NEW AMERICAN TRUTH: December 2007

Letter From The Editor
December 2007

Before I talk about anything else this month I HAVE to apologize to a group of individuals. In last month’s issue we honored our military veterans and gave a brief history of each branch of the service. As I was reminded by PLENTY of emails, we left out the Coast Guard. I APOLOGIZE to all Coast Guardsmen, Coast Guard veterans, their families, fans, supporters, etc. I certainly meant no offense. I left them out – albeit mistakenly – because I always considered them more of a law enforcement organization than a military unit. They used to “belong” to the Department of Transportation and now fall under the auspices of the Department of Homeland Security. I just never viewed them as a branch of the military. In this I WAS MISTAKEN and I am sorry I neglected to include them. Lest my boat be stopped for safety inspections every day for the rest of my life, I hope they accept my apology. Elsewhere in this issue you will find a section about the history of the Coast Guard.

As another year winds down, things change. Change is inevitable but sometimes we hate to see it. As with all businesses, we enjoy building new relationships and we hate to see any of them end. To all of those who have supported our efforts in New American Truth, and most especially to our readers, THANK YOU. When we decided to start this magazine in September ’06 and then launched the premier issue in January ’07, we were sure we were going to see it grow and flourish… well, we were mostly sure. Nothing is certain but we were determined. What IS for certain is that without our advertisers, readers, contributors and unofficial volunteer editors who seem to never take a day off, we’d not have made it this far.

Which brings me to December in general. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas – and all the other holidays I can’t speak intelligently about because I’ve never celebrated them – it gets to be quite a busy season. Oddly enough, during this period of celebration, most of us experience HIGHER stress levels instead of lower ones. That makes no sense to me – but I’m probably just as guilty as the next guy. We get so busy worrying about paying the bills, buying presents, visiting, traveling, taking time off, the work that’s piling up while we take time off, etc that we actually spend very little time relaxing. RELAX. This is the time of year to count your blessings; be thankful for your blessings; and ENJOY your blessings.

As I sit here typing I have in front of me pictures of my four children: one Marine, one soldier, one high school senior and one fourth grader. If I died tomorrow THEY are the only reason I think I might get into Heaven. They are living proof that I did SOME good in this life. If I’ve accomplished nothing else, I’ve left the world a better place for having my children in it. Where my COUNTRY is concerned, I can say that I’m batting at least 500. The Marine and the soldier will certainly contribute to the ultimate freedom and justice found in the United States – another blessing we have and all too often take for granted.

Thinking about our country and military service, I recently sat and compiled the list of relatives my wife and I have who have served. Counting my two children, myself, my four brothers, my father, grandfather, seven uncles and six great-grand-relatives (and relatives in-law) we have a total count of 29 who have served. We cover every branch of the military... except the Coast Guard. The Navy was popular in our family during WWI and WWII and the Air Force seemed to replace it for Korea. During the Vietnam War our family was big into the Marine Corps. We’ve had “Army dogs” in every generation starting as far back as 1919. We are all proud to have served and honored that our country allowed us the privilege of doing so.

Among my friends I count plenty more veterans: Navy, Marines, Army and Air Force vets. And yes, I actually DO have friends who have served in the Coast Guard. (I guess I’d better take them out on my boat with me from now on) Military service seems to have run in their families as well. Around this holiday season, while family members aren’t always home due to being in some far off corner of our planet protecting and defending our country, the memories of the faces and smiles of our family is held dear. Pictures are enjoyed, taken, printed, sent, and sometimes modified to make them goofier. It’s all good.

After considering all of that I realized that there’s a reason why I enjoy surrounding myself with service veterans. I look at them differently than I do people who haven’t served. It’s not that I value anyone differently, but I do have a higher level of respect for those who have served - even those folks who enlisted and didn’t make it through Basic Training because of medical issues (I know a guy who enlisted in the Air Force because he was epileptic and he’d never get through Marine Corps Boot Camp without them finding out – but the Air Force found out anyway).

Having recognized that I had to ask myself what about those people made me respect them more. Ultimately my answer boiled down to this: they stepped up; they took the oath; they served. In doing so they put the benefit of our country – all Americans – in front of their own needs or desires. No; this isn’t another tribute to veterans. However, it seems to me that the personality trait those men and women have demonstrated so readily is exactly what ALL of us need to demonstrate during the Christmas season. “Giving is better than receiving” is something I heard all my young life. In times of financial challenge it applies even more.

You know what though? It doesn’t take money to give. You don’t HAVE to buy something to be able to give something. You can give your time. You can give your care. You can give assistance. You can give a smile. You can give a kind word. You can give a hug. You can give security. YOU CAN GIVE…

This Christmas season give all you can. Start with the easy ones: time, care, smiles, hugs, assistance and a kind word. All it takes is an appreciation for the blessings in your own life and the positive outlook such appreciation can bring. Then you just share that positive outlook.

Merry Christmas. We at New American Truth hope it is safe and enjoyable and full of blessings for you and yours.

Stay Safe!

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-chief