SITREP March, 2004 .

Wow... busy times since the last SITREP! You may have noticed our layout changes are continuing. This is a massive effort, redesigning over 2,000 web pages on our site, but when it is done it will be worth all the blood, sweat and tears. The new pages load faster and are so much easier to edit, plus the site looks cleaner and more efficient. Please let us know if you have any suggestions.

My apologies to our new members for the time it took to get you processed in and your web page built. I was also redesigning the Membership section as I was doing this. At one point I had over 150 files open in 17 categories, running 5 programs to make it all come together at once. That's the last time I'll try that! I almost ended up in the loony farm. You think I'm kidding, don't you? - Skip

All the whining aside, be sure to check out our 15 "New Members" in this issue. There are some surprises there. Send an email, welcoming them aboard.

Be sure to check out our new Humanitarian section and read our Humanitarian Report on it's opening page. Larry Hammer, LZ Russell's Humanitarian Director, really out did himself for 2003. We all owe him a debt of gratitude. Click here to read the report and see the pictures.

We have some great stuff in our "Articles" section you will want to read. Some of the folks have sent in some really funny stuff for our "Humor" section too.

I know there is a lot of political controversy over whether our troops should be here, or there, or anywhere. But whatever your political point of view may be, the reality is that every one of our military people are there doing their duty to serve America when called upon to do so. As many of us know from first hand experience, our troops need to know that they are supported by all of us. We also need to support their family and friends who worry about them.

LZ Russell's Chaplain, Greg Bachnik and his wife Susan, worry every day about their son, Terry, who is a young Marine in Afghanistan. We have other members who also have family in the military who may also be in combat zones. Let us know who they are, so we can do something on our web site to recognize them. Let us all pray for these kids, that they are successful in their missions and are returned home to us unharmed.

"I just went to the site and of course applause is coming forth from cyber-space. From me and from all of us. And I thank you for mentioning Terry and asking about others that we might pray and encourage. But I wanted to make a comment about your choice of words "worry every day" and they are fine although not altogether accurate. There is a place in Christ where He supplies His peace. It is supernatural and very real and very wonderful. I wish I could write that your words are not true at all but sometimes, really not very often, we do slip into fear mode and worry. When I see the news too much, when I think too much. There is a verse "You will keep in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" Isaiah 26:3 There is a very real place where there is no worries, mate! And it is the place of the "believer". I "believe" what Jesus says (not always, not every time, every circumstance, every promise but I'm working on it) and therefore have a joy in all this that is indescribable. Being "Born Again" is the door and it is, bottom line, the moment one becomes a believer because then everything changes, everything! I think you will understand and I thank you and love you. - Greg"

Of course, Greg is absolutely right. I stand corrected. Now you know why we picked him as Chaplain.

"Hey guys, Mark Wayland here, really like the new look of the website. I missed the reunion in Orlando, I had 3 deaths in the family in less than one year, and on top of that, my youngest son Casey is now serving with the 222 BOD in Baghdad Iraq. He has been there since November of last year. If you want to visit a very cool website, go to www.waylandproductions.com . He is a comm geek, but a really good one. Lots of cool pictures, video, audio and the like. He is due here in less than a week for R & R. You wanted to know is anyone from the old 3/12 had loved ones in the gulf, that is why I am passing this along. Take care, My prayers are with you all on this Memorial Day - Mark, Semper Fi.

I checked out Casey's web site. GREAT JOB! I'm going to have to get a few tips from him on how he got those video's posted.

Kenny Hein's dad passed away January 7th of this year. He was with the first group of Marines to set the American Flag on Iwo Jima. Later, another flag setting was ordered with a much bigger flag, and that is the one that made the news. The story is in our "Happenings" section.

We have several members who have changed their email address, but have not let us know. Email addresses can also get glitched by our own system, from time to time, without our knowing it. This makes it very hard to send emails to you about what is going on at LZ Russell. So, if you didn't get an email announcement about this SITREP issue, and came in here because of our announcement in our Discussion Forum or some other means, then your email address is probably wrong in our files. Please send us an email to let us know, so we can make the correction.