Helvig's Helvitorials

Who are you thanking today?

Who are you thanking today? by Alan Helvig, Thanksgiving, 2007

Gratitude should be expressed every day of every year

Sometimes with a hug and sometimes with a cheer

Come the month of November, at the start of the holiday season

We all come together with thanksgiving as the reason

We share a blessed dinner; enjoy a day of fun and peace

We watch the game on TV; listen to stories which never cease

Thanksgiving is a day where we express our thanks to others

We thank our friends and our neighbors, our sisters and our brothers

We thank them for loving us and for always being there

We thank them for their kindness and for their tender care

But most of all on this fine Thanksgiving Day

We thank God for his Son Jesus, the life, the truth and the way

Without Him as our savior to our sins would we be bound

For there was a time that we were lost, but by His grace we now are found

He cast off all our chains and freed us from the bondage of sin

He took up residence in our hearts and stands by us through thick and thin

So thank you dear Lord Jesus for coming down from up above

We thank you for your mercy and most of all, for your love

Reveille Video Link

I have watched this video a number of times and I am moved by it every time I watch it. Whether you are a Veteran or a Patriot, this is a must see video. Once you have everything on the checklist, you will be ready to watch this video on youtube.com.

Check List:

     The heart of a patriot ___

     Time to watch video (12 minutes) ___

Click here when ready:  Reveille Video Link

Governor's Abuse of Flag Code confuses flag owners

Unpublished -

The American Flag is a perpetual symbol of independence, freedom and liberty. It is a declaration of the sovereignty of the United States. Old Glory flies high atop her pole as the ultimate icon of truth, justice and democracy. Our flag is a standing reminder that our nation is a republic, which broke away from the grip of tyranny, in order to form a more perfect union.

The American Flag soars over our federal buildings and welcomes us to our national monuments. It lines the streets of our cities and leads the way in our parades. Our flag flies proudly at our job sites, our schools and our places of worship. Our National Ensign sways in the wind aboard our naval vessels and greets us at the gates of our military posts.

The American Flag personifies the patriotism of our elected officials and our government employees. It is a reminder of the commitment and dedication of our nation's police officers and fire fighters. The Stars and Stripes also represents the honor, courage and sacrifice of every American who has served in our armed forces and it drapes the coffins of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Our flag is all of this and much more. It is many things to many people. However, one thing the American Flag was never meant to be is the symbol of a state mandated protest against war. Unfortunately, that is exactly what is happening right here in Michigan.

Governor Granholm has abused her authority by using the American Flag to stir up animosity toward the Bush Administration's management of the war in Iraq. Ordering the flag to be lowered to half-staff every time a service member from Michigan is killed in combat is not authorized by the U.S. Flag Code and yet, that is exactly what she has done. Can you imagine this being national policy? The flag would be at half-staff every day for ten years, just because of the war in Iraq.

The Governor has confused a great number of Michiganders regarding the historical purpose of our National Ensign and has bewildered the state's flag owners with her half-staff protest. On any given day, you can drive down the city streets of any Michigan town and find some flags at full-staff and others at half-staff. Sometimes, these opposing posts will be on adjacent properties. The spirit of the flag has been severely darkened and the significance of lowering the flag to half-staff has been profoundly diminished by this deviation from protocol.

While it is acceptable for individuals to lower their personal flags because of the loss of a loved one, it is inappropriate for the governor to abuse the power of her office in this way. The U.S. Flag Code does not grant her the authority to disparage the American Flag under the guise of honoring our fallen service members. If the policy were meant to be used this way, every flag in the country would stay at half-staff every day. In fact, it would take 95 years just to honor those who died on Iwo Jima, thus eliminating the significance of lowering the flag.

If you have not done so recently, I would ask you to read the U.S. Flag Code. Be sure to look up the half-staff requirements and a governor's authority in subparagraph (m). While you are there, read the segment on Memorial Day. Even on the national holiday for honoring our fallen heroes, the flag is to be lowered to half-staff only until noon, then briskly raised back to the top of it's pole.

Governor Granholm's policy may appear to serve an honorable purpose, but after reading the U.S. Flag Code, one cannot help but question her motives. If Michigan cannot convince her to retract this policy, Michiganders should at least stop participating in her protest. We should all disregard her calls to lower our flags and instead abide by the federal policy. As for me, I have not and will not lower my American Flag at the command of a pretentious and seditious Canadian.

Think First of the Troops

Think first of the troops - Published in the Holland Sentinel on April 16, 2007

The following is a history lesson from a Vietnam veteran. "When I returned from Vietnam in 1968, I was treated like a criminal. While still in Thailand I had secured two tickets over two months in advance on TWA from L.A. to Wichita. One was first class and the other coach. Why? I had been forewarned that the airlines were not honoring the tickets of uniformed military personnel. I had a planned stop at my dad's in L.A. so I could meet my brothers and sisters for the first time, which was so important to me that I delayed getting home to my wife and three children after being gone a year from them.

"After that wonderful visit I arrived at the L.A. airport and learned it was spring break and the planes were loaded with college students going skiing in Arizona. As I stood there I caught stares of anger and disgust from other passengers. I was told by the gate clerk that in spite of having two tickets, there was no room for me on the airplane and I would not be allowed to board. I was one of about six military personnel trying to get home on that flight and none of us were allowed to board.

"Fortunately, there was one person who was openly outraged by this injustice. He loudly insisted that I be allowed to board that plane and return home to my wife and children after being gone a year, serving my country. It was my dad! He made such a fuss that security and supervisors arrived to control the situation.

"In the end, TWA refused to remove any passenger to give me a seat, but did pay a couple to hold their 3-year-old child in their lap to Flagstaff so I could have a seat. Finally, I hugged my dad and boarded the plane under the angry stares of the passengers, especially the college students, dodging the draft and on a holiday. Luckily, the plane from Flagstaff to Wichita was 75 percent empty.

"The Vietnam War Monument in Washington, D.C. was an apology of sorts from the American people for all the hate and pain they put on us and our families as a result of the fervor raised by the media and liberals during that period. Families, including mine, were threatened with suffering and even death, while we were serving in Vietnam. My wife received a number of threatening phone calls and some of these people even came to our home. Eventually, my family had to be protected by local police and federal agents prior to my return. You have no idea how she suffered alone, nor how I endured fear for her safety and that of my children, while thousands of miles from home.

"Freedom is never free or paid off. Please think about what the actions of the few have on the lives of all. Truth is only known when sought and is not found on the 6 o'clock news. Seek the truth and don't let another's agenda influence you. Look on both sides and decide for your self."

This letter carries special meaning for me, as I was one of the three children in this story. I do not frequently hear tales like this from my father or other veterans I know. Most just accept the negative events of their pasts and press on with their lives.

As we debate the necessity of war, supporting our troops and the funding of military operations abroad, we should consider the impact of such debates on the people who are most directly affected, -- the service member and his/her family. If we think of them first, maybe we will choose our words and actions more carefully, thereby avoiding a repeat of past transgressions.

A Prayer for Rosie O'Donnell

Unpublished - A Prayer for Rosie O'Donnell

Rosie O'Donnell and the fans on The View

Having joined the likes of the ACLU

Persecuting Christians on national TV

Attacking the likes of you and me

Comparing the Christians to terrorists abroad

A slap in the face of the one true God

Lucky for them, He's a God of love

Offering forgiveness from heaven above

Salvation available to those who would ask

Redemption through Christ, no humanly task

A prayer for Rosie and the fans on The View

May they come to love Christ and be born anew

And blessed are the persecuted, faithful through strife

Jesus is the way, the truth and the life

An image of my father

Unpublished - An image of my father, by Alan Helvig

It is Father's Day, 2006 and I am daydreaming about my youth. 

When I was about 6 or 7, my father took me on one of our many fishing trips.  We were on our way to a pond, somewhere outside of Wichita, which was known for its rather large bass.  As we were walking down the trail, dad was telling me about things to watch out for, like snakes.  He told me that if I ever saw one, I should freeze and wait for it to slither away.  It couldn't have been but another 100 yards up the trail, when I suddenly had to freeze. 

I did not see the crafty creature; I felt it.  In fact, it was climbing up the inside of my pant leg.  I let out a slight whimper, "Dad" and he turned around to see what was wrong.  Shaking frantically, I told him that there was a snake in my pants.  He looked and sure enough, he saw something moving around down there.  "Hold still", he uttered, with concern in his voice.  "If you move, it may bite you!"  Needless to say, that is not the most encouraging thing to tell a little boy who has a snake in his pants. 

As I trembled with fear, dad put down all the gear and carefully began to open my pants and look inside.  "Hold on bud, I am going to grab it", he whispered.  With tears running down my cheeks, I simply nodded, as I was no longer capable of speaking.  He lunged his hand down my pant leg and grabbed a hold of the beast.  One of us screamed; I can't remember who.  Then dad looked up at me with the biggest smile on his face, as he pulled a cold, slimy, green frog out of my pants. 

After we were done laughing about the whole thing and after someone got a clean pair of undies, we continued onward to the pond for a wonderful day of fishing.  For the rest of my childhood, one of dad's favorite phrases to me was, "If it were a snake, it would have bitten you".  Although he used that phrase when he found something that I had been looking for, it sure takes on a new significance here.