St. Agnes Alumni WebNews
House Kids @ Home

WebNews #36; Memorial Day, Monday; May 25, 2009

U.S.Catholic:

When profiling is “reasonable,” injustice becomes excusable 7/24/13
Pope criticizes Trump administration over migrant family separations 6/25/18

Make America
HATE Again

NewsAlert:
Trump’s Racism: The Definitive List 6/25/18 UN calls Donald Trump's s***hole immigrants comments 'racist' 6/25/18
The Problem With Calling Trump a Racist 6/25/18 “Sh*thole” countries, Donald Trump’s latest racist tirade, explained 6/25/18
The boys of St Agnes, a video by Sr Margaret Palliser 3/20/14 View Sacred Heart Chapel Video 2/24/14


In Grateful Memory of the Members of St. Agnes Alumni
Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice For Our Country
In World War II, Korean War and All Foreign Wars.

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History of Memorial Day: "Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers."
From: (creator unknown); Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009; Subject: Ode to Cleaning

Thinking of you..

cid:8ED9F4BE5B73464AA5A58B75F2B5AB58@Amalia

Cleaning Poem

I asked the Lord to tell me
Why my house is such a mess.
He asked if I'd been 'computering',
And I had to answer 'yes.'

He told me to get off my fanny,
And tidy up the house.
And so I started cleaning up...
The smudges off my mouse.

I wiped and shined the topside.
That really did the trick....
I was just admiring my good work.

I didn't mean to 'click.'

But click, I did, and oops - I found
A real absorbing site
That I got SO way into it -
I was into it all night.

Nothing's changed except my mouse.
It's very, very shiny.
I guess my house will stay a mess....
While I sit here on my hiney.

cid:ABB2C6A93A014185893020BA3D0B3933@Amalia

Thank you for being my e-mail buddy and friend!

cid:4E86FCA5D93846829C4876B80926B79B@Amalia

From: Ramon Adames; Sent: Friday, 05/15/09;
Subject: Stand By Me

Below is a link to one of the best pieces of sound engineering work I think I have ever seen. It is a composite audio/video of song whereby additional tracks were laid in by different singers and musicians from different places around the world. The finished product is tremendous!

The song itself is that classic standard "Stand By Me" originally released in 1955 by The Staple Singers and released again in 1961 by the Drifters. This composite version is a real toe tapper.

So turn up the speaker volume and Click Here:

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=2539741


From: joseph stanaitis; Sent: Monday, 05/18/09;
Subject: NY in black and White

this is the large assortment of b/w photos of new york city from the late 1880s up thru the 1970s.. it will take a long time to go thru all of them so figure out your own way to mark your place when you take a break...

These are really cool. There is a picture from 1945 where a plane hit the Empire State Building . They take a little time to get through but it’s worth it if you like old pictures with old cars, etc.

These picture are incredible.....if you come from NY or your ancestors did, or ever visited NY..THESE PICTURES ARE MUST SEE....but be forewarned... it does take time to go thru them...

ENJOY!!!

http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5010


From: GERALD F MERNA; Sent: Wednesday, 04/29/09;
Subject: Aspirin

Received from an unverified source, so use it advisedly.

Good points Jim, about calling 911 and having nitgroglycerine available--Dot also has some in her purse. You may remember my friend Dave McWatters who used to be a member of the Loudoun Co. Bd. of Supervisors (but more significantly, to me anyway, is that he is also a Marine)? Here's his reply to what I sent:

"Good Advice."

"After my quadruple bypass last year, the cardiologist said he didn't know why I never had a heart attack. (four blockages; two at 95% and two at 75%) I told him I had been taken an aspirin every day for 40 years. A young Air Force doctor who did knee surgery on me told me to take an aspirin every day and it would keep the swelling down. That was in 1968. My cardiologist is a Duke and Harvard educated cardiologist. He said, "Well, taking that aspirin saved your ass." I have almost every person in my family and office and their spouses taking an aspirin every day. Please spread the word. By the way, heart disease is now the leading cause of death among women. Dave."

Best,
Jerry

Subject: Aspirin - Why have Aspirin by your bedside?

ABOUT HEART ATTACKS

There are other symptoms of an heart attack besides the pain on the left arm.

One must also be aware of an intense pain on the chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating, however these symptoms may also occur less frequently.

NOTE : There may be no pain in the chest during an heart attack.

The majority of people (about 60%) who had an heart attack during their sleep, did not wake up. However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake you up from your deep sleep.

If that happens, IMMEDIATELY DISSOLVE TWO ASPIRINS IN YOUR MOUTH and swallow them with a bit of water. A BIT OF A CHANGE OF PROCEDURE: CHEW THE ASPIRINS IMMEDIATELY THEN SWALLOW THE WATER AS THE ASPIRIN GETS INTO YOUR BLOOD STREAM MUCH FASTER THAN WAITING FOR THEM TO DISSOLVE IN YOUR STOMACH. I KNOW, AS IT HAPPENED TO ME AND THE DOCTOR TOLD ME I DID THE RIGHT THING.

Afterwards, phone a neighbour or a family member who lives very close by and state "HEART ATTACK!!!" and that you have taken 2 ASPIRINS

Take a seat on a chair or sofa and wait for their arrival and ...
DO NOT LIE DOWN !!!

A Cardiologist has stated that, if each person, after receiving this e-mail, sends it to 10 people, probably a life can be saved!


From: GERALD F MERNA; Sent: Friday, 01/23/09;
Subject: Born Again American

I THINK YOU'LL LIKE THIS!

JERRY

Born Again American

1960's

This is the one of the best presentations of the sixties that I have ever seen online. It is very well done. Just click on the link and sit back and enjoy the memories. Great photos and facts.

Click here to view:
The sixties
From: GERALD F MERNA; Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 10:07 PM; Subject: WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME


Hi Vin:

 

How great hearing from you, and thanks for sending this ironically truthful example of the pithy excuses we hear from some folks these days about the flimsy problems mentioned.  What wonderful examples of courage and bravery from our very finest, not only in words but by their selfless deeds exemplified in these pictures.  God Bless each and every one of them!

 

Dot and I think of you and Joan so often--and remember the exciting times we shared as fellow VP's at NDIA under Gen. Skibbies' outstanding leadership.  I miss him dearly! You were one of (if not) the first I met when I joined, and it was great working with you. Are you both still the great world-traveler's, or are you slowing down and staying home a bit?

 

I’m dusting off my tux as Dot and I are going to NDIA's black tie Gen. Eisenhower Award Dinner next month at the Ritz Carlton and are extra excited about it as this year’s award is being given to Gen. David Petreaus. I can think of no one who deserves it more! If by chance you are also going it would be great seeing you there.  Seems we otherwise only meet at funerals lately.

 

Dot joins me in sending you both our very best.

 

Jerry Merna

 

 

From: Vin
Sent: Saturday, April 18, 2009 3:58 PM
 
Take a look at this. I was asked to keep this going . . . . and I will gladly do so.

Vin
 

WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME

This email is being circulated around the world - please keep it going.
 


  
When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard.... 
  
..to listen to his son whine about being bored. 

....to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes. 
  
to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work. 
  
...to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night's sleep.
  
..to be silent when people pray to God for a new car. 
  
...to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower. 

..to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying. 


....to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they're afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.    


....to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather.  


....to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold.   



....to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog. 


.....to be civil to people who complain about their jobs.   


....to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year.   


....to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house. 

The only thing harder than being a Soldier..  


Is loving one.  


From: GERALD F MERNA
Sent: Tuesday, April 22, 2008 9:48 PM
Subject: PHOTOS STORED IN AN OLD BROWNIE CAMERA

I know there are many of you older than I am, but ask your grandchildren what the words, "Battle of Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941" mean to them. I think most of you will not be surprised by the answers you get. It was not so much of a "Battle" as it was a "Beating." But history shows we not only "recovered" from it, but went on amazingly to defeat all enemies, at great cost to our nation.

I was 11 years old when this happened and living in NYC. That same month we were told that our Mother had died (which years later we learned was not true), and seven of us siblings (six brothers and one sister) were placed under the care of Catholic Charities in New York City. A month after this "sneak attack" bombing by the Japanese, all seven of us were in Catholic Convents in Rockland County, NY where the youngest of us, then four years old, remained for almost 15 years. Our oldest brother George ran away at 16 and joined the Navy at 17 (as I would also do four years later to join the Marines). George was killed at age 19 when a Japanese submarine sunk his LST-577 off the coast of Leyte in the Philippines. The 1941 song, "White Cliffs of Dover," became a symbol of the hope for peace that was expressed in that song, and somehow stuck in my memory that year and has persisted since; every time I hear it, I think of George, whose nickname was "Sonny" to us. Many years later I would stand on those same cliffs, quietly hummed that song, and I felt his presence standing beside me.

So these amazing pictures "stored in an old Brownie Camera" from a Sailor who was on the USS Quapaw ATF-10 bring back many memories The photos are fantastic, and should be remembered as what bad people can do to good countries. Read the brief history below, and share it with those grandchildren.

Jerry Merna


















December 7th, 1941 the Japanese launched a surprise attack against the U.S. Forces stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. By planning this attack on a Sunday, the Japanese commander Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, hoped to catch the entire fleet in port. As luck would have it, the Aircraft Carriers and one of the Battleships were not in port. (The USS Enterprise was returning from Wake Island, where it had just delivered some aircraft. The USS Lexington was ferrying aircraft to Midway, and the USS Saratoga and USS Colorado were undergoing repairs in the United States).

In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu, he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in Hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets.

At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor. Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack. When it was over, the U.S. losses were:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Casualties
USA: 218 KIA, 364 WIA.
USN: 2,008 KIA, 710 WIA.
USMC: 109 KIA, 69 WIA.
Civilians: 68 KIA, 35 WIA.
TOTAL: 2,403 KIA, 1,178 WIA.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Battleships
USS Arizona (BB-39) - total loss when a bomb hit her magazine.
USS Oklahoma (BB-37) - Total loss when she capsized and sank in the harbor.
USS California (BB-44) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS West Virginia (BB-48) - Sunk at her berth. Later raised and repaired.
USS Nevada - (BB-36) Beached to prevent sinking. Later repaired.
USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) - Light damage.
USS Maryland (BB-46) - Light damage.
USS Tennessee (BB-43) Light damage.
USS Utah (AG-16) - (former battleship used as a target) - Sunk.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cruisers
USS New Orleans (CA-32) - Light Damage.
USS San Francisco (CA38) - Light Damage.
USS Detroit (CL-8) - Light Damage.
USS Raleigh (CL-7) - Heavily damaged but repaired.
USS Helena (CL-50) - Light Damage.
USS Honolulu (CL-48) - Light Damage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Destroyers
USS Downes (DD-375) - Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Cassin - (DD-37 2) Destroyed. Parts salvaged.
USS Shaw (DD-373) - Very heavy damage.
USS Helm (DD-388) - Light Damage.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Minelayer
USS Ogala (CM-4) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Seaplane Tender
USS Curtiss (AV-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Repair Ship
USS Vestal (AR-4) - Severely damaged but later repaired.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harbor Tug
USS Sotoyomo (YT-9) - Sunk but later raised and repaired.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aircraft
188 Aircraft destroyed (92 USN and 92 U.S. Army Air Corps).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stories: Dark Horse Six - Colonel Robert D. Taplett, USMC, Ret. Personel Tribute By Gerald F. Merna
Stories: Donald Francis Antonacci: A ‘House Kid,” A Patriot, and A Hero (1937–1990) Personel Tribute By Gerald F. Merna

Support Our Troops!"America Support You - The official Department of Defense web site encouraging support of U.S. Military troops around the world, especially those fighting the War on Terror."

Videos:
Great Dance Routine: James Cagney and Bob Hope Wassup 2008 Stand By Me
I'm a born again American Take Me Back To The 1960's
9/11 Attack Slideshow BestPhotos2005.pps
Absolutely Fantastic Slideshow (Creator unknown) Whispers (Creator unknown) 4 candles
A Pittance Of Time If I Fall... on The Field of Battle Memorial Day

Biographies:
Gaspar Cipolla Ricardo C. Colon Harry Connors
Caesar Feliciano Carlos Feliciano David T. Feliciano Pastor (Pat) Feliciano Peter (Pedro) Feliciano
Stephen J. Fromholz, Sr. Louis A. Lopez George Charles Merna Gerald F. Merna Thomes G. Merna
Robert F. Pulliza Frank Jacob Rosenstine Joseph R. Stanaitis Joseph (Joe) Wiska

BioPhotos:
Raymond (Ramon) Adames John J. Antonacci Joseph Antonacci Dennis Bailey Lorenzo Calderon
Robert Coyle William Doherty Benjamin Feliciano Bob Keane James Lawson
James Merna Richard Merna Robert Merna John (Sammy) Tolins
NewsAlert: Proof of Torture By Our Troops.... Things the Media Missed. 04/08/07
WebNews Archive: All past WebNews are available for viewing in the WebNews Archive.
NewsAlert Archive: All past NewsAlerts are available for viewing in the NewsAlert Archive.

“Home Kids: The Story of St. Agatha Home for Children,” By Nancy Canfield: "Book Recounts Author's Life in Orphanage:"
By Pat Sherman UNION-TRIBUNE COMMUNITY NEWS WRITER, March 10, 2006. "Nancy Canfield knows how a single, immutable event can forever alter a child's life. In her recently published book, “Home Kids: The Story of St. Agatha Home for Children,” Canfield recounts the years she and four siblings spent at a Catholic orphanage in New York."  (More....)

'Home Kids' By Nancy Canfield: The story of St. Agatha Home for Children:
"We're going to take you kids,"
he pointed to each of us sitting on the couch and said our names in a sing-song voice "Jackie... Tommy... Hellen... David and Nancy," pausing between each name as if to prove he knew them, "to see a school tomorrow, a boarding school, see how you like it." He said this in a voice that implied it was temporary, like we'd have a choice about attending. With those words the Canfield siblings began a journey that profoundly shaped their formative years. Home Kids is Nancy Canfield's courageous retelling of her family's dramatic story and the inspirational story of St. Agatha Home for Children.  (More....)

Letters: 'Home Kids' By Nancy Canfield: The Story of St. Agatha Home for Children: Sent: 01/19/2006
Photos: St. Agatha Home Keepsake Photograph.
 

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