United We Roll at Stardust Radio

Wow – can you all believe that this is already the last day of March 2009? Not only that, it is the Eve of April Fool’s Day – the day when we can pull all the practical jokes we like and blame the doing of it on the date.

According to Wikipedia ….
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day, although not a holiday in its own right, is a notable day celebrated in many countries on April 1. The day is marked by the commission of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbors, or sending them on fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible.

Traditionally, in some countries, the jokes only last until noon: like UK, Australia, New Zealand And Canada, someone who plays a trick after noon is called an "April Fool".[1] Elsewhere, such as in Ireland, France, and the USA, the jokes last all day. Another origin is that April 1 was counted the first day of the year in France. When King Charles IX changed that to January 1, some people stayed with April 1. Those who did were called "April Fools" and were taunted by their neighbors.

Water on Mars: In 2005 a news story was posted on the official NASA website purporting to have pictures of water on Mars. The picture actually was just a picture of a glass of water on a Mars Candy Bar.[41]

www.howstuffworks.com does an annual bogus article. In 2006, it was "How Animated Tattoos Work"; ….. in 2008, "How the Air Force One Hybrid Works"

Perhaps an older one, but still one of my favorites …. Left Handed Whoppers: In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side.[7] Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the "old", right-handed burger

Check out Wikipedia for a much longer list of some of the pracitical jokes that have been pulled by a variety of sources. And, find out if your location allows jokes after noon, make your list - then go have some fun.

Now on with our show for this week - Once again, the volunteers from United We Roll and Stardust Radio are very proud to bring you fresh new interviews with deployed US military members who will share information about their missions, their military experiences and their beliefs as to why they do what they do and what it means to them. We will have four visits from Heroes of Freedom today who made time in their long duty days so they could let us know what is happening where they are – real news from those who are making the news.

Don’t forget that, in addition to listening to our live show on stardustradio.com, you can go to our archive site and download tapes of our shows on MP3 format at www.stardustradio.info and you can check our blog through the United We Roll page at www.stardustradio.com .

Joining us today first will be SPC Nicole Willson, who is deployed with the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne. SPC Willson has a background as a medic and will share with us not only some of her military experiences but also her love of our country that brought her to serve as a protector of our freedom.

Next we will visit with two guests who were able to take some time out to join us. First will be LTC Deb Lee and then we will talk with SMSgt Mark Onken. Lt. Col. Debra Lee is the Commander of the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron which handles the insight landings and takeoffs of the Predator before handing it off to pilots and sensors based elsewhere. LTC Lee will lead us through a fascinating tour of the Predator, an incredible unmanned air vehicle that saves lives in many ways. Check our blog for a link to an article with more information on this guest and the Predator.

In this same time spot, we will hear from SMSgt Mark Onken who is the Flight Chief, Readiness & Emergency Management Flight. This team that SMSgt Onken heads up, is called in when there is a possibility of a hazardous material that is found on base or that may appear to be in a package through the postal service and so on. Their job is critical to the safety of those around them and they must be totally focused on their mission, with frequent training and preparations. We have some photos in our blog of these brave Heroes of Freedom at work.

Our third interview will be SSG Jamie Powell, who is deployed with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing/Force Protection. SSG Powell has a background in computers, but volunteered for this deployment where she is involved in the security for the base and of those with whom she serves. She also that opportunity to interact with members of the local community on a daily basis. Jamie, who is also married to an Air Force member, brings us a wonderful visit.

Our fourth guest today with be LTC Michael Thomas of the 91st Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade. The 91st MP’s are known as the “Guardians” and after hearing the information that LTC Thomas has to share with us today, you will certainly understand why. This historic battalion was first formed in June 1945 and has served our country with distinction and honor. We did have some phone difficulties and did lose the connection at the very end, but LTC Thomas sent us a message he would like for me to share with you all and we will do that after we hear his visit.

There is another service of Heroes that we do not hear enough from – the US Coast Guard. If you go to their website at http://www.uscg.mil/ you will see that they are sending in the Pararescue swimmers who are jumping from helicopters into the swollen flood waters in N Dakota to help save the lives of our water trapped neighbors to the north. The Coast Guard does so much in and out of our country to protect us, our families and our homes. We thank you, members and families of the US Coast Guard – and we will have more on this fine service to come.

As always, we are extremely honored to bring you these visits with our Heroes of Freedom. And, we are very honored to have you, our listeners, join us each week as we receive these incredible stories and news while it is being made.