"The Order of the Silver Rose"

A Free Award Issued to Honor Agent Orange Victims of The Vietnam War

The Silver Rose was founded in 1997 by Mary Elizabeth Marchand after the loss of her father Navy Career man Chief Frank Davis to Agent Orange related lung cancer. Mary Elizabeth petitioned the President of The United States for her fathers Purple Heart after his death and was turned downed. Chief Davis died for his country as evidenced by the 100% disability rating he was given for his cancer. All Mary Elizabeth wanted was a line on his military record ( his DD214 ) showing that he was a hero and that his cancer was a sure a sign of gallantry as a wound of war, as sure as any injury he would have received on the battlefield. He wasn't good enough for a Purple Heart but he was good enough for the Silver Rose, a flower made of plastic and covered with Mylar silver that had been given to him while he was in intensive care by Mary Elizabeth's dear friend just a short time before his death. A healing medal of great Honor and Courage and Remembrance was born that day after the loss of Chief Davis.Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant is and was a weapon of war deployed by American Forces against the enemy during the Vietnam War. Accidentally many of our own servicemen and women were also wounded and killed by it. The death and sicknesses continue to this date.

For these wounds according to statutory law and military specifications and regulations, as well with all other wounds received in a combat zone our Agent Orange heroes qualify for The Military Order of the Purple Heart. However, no Military Order of the Purple Heart has ever been awarded to a Vietnam veteran for Agent Orange wounds. This is a grave injustice.

In our quest for the Purple Heart we have learned that ignorance is contagious and misery knows no fatherland. There is no copyright on pain and no statue of experience garnered through wading through miles of red tape, trying to find someone with the courage necessary to force the President to enforce existing law and give our armed forces all they ask for.....Simple Justice.

There can be no doubt that Vietnam combat veterans exposed to this deadly defoliant and identified under the Agent Orange Act of 1991 deserve Purple Hearts. There are currently 8 types of cancers currently recognized by the Veterans Administration as connected to Agent Orange Exposure. Plus Spinal Bifida that is affecting the Children of Veterans. To add more insult to injury there are 28 types of soft tissue Sarcoma's that are recognized by the VA and finally an additional 3 sicknesses with time limitations are recognized. Sadly no one has sounded an alarm to warm Veterans that over 18 Million Gallons of Agent Orange Dioxins were dumped on Vietnam over the duration of the war. Meanwhile sadly hundreds and who knows maybe thousands are sick and dying this very day.

The Order of the Silver Rose begins its history by predicting its own demise. It is necessary but, the Order of the Silver Rose is not intended to become a permanent addition to the list of medals currently awarded to military personnel. The Order of the Silver Rose is designed to call attention to the many heroes of Vietnam, personnel who have fought their battles in Vietnam, in courts of law and in Congress under the Agent Orange Act of 1991. The American Governments responsibility to combat veterans who are victims of Agent Orange has already been determined, The money has been allotted and the program is working. All that remains to make these heroes reward complete is their honor. The Purple Heart which will recognize them for their sacrifices and pain. The price for the medal is a small price to pay for Honor. Our prices as Vietnam Veterans were and are now much higher.

Our goal is a Purple Heart for every Combat Veteran identified under the 1991 Agent Orange Act. In the meantime we intend to offer The Silver Rose to all qualified veterans until the day the Purple Heart is issued. The Award is free and all that is necessary for a Veteran or the family of a veteran that has been lost to receive this award is to forward:

1.) A copy of a veterans DD214, showing that he or she served in a combat zone where Agent Orange was deployed as determined through Pentagon records by the Veterans Administration Ratings Ruling.

2.) A copy of that person's medical file showing treatment for Agent Orange related sicknesses or cancers.

3.) Fill out an application for The Order of the Silver Rose Award.

Let it never be forgotten that we do not wish to award Silver Roses. We want the Purple Heart for those Combat Vietnam Veterans who have earned them nothing more. Withholding Purple Hearts from these thousands of American heroes destroys morale among the troops and violates Public Law, Executive Orders and Military Regulations thereby necessitating the creation of this society. We shall continue our activities on behalf of Agent Orange victims until such time as the Purple Heart has been awarded to combat victims of Agent Orange. When that takes place no futher Silver Roses shall be awarded, because having done its job, The Order of The Silver Rose shall happily disband.

For further and much more detailed information regarding this

free award please feel free to contact me at any time.

The National Director of the Silver Rose

Gary J. Chenett

C/O Coble's Shady Oaks

1301 Jim's Smokehouse Road Rockport, Texas 78382

361-727-0445

ftizzyfrog@2fords.net

Gary Chenett is a Vietnam Combat Veteran who served proudly from February of 1967 until February of 1968 with the U.S. Army. He was with the First Infantry Division Ist Squadron 4th. U. S. Calvary. B Troop. Gary's tour of duty was as a machine gunner on an Armored Personnel Carrier ( APC). In June of 1993 he lost half of his left lung due to Agent Orange related lung cancer. He immediately was given service related disability for his sickness. In November of 1998 he was given the Prestigious Honor of receiving The Silver Rose. Mary Elizabeth Marchand the Founder of the Silver Rose sadly passed away at a young age in April of 1999 and Gary assumed the Directorship of the Silver Rose in July of 1999.

"If the lifespan of The Order of The Silver Rose is brief, It will have accomplished it's purpose, and thousands of service personnel and their families will have the small comfort of knowing that although their sacrifices have been great, The men and women they sent to Vietnam so long ago truly gave their lives for their country. We must thank them and Honor their memories."

Sign the Pledge to Honor Our Vietnam Veterans!

We must continue to honor our

veterans and fallen soldiers who sacrificed

everything to fight for our country in Vietnam.

The Vietnam War is the longest-running war in American history. It claimed over 58,000 American soldiers.

As the years pass, we must continue to honor veterans and fallen soldiers who sacrificed everything for America in Vietnam.

We cannot forget about the 98,000 who were left disabled, the 5,000 who lost limbs, the 800 prisoners of war, or the 2,000 who, to this day, still have not been accounted for.


We must also pay tribute to the soldiers who returned and faced difficulties coming back into society. Many of them were met with disrespect, the American public having blamed them — not the government — for the war. Many sustained severe PTSD. Some described the after-effects of Vietnam to be worse than the war itself.

Sign the pledge declaring your support for all of the Vietnam service members — both the fallen soldiers and living veterans — for their tremendous sacrifice to our country.

http://www.theveteranssite.com/clickToGive/campaign.faces?siteId=10&campaign=VietnamVeterans

Sponsored by: The Veterans Site


Angie Green and 12,005 others recommend this.

Perseids meteor shower peaked Aug 13, still visible tonight!

“The Perseids meteor shower radiate[s] out from the constellation Perseus, which is located in the eastern horizon during August,” Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration acting administrator Nathaniel Servando said in an astronomical diary.

But Servando said the bright moonlight may interfere with the view of fainter meteors. “Meteors are easiest to see if there is no moonlight and light pollution at all.” He added August is one of the most popular times of the year to observe meteor showers.


Constellations visible 
Servando also said constellations like Leo, Ursa Major, Virgo, Libra, Scorpius, and Sagittarius are most prominent during August.

At the northwestern horizon, the constellation of Leo, the Lion, is about 30 degrees from the horizon. “In this constellation, an asterism known as the inverted Question Mark, or sometimes known as the scythe, can be figured out,” Servando said.

He elaborated that such an asterism represents the head of the lion.
Visible in the north are the constellations of Ursa Major, the Great Polar Bear, and Ursa Minor, the Small Polar Bear.

Another asterism can be found along the constellation of Ursa Major, the well-known Big Dipper.

“Navigators at night use the Big Dipper to locate the North Star Polaris. By using the distance between the two stars Dubhe and Merak, on the tip of the ladle just measure five times the distance downward to determine the position of the North Star, Polaris,” Servando said.

Facing the south, zodiac constellations can be found, including the constellation of Virgo on the southwestern horizon.

Libra, the Scale, Scorpius, the Scorpion, and Sagittarius, the Archer, follow Virgo on the southeastern horizon, respectively.

Even the Southern Cross (Crux), the smallest constellation in terms of area, can be seen, and points out the South Pole. On its left are Alpha Centauri and Beta Centauri.

“Using a telescope, Alpha Centauri will reveal another companion star, called Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to Earth, which is only 4.3 light years away,” Servando said.

Planets visible
Servando said Mercury can be observed during the first week of August, in the western horizon after sunset.
It will reappear from sky view in the eastern horizon, 30 minutes before sunrise during the last week of August.
But Venus will be lost from view in the sky during August, as it will pass behind the Sun as viewed from the Earth on Aug. 16. Venus will become visible again in October.

Mars will be visible in the early morning hours throughout August, easily identified by its reddish color.
Jupiter will be visible in the morning sky throughout the month and will lie among the background stars of the constellation Aries, the Ram.

“With the aid of modest-sized telescopes, major atmospheric features such as the two dark equatorial belts will be seen. Jupiter will be easy to identify with the naked eye because of its brightness and does not twinkle like stars,” Servando said.

Saturn can also be observed in the evening sky throughout the month above the western horizon, among the background stars of the constellation Virgo, the Maiden.

It will appear as a yellowish brown shining at magnitude +1.29, and can be seen with a simple pair of binoculars.
Larger telescopes can bring out its other spectacular features — such as its satellite, Titan and the Cassini Division in its rings.

Uranus and Neptune will appear as blue spots in the sky if viewed from a telescope.

“Both planets will be observed from late in the evening until dawn throughout the month. Uranus will be glowing at a magnitude of +5.78 while Neptune will be dimmer at magnitude +7.83. The planets will lie among the background stars of the constellation Pisces, the Fish, and Aquarius, the Water Bearer, respectively,” Servando said. — JE, GMA News
By Dan OBrien

Can behavior problems be a sign of giftedness?

Yes, absolutely. Children who are gifted are often mistakenly suspected of having ADHD or other disabilities with behavioral elements.

That may be because along with other gifted characteristics, many gifted children exhibit so-called sensory sensitivities, which can make them seem difficult or uncooperative.

Such kids may become exhausted by classroom noise or be distracted or disturbed by the flicker and buzz of fluorescent light. They may complain about scratchy shirt labels or sock seams and recoil from bright lights, harsh sounds, "bad" smells, or certain food textures. They may also talk rapidly or compulsively, have boundless energy, or display compulsive habits or tics.

Heightened sensitivity combined with heightened intensity is known as overexcitability. Kids with emotional overexcitability experience a more intense range of emotions – whether happy, sad, or angry – than a regular kid. Sensitive kids are more prone to depression, guilt, and physical responses to emotions, such as stomach pains or headaches due to anxiety.

Some gifted kids' brains consume glucose far more quickly than is typical. If their blood sugar levels dip too fast, it can cause sudden, inexplicable meltdowns, poor judgment, or lack of impulse control. (Frequent high-protein, low-sugar snacks can alleviate this problem.)

Very bright children are often unusually strong willed, negotiate like lawyers, use sarcasm to make a point, refuse to suffer fools, or are overly critical. Sometimes, gifted children are disruptive in classrooms because they refuse to do exercises they consider to be busywork. Of course, all of this can be true of any kid, it's just more so for gifted children. Misbehavior in the classroom can sometimes indicate that grade-skipping could be in order.

So how can you tell whether your child's misbehavior is due to giftedness? One sign is if the unwanted behavior is specific to a situation. Maybe your child mucks up only at school. But at home, he's consumed with a project or pastime, often getting lost in the activity and losing track of time, or isn't easily deterred from the task (he doesn’t hear you calling him for dinner because he's engrossed in a book, say).

If that's the case, you may have a gifted kid on your hands. In either case, misbehavior needs to be dealt with and not just tolerated, regardless of the reason for it.

Another way of teasing out giftedness versus straight-up misbehavior is to observe how your child acts in settings where he's engaged in activities he likes with kids who share his interest and abilities. If he's focused, engaged, and cooperative, that may explain why he acts out in situations where he's not stimulated enough.


Written in consultation with Linda Powers Leviton, a psychotherapist specializing in the needs of the gifted, and James T. Webb, a clinical psychologist and lead author of "A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children".