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Donna McAleer | Porcelain On Steel Posts

Remember Freedom is Not Free

Remember Freedom is Not Free

Published on November 11, 2010

Veterans Day began in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson designated November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day to remember the end of the “War to End All Wars” and honor those who have served our great Nation in uniform.

As we observe this Veterans Day, the tenth as a Nation at war, please support our service members. Support is an action verb. It means much more than putting a yellow sticker on your car. It means doing something—volunteering at the Veterans Administration hospital in your area, donating to the USO, VFW, IAVA, Wounded Warriors or one of the hundreds of organizations that focus on veterans. It means voting for candidates that actually write legislation that protect veterans’ benefits. It also encompasses learning about those who have served and our serving our Nation close to home and on foreign soil.

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Recommended Reads-Every Soldier Has a Story

Published on October 13, 2010

During World War II 6% of Americans served in uniform. The war effort was ever-present in the daily lives of the remaining 94% of Americans. The nation as a whole shared in the sacrifices of the war — men entered the military, women worked in the factories, and all people rationed gas and food. Two generations later, those percentages have changed dramatically. Today less than 1% of the American population serves or has served in the Armed Forces. That decrease of military experience has contributed to an increased detachment of the military from the remainder of the nation. For most Americans it is easy and understandable to go about daily life without even acknowledging we are a nation at war. Who are these soldiers? What are their stories?

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Women and War: Stories Make a Difference

Published on October 6, 2010

The United States has been engaged in combat in Afghanistan longer than in any previous war. As a Nation at war for more than nine years, women are serving in new roles and in larger numbers than previous battles. More than 220,000 women have been deployed, nearly 12 percent of the force. Similar to their male contemporaries, women are demonstrating selfless service, courage and dedication to the mission.

With increasing numbers of women returning from the war zone, these veterans are of great interest to the mainstream media. Three of the hot topics regarding these service members are women in combat, sexual assault, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). All deserve attention, broad perspective and action.

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Honored Role (part 22): Valencia de la Vega — Brains in a Bikini

Published on September 3, 2010

This is the 22nd installment in the Honored Role Series.

Fed up with the constant media attention and hyper-promotion of tissue-thin fashion models and beauty queens with little between the ears, Valencia de la Vega entered the Ms. Latina Beauty Pageant in October 2009. This former Army Captain and combat veteran turned Intel engineer decided to demonstrate that beauty and brains are not mutually exclusive.

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Honored Role (part 21): Col. (ret.) Debra Lewis — Actions Matter Most

Published on August 27, 2010

This is the 21st installment in the Honored Role Series.

Not one to rest idly, less than six months after retiring from the Army, Colonel Debra Lewis is taking action on another mission. This one, accompanied by Lt. Col. (ret.) Doug Adams, her spouse, is a 16,000-mile yearlong cycling tour of the United States to help educate and inspire Americans on how to truly help service members and military veterans. Set to deploy on October 8, 2010 with Doug cycling, Debra will be driving the couple’s 34-foot motor coach, Simba, as the “Duty, Honor, America” tour mission’s CEO—Chief Everything Officer.

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Honorable Service Terminated by Dishonorable Policy

Published on August 18, 2010

Most news about West Point, my alma mater, makes me exceedingly proud. While the news about West Point being ranked #4 this year in Forbes list of top colleges, (down from #1 last year) is reinforcing and encouraging, last Tuesday’s news is not. It makes me sick and angry.

Cadet Sergeant Katherine Miller from Findlay, Ohio, who ranked ninth in a class of more than 1100 future Army officers, tendered her resignation from the prestigious military academy that trains leaders of character for our Army and our Nation. A lesbian, she cited her inability to live up to and uphold the Army’s core values of honor and integrity as long as the policy known as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell remains in place.

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All it Takes is One

Published on August 6, 2010

The Honored Role Series will return next week.

Writing is a solitary act, but publishing is a team effort. The journey from paper or computer screen to an actual book is a long and circuitous one. It is hard work and it is a process, one in which emotions modulate like a sine wave. During the last several weeks since the publication of my first book, I received many inquiries into what motivated me to put pen to paper (more accurately fingers to the keyboard) and to share my maiden voyage.

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