The other day I found myself stopped on the side of the road watching about 100 cars follow a black Herse. With the precession taking about five minutes to pass I was given time to think about the occasion. I thought to myself who will follow me when I'm in the casket hidden behind the curtain covered windows. Why are they following me? Are they there because I made an impact in there lives? How many people will make the trip to the grave yard tucked away in middle of rural Mattoon, Il. Will any of them come visit my remains after that day of celebration. How many people will be inspired by my carefully thought out epitaph. Just a couple of things to think about.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
As some of my readers know I work at Home Depot. Since I started there in April I have had over 10 people know that I was a Leitch. What do you mean by that, you might ask? Well I have 4 uncles and I look just like all of them. I am from a small town of 15,000 and I would venture to guess that if you ask 8,000 of those people if they know a Leitch there response would be yeah which one. My whole life I have always been very proud to say that I am a Leitch. My grandpa was in the Army and then he helped start a well known company called Howell Paving, Inc. Two of my uncles still work for Howell, ones a plumber and the other a electrician. All of my uncles have built a great name for themselves and well for all Leitch's.
I say all of that to mention that I have spent several hours at work just talking to people who say it was an honor to talk to me and that I had a great Grandpa. So when your doing, well anything, remember you are building a name that will last generations.
Thank you Grandpa for being a stand-up guy who had a desire to help people and provide for his family it has made a lasting impression for generations to come.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The U.S. Army wants you to be its friend on Facebook.
You can also follow the Army on Twitter. Or post a comment on its new blog. They're all part of the Army's new mission: social networking.
"If Ashton Kutcher can do it, the U.S. Army can do it," said Lindy Kyzer, who posts the Army's "status updates" on Facebook and "tweets" on Twitter.
Kyzer issued a public challenge - to get more followers on Twitter than Kutcher, an actor and social networking fiend who recently won a bet with CNN that he could reach 1 million followers first.
"We know that our ability to share the Army story is shaped by how we tell it and where we tell it," said Lt. Col. Kevin Arata, who heads the Army's new Online and Social Media Division. "Using social media platforms allows us to tell our story where we know people are at and are listening."
Even Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, is on Facebook. With nearly 5,000 "friends," the four-star general is updating his status straight from the battlefield - something unheard of in past conflicts.
Gen. Michael Oates, commander of the 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, N.Y., has been blogging from Iraq for months.
"Six soldiers honored for bravery in Afghanistan; are reminded, 'of those who didn't come back,'" reads one Army "tweet."
"Drill Sergeants work hard to debunk Hollywood stereotypes about their role," reads another.
The Facebook and Twitter messages are really an extension of the press releases and stories that Army officials put out through the Division of Public Affairs. But it's also a place for soldiers and their families to connect.
"Most [wall posts] are shout-outs," Arata said. "They're people saying, 'My son's in the Army, my granddaughter's in Iraq.'"
The Army's not alone. The Air Force is on Twitter and the Coast Guard is on Facebook.
"It's an instant support network," Kyzer said. "We've seen a ton of parents on there."
Officially launched on Thursday, the Army's Facebook page already has more than 3,000 "friends."
The page is an "open forum," but there are rules of engagement: keep it clean and courteous.
"There have been very few negative comments," Kyzer said. "It's self-regulating - that's the beauty of social networking."
With more than 4,000 followers on Twitter, Army officials said they hope to gain a worldwide following.
"We'll see where it goes," Arata said. "We're not fearful of what's out there. We really want to see what the world has to say."
This story is from NYDailyNews.
