Saint Martin's Cloak

Thank you, America. Thank you Saint Joseph, Missouri and White Cloud, Kansas, and all the towns and farms that lie between them. Thank you, Patriot Guard Riders. You made me proud. On Saturday (8 July 2006), I attended the funeral of PFC Brian Bradbury in Saint Joseph. PFC Bradbury was a forward observer with the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan. He died in combat on 21 June. Protesters from Topeka threatened to disrupt the funeral, but thanks to the efforts of the Patriot Guard Riders and the Saint Joseph police, few even noticed the demonstrators. What the family witnessed was the love and respect of a community, not the hatred of a few. At least 229 motorcycles participated for the Patriot Guard Riders. Some bikes carried two riders, and a few Patriot Guard members arrived in automobiles. In all, about 250 PGR members lined the drive in front of the church, each holding a large national flag. It was marvelous to behold, and it occurred to me that this was a magnificen...

Have you taken the time to look at the stained glass windows here in the chapel? It's a great thing to do when the sermon is boring or your mind wanders. Each window is divided top and bottom. On the top are scenes and characters from the Bible, Old Testament on the east and New Testament on the west. Each set of windows is arranged more-or-less in chronological order from the back of the chapel to the front. Do you recognize Peter with the keys, or Paul with the sword of his own execution in his hand? These are stock symbols of stained glass. The bottom half of each window is a scene or symbol from Army life. Someone must have thought that there was a connection there. Sometimes the connection is obvious, as in the scene of Army medical personnel beneath the picture of Jesus healing. Sometimes the connection is not so clear. The window with Solomon and the Panama Canal? Solomon built the temple; Army engineers built the Panama canal. You should know that you won't see wi...