. In research among the many achievements was the sequencing of the chimpanzee genome. Bringing mankind a step closer to understanding himself.


4. Oil prices skyrocketed to reach $3.07 a gallon in September. The rising demand for crude in the US and China contributed along with the hurricane along the Gulf coast to rising prices.


5. That Michael Jackson was a wacko was proven at court.


6. As promised by President Bush, Iraq went to polls on Dec 15 to vote in a constitutional parliament.


7. The investigation into the CIA leak resulted in Bush adviser Karl Rove being brought before the grand jury four times and the resignation after indictment of former chief of staff Lewis Libby.


8. President Bush was sworn in for the second term in January. He stressed the need to improve economy, provide reliable energy, improve student achievements, and improve health care. He emphasized that the US was working for good throughout the world.


9. The Chicago White Sox won the World Series. Their last wins were in 1906 and 1917—this win came after 88 years.


10. The life-or-death battle came to the forefront with the case of Terri Schiavo who was severely brain damaged. With a raging national debate, 20 states introduced or passed bills to state clearly the defining terms of consent and guardianship in relation to life-prolonging medical procedures.


11. Pope John Paul II died in April after having led the Roman Catholic Church for 26 years.


12. Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines the nations no 3 &4 carriers filed for bankruptcy. High labor costs and spiraling fuel prices put the carriers in bankruptcy court along with United Airlines.


It was a year of great contrasts. There were triumphs and tears. In every field of endeavor be in business, entertainment, science, politics, or law there were ups and downs. There were valuable lessons to be learnt in many things as also a time for retrospection—are we headed in the right direction?

You Cannot Go Wrong With A Chocolate Gift

Life provides all too many occasions to purchase gifts for family members and friends. We celebrate with the ones we love for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, the birth of babies, graduations and many other significant events. Don't get me wrong, I love to celebrate with people. I love being a part of people's lives and walking with them through life's best moments. Sometimes, however, it gets stressful trying to find appropriate gifts to bless your friends and family with. I have recently learned something that has liberated my stress about gift giving: a chocolate gift is always the perfect gift.

I never would have considered myself one to give food or treats as gifts, but once I started buying different kinds of chocolate gifts for the events and celebrations of my family and friends I couldn't stop. They loved their gifts, and I loved the ease of purchasing and giving them. I am sure that giving a chocolate gift for every occasion will not be something that I do forever, but for now, while it works, I'm sticking with it.

What I love about giving a chocolate gift is that everyone I know loves getting gifts and they love chocolate. What could be more perfect than combining the two? Giving a chocolate gift is a great way to celebrate with something useful and something enjoyable.

Another thing that I have grown to love about giving a chocolate gift for almost any occasion is how much variety there is. I never would have imagined all the creative ways I could use chocolate products to make chocolate gifts. For example, when my ten year old daughter came home and needed the perfect birthday gift for a party that evening, I thought quick and came up with a great chocolate gift. My daughter and I prepared a bag filled with homemade brownie mix and we attached the cooking directions on the bag with a ribbon. My daughter loved the idea because she knew her girlfriends were just starting to get interested in baking. I loved the idea because it was quick, simple and creative all at the same time.

If you are looking for great ways to bless the people in your life, look no further than giving chocolate gifts. Your gifts will be the talk of the parties you attend, and you'll be able to share or keep your chocolate gift secrets as you wish.

You Know Boo Is Coming, So Bake a Cake

If you are having a Halloween party this year, you might want some other dessert besides fun sized candy bars. A Halloween cake makes a great dessert, and can also be a fun centerpiece on your dinner table while the meal is being served. Here are two creative Halloween cakes that you can try on your own. Don't feel pressured to limit yourselves to these – you can always create your own Halloween dessert masterpieces.

The Happy Pumpkin

You can easily turn your everyday cake mix into a pumpkin creation with the help of bunt pans and decorative icing.

Take 3 boxes of your favorite white or yellow cake mix, and mix according to package decorations. Pour the batter into two bunt pans, and bake according to package decorations. Allow the cakes to cool completely and remove from the pan.

While you are waiting for the cakes to cool, empty three cans of vanilla frosting into a mixing bowl. If you are pretty practiced with cake decorating, 2 may be enough, but three cans will allow extra to work out unevenness and fingerprints. Add red and yellow food coloring to the frosting, stirring until the frosting becomes the desired orange color for your pumpkin. Frost the flat side of the bunt cakes, and then stack on top of each other to create your pumpkin shape. Then continue to frost the sides of the cake until you have an orange pumpkin.

If you would like to turn your pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern, simply use some black icing to draw your eyes, nose, and a mouth. You can also consider decorating a small cupcake with brown or green icing to create a stem. If you are very practiced in cake decorating, consider some pumpkin vines down the sides and back. Your company is sure to be impressed.

The Creepy Spiderweb

If you want something a little spookier for your Halloween party, consider a creepy spider web cake. A little frosting and a chocolate muffin can help you make this creepy cake.

Take one box of your favorite chocolate cake mix and mix it according to the package decorations. Bake in two round pans and allow to cool completely.

While the cakes are cooling, scoop 2 cans of vanilla frosting into a large mixing bowl. Combine yellow and blue food coloring (or yellow and green) until you come up with a spooky green color. Spread a layer between the two cakes, and the cover the rest of the cake with frosting.

Draw a spiderweb on the top of the cake using black icing. You can start by drawing lines straight across as though the cake was a clock – from12 to 6, 1 to 7, 2 to 8, etc. Then starting at the center of the cake, draw larger circles working their way outwards until the web is complete.

Take a chocolate muffin or cupcake and cut of the “stem” so you are left with the top. Frost the entire thing with chocolate frosting and then roll in chocolate sprinkles. Set onto the “web” and attach small pieces of black string licorice to be the legs.

If you would like to get even more creative, you can extend your web down the sides of the cake, and draw on bugs using different colored icing.

Young Philanthropist Discovers Joy of Sharing

Philanthropist Ellie Guettler of Atlanta recently wrote a $500 check to help Heifer International fight hunger. Her gift provided two milking water buffaloes for an impoverished family. What is unusual about that? Ellie is only 5 years old. Ellie is not alone. Children are responsible for contributing more than $1 million a year to Heifer International, which has been providing cows, goats, chickens, sheep and other animals to families in 50 countries around the world for more than 60 years. These animals allow the families to have milk, eggs, wool honey, and many other benefits.

Ellie's parents say they want to teach her the habit of sharing by contributing to Heifer because it is a simple, concrete way of helping to end world hunger.

"We want Ellie to do a service project every year as her birthday gift back to the world. She picked Heifer since we live in the city and she can't have farm animals of her own," said Katrina Guettler, Ellie's mother. "So she sent a birthday letter to all our neighbors and friends asking them to save their change."

Ellie collected $660 in quarters, nickels, dimes and pennies. As a thank-you gift for their contribution, she gave each person a handmade candle.

"We both learned that people are generous and want to make a difference, but sometimes they don't know how or they need motivation," Guettler said. "She also learned that a little bit of change, which we take for granted, can collectively make a big difference for someone with less opportunity."

Ellie likes to read the bestselling picture book "Beatrice's Goat" by Page McBrier that tells how a goat from Heifer International changed the life of a young girl in Uganda, and she knows the story by heart.

"I feel bad that so many kids don't have food and can't go to school, so I hope that if I help a Heifer project, they can have food and go to school like Beatrice," says Ellie.

Children can participate in raising funds for Heifer International by reading books, making and selling bookmarks, hosting bake sales, or making donation cans with pictures of animals from Heifer's holiday catalog to help collect money toward the purchase of gift animals.

They can also see farm animals and learn about solutions to world hunger on visits to Heifer's three hunger education centers in Arkansas, Massachusetts and California.

Young Tsunami Survivors Find New Start At Shriners Hospitals

When the Indian Ocean tsunami crashed ashore on December 26, 2004, many things were lost. Homes were swept away, belongings gone forever. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives in the disaster. And many of those who survived, including children, literally lost a part of themselves.

Seven-year-old Tara Aulia and 11-year-old Hamdani survived the tsunami that ripped through their villages in Indonesia's Aceh province, but along with their homes and family members, both children lost a limb.

Despite the horrors Tara and Hamdani experienced and the steep odds they faced at obtaining proper medical care, they had reason to celebrate less than a year later. Both children were given a new start and new prosthetics at Shriners Hospitals for Children - Philadelphia.

Tara, whose right leg had to be amputated when it became infected from an injury sustained during the tsunami, immediately adjusted to her prosthesis.

"It's wonderful to see a child adapt as well as she has so quickly," said Jeff Eichhorn, director of orthotics and prosthetics at the Philadelphia hospital. "She will be able to do anything."

Hamdani was playing soccer when the tsunami swept him away. He grabbed onto a boat, and as he clung for his life with his left arm, an uprooted tree surged past, severing his right arm above the elbow.

Tara and Hamdani came to the Philadelphia hospital through the Global Medical Relief Fund, a charitable organization that provides transportation to the United States and housing to children injured by war, natural disaster or illness.

With the help of Shriners Hospitals, which, as always, provided all services at no charge to the children or their families, Tara and Hamdani have been given a new start.

"Without this help, I don't know what she would do, how she would live," said Tara's father, Sulaiman Aulia.