Sharing information that some or all of you may have already heard about.

Number 1.  New Mexico Code Talker Chester Nez has passed away.  During his funeral services He was honored by the U.S. Marine Corps.  In attendence at his

services was the USMC Commandant and other Government and Civilian Dignitaries including  the New Mexico governor. CNN and Fox news did the funeral 

coverage.  Mr.Nez was put to rest at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.  May God bless all the Code Talkers.

Number 2.  Flag Day to be celebrated at special Massing of the Colors Ceremony in Santa Fe.  Honoring Old Glory and those who served to protect her will be the fo

focus of the 19th annual Massing of the Colors ceremony  on June 14th at 9:00 a.m. at the Santa Fe Veterans' Memorial, located on the northwest corner of the

Bataan Memorial Building.  The public is invited to attend, this is a free ceremony. Veterans, Military and Civic groups are also invited to bring flags reresenting their

organizations and take part in the ceremony.  Music will be provided by the Santa Fe Concert Band, the Valley of Santa Fe Scottish Rite Order of the Thistle Pipes

and Drum Corps, and guest soloist Frances Fernandes.  More information and to register your oorganization for participation, contact Bob Mallin at (505) 466-4242.

  A great story about one of our World War II Veterans, from the Santa Fe New Mexican. A W.W.II Veteran from Belen, did something He'd always wanted to do.

   Graduate from High School.  Luis Silva who landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day, always dreamt of getting his diploma. The 90 year old veteran recieved his

   this week, 71 years after He was drafted - Officials say that He earned the credits to graduate before the war.  After the war He returned home to Belen, got

   married and raised 4 children.  He proudly watched his children, grand-children, and great grand-children graduate.  This week Mr. Silva and his great -grand

    daughter graduated together.  Everyone have a good and safe Memorial Day.  Como Siempre, Ed Saiz

FROM A FRIEND OF MINE TO YOU....You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my wife. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But here it is the "Back Nine" of my life and it catches me by surprise, How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that "I was only on the First Hole" and the"Back Nine" was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is;  My friends are retired and getting gray, they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better shape then me, some in worse shape then me. I see the great change, NOT like the ones I remember who were young and vibrant .... but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those OLDER FOLKS that we used to see and never thought we'd become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will I just fall asleep where I sit!  

And so I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I'm on the "Back Nine", and I'm not sure how long it will last... this I know, That when it's over on this earth it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't  done... things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not on the "Back Nine" yet... let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off to long!! Life goes by quickly. So do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you're on the "Back Nine" or not.. You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in years past!!

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Live it well! Be happy! Remember that "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. CONSIDER THIS, Your kids are becoming you but your grandchildren are perfect!! Going out is good... Coming home is better! You forget names.. but it's ok because other people forgot they even knew you! !  You realize you're never going to be really good at golf.  The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them any more. You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch.  You tend to use more 4 letter words ...."What?"..."When?"... Everybody whispers, What used to be freckles are now liver spots.............. But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old Movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS.  Stay Well "OLD FRIEND!"

TOMORROW, This "OLD FRIEND" has a BIRTHDAY, ... I was born on April 11, 194???

      Today, while reading the April issue of the "New Mexican Magazine", I came upon an article under "Tasting NM" that states that "Rancho de Chimayo Restaurant", is turning a big 50 in 2015. To this I say "Muchas Felicidades para Todos."  As everyone knows, it is a place that is "excepcional" and the New Mexican food is out of this world.  The article went on to say that the 50th Anniversary edition of their cookbook will be out soon. I am in the process of obtaining 3 or 4 copies for myself and some friends. Speaking of that part of our country, I haven't heard anything form "Maria" lately, hopefully she is well.

The recent tragic events of retired Marine Eloy Timothy Tafoya of Santa Fe and his subsequent funeral and burial made me think of the following story related to me by a friend of mine from florida who was overseas with me.

Each year I am hired to go to Washington, DC, with the eighth grade from Clinton, WI where I grew up, to videotape their trip. I greatly enjoy visiting our nation's capitol, and each year I take some special memories back with me. This fall's trip was especially memorable.  On the last night of our trip, we stopped at the Iwo Jima memorial. This memorial is the largest bronze statue in the world and depicts one of the most famous photographs in history -- that of the six brave soldiers raising the American Flag at the top of a rocky hill on the island of Iwo Jima, Japan, during WW II.  The students piled off the bus and headed towards the memorial. I noticed a solitary figure at the base of the statue, and as we got closer he asked, "Where are you guys from?" I told him we were from Wisconsin. Hey I'm a cheese head, too! Come gather around, Cheese heads, and I will tell you a story. (It was James Bradley who just happened to be in Washington, DC, to speak at the memorial the following day. He was there that night to say good night to his dad, who had passed away. He was just about to leave when he saw us pull up. I received his permission to share what he said from my videotape. When all had gathered around, he reverently began to speak. (Here are his words that night.)

My name is James Bradley and I'm from Antigo, Wisconsin. My dad is on that statue, and I wrote a book called "Flags of Our Fathers". It is the story of the six boys you see behind me. Six boys raised the flag. The first one putting the pole in the ground is Harlon Block. He was an all-state football player. He enlisted in the Marine Corps with all the senior members of his football team..They were off to play another type of game. A game called "War". But it didn't turn out to be a game. Harlon, at the age of 21, died with his intestines in his hands. I don't say that to gross you out, I say that because there are people who stand in front of this statue and talk about the glory of war. You guys need to know that most of the boys in Iwo Jima were 17, 18, and 19 years old - and it was so hard that the ones who did make it home never even talked to their families about it.

You see the this next guy? That's Rene Gagnon from New Hampshire. If you took his helmet off at the moment this photo was taken and looked in the webbing, you would find a photograph -- of his girlfriend. Rene put it there for protection  because he was scared. He was 18 years old. It was just boys who won the battle of Iwo Jima. Boys. Not old men.

The next guy here, the third guy in this tableau, was Sergeant Mike Strank, He was the hero of all these guys. They called him the "old man" because he was so old. He was already 24. When mike would motivate his boys in training camp, he didn't say, Let's go kill some Japanese or let"s die for our country, He knew he was talking to young boys-- Instead he would say, You do what I say and we will all go home.

The last guy on this side of the statue is Ira Hayes, A Pima Indian from Arizona. Ira Hayes was one of them who lived to walk off Iwo Jima. He went to the White House with my dad. President Truman told him, "You're a hero" He told reporters, How can I feel like a hero when 250 of my buddies hit the island with me and only 27 of us walked off alive. He had images of horror in his mind. Ira Hayes carried the pain home with him and eventually died drunk, face down, drowned in a very shallow puddle, at the age of 32 (ten years after this picture was taken).

The next guy, going around the statue, is Franklin Sousley from Hilltop, Kentucky. His best friend told me he was a fun-loving hillbilly. Franklin died on Iwo Jima at the age of 19. When the telegram came to tell his mother that he was dead, it went up to the Hilltop General Store. The neighbors could hear his mother scream all night and into the morning. those neighbors lived a quarter of a mile away.

The next guy, is my dad, John Bradley, from Antigo, Wisconsin, where I was raised. My dad lived until 1994, but would never give interviews. Usually, he was sitting right at the table, but he didn't talk to the press. You see like Ira Hayes, my dad didn't see himself as a hero. He was a medic. He probably held over 200 young boys as they died

So that's the story about six nice young boys.. Three died on Iwo Jima, and three came back as national heroes. Overall, 7,000 died in Iwo Jima in the worst battle in the history of the Marine Corps.

One thing I learned while on tour with my students in DC is that if you look at the statue very closely and count the number of "hands" raising the flag, there are 13. When the man who made the statue was asked why there were 13, he simply said the 13th hand was the hand of God. 

Hermanos y Hermanas;

The Vietnam Veterans of America / Northern New Mexico Chapter has been asked to host "The Wall That Heals," It is a half scale replica of the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C.  The "Wall" is coming to Santa Fe, New Mexico on March 24, 2014. The memorial will be available for viewing 24 hours a day, through March 24th at 6:00 a.m. at Fort Marcy Ball Park, located just North of the Old Taos Highway and will be open to the public with no charge for admission.  The "Wall" is scheduled to arrive in Santa Fe on March 18th, at approximately 1:00 p.m.  Welcoming Ceremony scheduled for March 20th at 11:00 am. and Honoring Ceremonies scheduled for March 23, at 11:00 am.  Other activities include: Taps at dusk, reading of the names on the wall, and a candlelight vigil.  The Key note speaker for the Honoring Ceremony will be Jan Scruggs, Founder and President of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. During the ceremony Mr. Scruggs will pay tribute to the New Mexico Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans 'CALL FOR PHOTOS' Project. They will be recognized for their success in collecting the photographs of the 398 New Mexicans whose names are inscribed on the Wall. Mr. Scruggs will also acknowledge that New Mexico was the first to collect all  the photographs of its Fallen Heroes. MAY THE GOOD LORD BLESS ALL OF THEM.

I received the following from "Mi Hermano" in Santa Fe, and decided to share, I don't see the media saying very much about it.

By 1968, there were 529,000 Americans fighting in Vietnam. By the end of the war over 58,200 U.S. Military personnel had given their lives fighting over there. On JANUARY 27, 1973 the PARIS PEACE ACCORDS were signed declaring a cease-fire in Vietnam. The U.S, government, South Vietnam and North Vietnam governments pledged to "respect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Vietnam as recognized by the 1954 Geneva Agreements on Vietnam".  The U.S. further agreed to continue withdrawing troops, which resulted in a complete removal of soldiers by March 29, 1973. The "AGREEMENT ON ENDING THE WAR AND RESTORING PEACE IN VIETNAM" was the official title of the signed text.

I am writing to recommend the book titled 'Sabino's Map", "Life in Chimayo's Old Plaza" by Don J. Usner, 1995.  It was recommended to me by Michael Miller, back on December 11th. A truly great book worth reading. A great History story about a time and place that most people perhaps know little about. It also has some great photos, some of Maria's Aunt Mercedes Trujillo, which she previously wrote about.  Michael thank you, once again for letting me know about this great book. Again, if you haven't read it you will enjoy it. 

While reading the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, I came upon an article that brought back some memories of times gone by that I'll never see again.

In many ways, a time when life was tougher and yet simpler.  The heading of the article is' "Mis Crismes:" Youngsters once went door to door for treats

without the tricks. The article states that the youth of Northern New Mexico used to participate in a tradition on Christmas morning very similar to what the

youth of today do on Halloween.  I remember this "tradition" very well, having done this myself when I was 6 or 7 years old, in Rio de Tesuque.

To me the happiness came when I was able to give the "soft" candy to my beloved grandmother and see a smile on her face.

The article also states that someone named Alfredo  Lujan who was raised in Nambe and teaches English and coaches in Santa Fe wrote and won the

newspaper's Holiday Short Story contest in 2002, a story about his own childhood "Mis Crismes" experience. I hope to obtain a copy of his short story.

In closing I just want to ask the Good Lord to help the unemployed, The hungry, The homeless, All who suffer from fear or hate, especially some kind 

of illness, and for those grieving for loss of loved ones. Be with our soldiers; please watch over them. To all of you I say, Have a great day and touch

somebody's life today.  FELIZ NAVIDAD TO YOU AND YOURS.

For the last few days, my computer has been down and out, but all is alright now and we are friends again.

I want to congratulate all the Voces members who shared all the photographs of our Veterans with us; perhaps you may feel that you don't need to be thanked, however you have my sincere thanks for honoring this Brave and Honorable Veterans. I also want to say "muchas gracias con todo mi corazon" also to the Women who served Our Country in the military, including the 11,000 Women who served in Vietnam. The soldiers would say that the "best looking women in Vietnam was an Army Nurse"

God bless Army PFC Lori Piestwa, who was the first Native American Woman killed by enemy action. God Bless Capt. Christel A. Chavez, co-piolet of a MC-130H, transport aircraft. The aircraft crashed in Puerto Rico during poor weather, on a training mission. Capt. Chavez was a graduate of Albq. High School and the Air Force Academy class of 98. She was the daughter of Tom Chavez, Director of Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque. May God Bless all of women warriors.