US Navy Veteran, USS Markab AR-23, California Highway Patrol, Private Investigator, former President of SCFIA, Husband to the kindest person I have ever known.
Our hearts ache as we announce the passing of John Kinsel Sr., a cherished elder and one of the immortal Navajo Code Talkers. At 107, he leaves behind a legacy of unbreakable bravery forged in the fires of Bougainville, Guam, and Iwo Jima. From 1942 to 1946, as a U.S. Marine, he wielded his sacred language, the uncrackable code, to weave the vital communications that defied the enemy and tipped the scales of World War II.
Went for a quick bite to eat today, and while standing in line, I was asked by a large group of bikers to cut in front of them. I declined, but they insisted. As I made my way past them they all thanked me and shook my hand, each one introducing themselves. When I got to the front, they asked if they could pray for me. Said a quick prayer for me and I for them. They then tried to buy my lunch which I politely refused. Get to the counter to pay and the owner told me it was on the house. So I dumped all the cash I had in the tip jar. Was a nice change of pace to feel appreciated and respected instead of feared or hated. Thanks for making my day!!!
Credit: Harold Broussard
After Japan battled the Netherlands to a 2-2 draw, the Japanese fans stayed behind and cleaned up every single piece of trash from their section at Dallas Stadium after the game.
@JamesHu27192912 Walked a mile to and from school no matter what the weather.
Had Bologna, Tuna, Egg Salad Sandwiches smothered in Mayo and wrapped in waxed paper with no ice packs and survived to talk about it.
At 65, I’m a man of contradictions.
I’m conservative, but gay.
I’m black, but I don’t obsess over slavery, racism, oppression, or reparations.
I don’t fit into any of their boxes.
I voted for Trump because he offered me more than any democrat has ever done.
He offered to love my country and make it GREAT AGAIN.
That's what I voted for.
Because I’m just an American who wants to see his country remain the best in the world.
And nothing Donald Trump has ever said made me afraid to vote for him.
If he could run again, I’d vote for him again.
Because let’s be honest:
He’s a better president than any of the last 3 democrats we’ve had, or whoever they crap out in 2028.
Is anybody with me on that?
Someone who has the ear of DJT needs to see this, and get involved.
Every veteran should chime in here.
I have never, until today, wanted a post to go viral.
This is Richard Webb. He's my father-in-law. He served two tours in Vietnam as a Marine Recon Sniper. He received two purple hearts for his service along with countless other medals.
This photo is seven years ago...
Today, Richard spends most days not knowing what the hell is going on because he developed type 2 diabetes from agent orange in Vietnam.
My wife has been fighting the VA for over a year to get Richard the care and benefits he needs just to survive. The process is a joke. The service is a bigger joke.
The VA case managers are absolute dog shit and treat our nation's heroes like garbage. They also act as if they're doing our vets a FAVOR for the most basic of care.
@SecVetAffairs, I've been to your headquarters building in DC, and have first hand experience dealing with the incompetent staff.
This is hands down the most embarrassing department in all of the Trump administration. If the Boss knew how horrendously our veterans are still being treated after you've had eighteen months to fix these issues, you'd be fired tomorrow.
I waited a long time to write this, but at this point I've seen enough.
He was counting down the days to graduation.
Caps and gowns had already been ordered. College plans were taking shape. At home in Colorado, his family was preparing to watch him walk across that stage and begin the life he had worked toward.
His name was Kendrick Castillo.
Born March 14, 2001, and raised in Denver, he was a senior at STEM School Highlands Ranch. He loved robotics. He loved learning. He had the kind of quiet strength that teachers notice and friends rely on. In May 2019, he was just days away from receiving his diploma.
On May 7, 2019, he sat in British literature class. The class was watching The Princess Bride. It was an ordinary afternoon. Laughter. A familiar room. The comfort of routine. The sort of day that passes without leaving a mark.
Then the door opened.
An armed student walked in and told everyone not to move.
For a split second, the world stopped.
Kendrick was close to the gunman. Close enough to understand what was happening. Close enough to know that every second mattered.
He did not duck under a desk.
He did not crawl away.
He did not wait for someone else.
He lunged forward.
In that heartbeat, this young man, barely eighteen, made a decision most adults pray they will never have to make. He charged the shooter, giving his classmates a chance to run. Others followed his lead and tackled the gunman. Because of those seconds, many students were able to escape.
Kendrick was shot.
His classmates tried to save him. They pressed on the wound. They called his name. They pleaded with him to stay. But he did not survive.
One student later said Kendrick died a legend. Another said he would carry his memory for the rest of his life.
His father, John Castillo, spoke with a strength that no parent should ever need. He said his son cared deeply about others and always wanted to protect people. He admitted he wished his son had hidden, wished he had run. But that was not who Kendrick was.
That line stays with you.
That was not who he was.
In a world where we often hear about fear and cruelty, this teenager showed something older and stronger. Instinctive courage. Selflessness without calculation. The kind of character many of us were taught to admire when we were young.
He was eighteen years old.
For those of us who have watched our own children grow, who have sat at graduation ceremonies, who have felt that mix of pride and hope, this story hits deep. It is every parent’s worst nightmare. It is also a reminder of what one life can mean in a single moment.
Because Kendrick stood up, others went home to their families that night.
He never got to wear his cap and gown. But he left behind something far greater than a diploma. He left behind an example.
Kendrick Castillo
2001 to 2019
He did not run.
He did not hide.
He chose others.
May we remember him.
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No matter how much time passes, Jane Fonda is still the same despicable woman who posed next to North Vietnamese anti-aircraft guns that were used to target men like my husband.
We will always despise this traitorous b*tch.
Black pilot, West Point graduate, and combat veteran Wesley Hunt delivered a masterclass response:
“Hey Jasmine… Black pilot here.
I graduated from West Point. I went through Army flight school. I learned to fly the AH-64 Apache. I deployed to combat and flew 55 combat missions over Baghdad.
Nobody handed me a cockpit because of my skin color. Nobody lowered the standards for me.
Suggesting that Black pilots, engineers, doctors, or leaders need special preferences to succeed is not empowering, it’s insulting.
I didn’t want a different standard. I wanted the same standard.”
He ended with a powerful line:
“Merit isn’t racist. Excellence isn’t discriminatory. And reducing every achievement to skin color says far more about your worldview than it does about mine.”
This is the kind of clarity and backbone America needs right now.