[Grovenet] grenada/ was that's one big flag.

Glenn Berkheimer braketimecoffee at hotmail.com
Sat Apr 25 16:46:27 PDT 2009 

Wow..I did not realize that many people remembered the war.  I sure do, that is because one day I was rousted out of my bed and told to get to the base ASAP out of the blue.
I was part of a Medical Field Surgical Support unit of my Naval Hospital and before the next day was out I had 19 dead and 191 wounded men on my hands and I was standing on a beach watching this and not believing I was there.  The only thing good about it was it was very short.  My son came to me earlier this year as he was approaching graduation at Pacific because he had changed his mind.  His entire Pacific schooling had been in preperation for the Optometry school.  My dad and grandfather were Optometrists and I had been a licensed Optician as well as a surgical tech in Ophthalmology but he had decided he wanted to take it one step more and be a M.D. so I had said sure, to my amazement he came to me with a listing about a med school he wanted to go to and low and behold there it was, the Medical School on Grenada, the same one that Ronald Regan had used as our excuse to invade the island.  Our goal was supposed to be to rescue the students at this very med school.



> From: allnutt at verizon.net
> Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2009 12:47:56 -0700
> To: grovenet at rdrop.com
> Subject: [Grovenet] grenada/ was that's one big flag.
> 
> Believe it or not, the war in Grenada was a brief topic here in on  
> grovenet (probably too brief).
> Though at the time it was mentioned, the Iraq war was starting and  
> there was disagreement that the Iraq war would be as 'small' as the  
> war in Grenada.
> Some of us thought there was no such thing as a small war, and if  
> there was a small war it still wouldn't be a good one either.
>  From what I hear on the flag topic, nobody is really objecting to a  
> flag, the only objection is the size of this one and whether its size  
> implies meanings beyond what a regular sized flag would.
> 
> Katie
> 
> 
> On Apr 25, 2009, at 12:32 PM, Glenn Berkheimer wrote:
> 
> >
> > I also believe that we, as citizens of Forest Grove, should have  
> > had the right to decide on this.  I am a veteran of the war in  
> > Grenada ( although most of you have no idea what that was, sad  
> > because I lost several of my friends that horrible day ) and I do  
> > like the flag on this site, I remember seeing it on the beach and  
> > remember how glad I was to see it while we were pinned down with  
> > enemy fire,  but I do have some negative thoughts about how big it  
> > is and this SHOULD have NOT have been a administrative decision.  I  
> > am not saying that it would have turned out any different and I  
> > myself would most likely have said yes to it but I would have said  
> > yes to it as a different size I think.
> > Glenn
> >
> >
> >> Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:28:37 -0700
> >> From: isis23ra at yahoo.com
> >> To: grovenet at rdrop.com
> >> Subject: [Grovenet] Who got to choose: That's one big flag
> >>
> >>
> >> The most disturbing thing to me is that the citizens of Forest  
> >> Grove were not allowed to be part of the process for deciding to  
> >> fly this huge flag.
> >>
> >> The mayor had talks with the donor and that was it?  Not very  
> >> democratic.....
> >>
> >> Some people like to wear "big hair" - I guess Forest Grove is  
> >> insecure in it's patriotism and has to wear a big flag.....
> >>
> >> Alana
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --- On Fri, 4/24/09, Steve Jerrett <stevedj at teleport.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>> From: Steve Jerrett <stevedj at teleport.com>
> >>> Subject: Re: [Grovenet] That's one big flag
> >>> To: "Forest Grove local interests list" <grovenet at rdrop.com>
> >>> Date: Friday, April 24, 2009, 11:49 AM
> >>> Holly,
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> When did the U.S. flag become a pro-war, anti choice,
> >>> anti-gay, anti women
> >>> etc. symbol?  Why do you see this flag as an icon of
> >>> everything you see as
> >>> negative about our country ?
> >>>
> >>> Why don't you see it as representative of
> >>> everyone-gays, straights,
> >>> homeless, wealthy, etc., etc.. Why doesn't it illicit a
> >>> feeling of pride in
> >>> the fact that we have the freedoms of opinion, religion,
> >>> sexual orientation,
> >>> etc. that make us such a unique civilization. Why do you
> >>> feel that it
> >>> doesn't also represent YOUR Forest Grove? Don't you
> >>> feel the least bit
> >>> apprehensive in being so audaciosly prejudicial in your
> >>> assumptions about
> >>> the "anonymous family" regardless of  your
> >>> rhetorically postured approach?
> >>> Why do you feel the need to chastise and belittle those
> >>> that differ in
> >>> opinion as "tasteless or unprogressive?"
> >>>
> >>> I find your level of intolerance  disturbingly ironic.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> Steve
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ----- Original Message -----
> >>> From: "Holly T." <feralcattamer at yahoo.com>
> >>> To: "Forest Grove local interests list"
> >>> <grovenet at rdrop.com>
> >>> Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 10:54 PM
> >>> Subject: Re: [Grovenet] That's one big flag
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> I agree, Walt. I will not mince words. The thing is
> >>> hideously grotesque
> >>> IMHO. Betsy Ross must be turning over in her grave.
> >>>
> >>> As Tom Robbins said in his novel, Fierce Invalids Home from
> >>> Hot Climates,
> >>> "The more advertising I see, the less I want to
> >>> buy."
> >>>
> >>> I feel frightfully embarrassed to be a Forest Grove
> >>> resident because of this
> >>> monstrous display of "patriotism". I fear that
> >>> anyone who drives through
> >>> Forest Grove, upon being blindsighted by this abhorant
> >>> flag, will think that
> >>> our community is overrun by redneck Republicans who are
> >>> pro-war,
> >>> anti-choice, anti-gay, anti-women, and against spending tax
> >>> dollars to help
> >>> people and the environment. That's not MY Forest Grove
> >>> and I resent my city
> >>> being portrayed in this tasteless, conservative,
> >>> unprogressive manner.
> >>>
> >>> The next time I pass the bus stop between Safeway and
> >>> Goodwill and see all
> >>> those homeless people standing around less than a block
> >>> away from this
> >>> monstrous flag, I will not be able to keep from wondering,
> >>> "How many of them
> >>> could be fed for a very, very long time for what that
> >>> monstrosity cost?"
> >>>
> >>> For me, the mark of a true patriot is how much time and
> >>> energy you spend
> >>> helping your fellow citizens. It's all about how much
> >>> good you do for your
> >>> community. Not how big your flag is, how many wars
> >>> you've illegally and
> >>> immorally and imperialistically waged against the wrong
> >>> enemy, and how many
> >>> forests you've cut down in the name of capitalism. I
> >>> thought we got past all
> >>> that ridiculous flag waving and conservative leanings when
> >>> Dubya was finally
> >>> booted out at long last and Obama was sworn in. I thought
> >>> there was a
> >>> rebirth in this country. A rebirth whereby people would do
> >>> their best to
> >>> rebuild our nation, to undo the horrific damage done by the
> >>> Bush
> >>> Administration, and to help each other.
> >>>
> >>> I wonder how much money this "anonymous family"
> >>> who donated this crass
> >>> monstrosity gave to charities this year. How much did they
> >>> roll up their
> >>> sleeves to help those less fortunate than themselves? I
> >>> wonder.
> >>>
> >>> Holly Tsur
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> ________________________________
> >>> From: Walt Wentz <waltw at teleport.com>
> >>> To: Forest Grove local interests list
> >>> <grovenet at rdrop.com>
> >>> Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:32:03 AM
> >>> Subject: Re: [Grovenet] That's one big flag
> >>>
> >>> Not to be "unpatriotic" or anything, but it
> >>> strikes me as somewhat
> >>> like the burger-joint-chain gimmick of a few years ago--
> >>> when local
> >>> sign codes limited the size of their signs, they just flew
> >>> humungous
> >>> American flags to attract attention to themselves.
> >>> It is astonishing, even a bit overwhelming.
> >>> Walt
> >>> On Apr 23, 2009, at 8:49 AM, Allen Warren wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Bigger is better? One better than the Jones'?
> >>> "Because we
> >>>> can!"? :-)
> >>>>
> >>>> Allen Warren
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> ________________________________
> >>>> From: Steven <NoSpam03 at comcast.net>
> >>>> To: Forest Grove local interests list
> >>> <grovenet at rdrop.com>
> >>>> Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 8:26:21 AM
> >>>> Subject: Re: [Grovenet] That's one big flag
> >>>>
> >>>> Is there a good explanation for why there is a
> >>> humongous flag?
> >>>> -----Original Message-----
> >>>> From: grovenet-bounces at rdrop.com [mailto:grovenet-
> >>>> bounces at rdrop.com]On
> >>>> Behalf Of Bob Browning
> >>>> Sent: Thursday, April 23, 2009 7:47 AM
> >>>> To: Forest Grove local interests list
> >>>> Subject: Re: [Grovenet] That's one big flag
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> No chuck, Chuck!! Any flag you can see from one end of
> >>> town to
> >>>> the other
> >>>> is one humongous flag!! I wonder how long until the
> >>> City has no
> >>>> money to buy
> >>>> the replacement flag when this one is all tattered in
> >>> about 12 to 14
> >>>> months?? Or, maybe the Mayor is going to come up with
> >>> the
> >>>> additional funds
> >>>> needed??
> >>>>
> >>>> bob
> >>>> ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >>>>
> >>>> chuck wrote:
> >>>> Saw the flag yesterday as I was leaving town for work.
> >>>>
> >>>> That's - um - one - HUGE - flag.
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>> Wow.------------------------------------------------------
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
> >>>> GroveNet mailing list
> >>>> GroveNet at rdrop.com
> >>>> http://www.rdrop.com/mailman/listinfo/grovenet
> >>>
> >>> _______________________________________________
> >>> GroveNet mailing list
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> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
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> >>>
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> >>
> >>
> >>
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