Publisher’s note:  A lot of people would deny that we in America are seeing a growing problem with jihadi’s, CAIR, and all of those associated with it.  The United West travels around the United States and the world warning about and exposing this rapid encroachment.  The following recent video was shot in Miami, FL.  Please watch this important footage to the very end.  To learn more about The United West and the important work they do, click here.

The United West…  

As an American Patriot, I can’t think of anything better to do on a Saturday evening than to welcome home our veterans. Whether they are returning from a recent deployment in the middle-east or from a special trip to DC and Virginia to remember their fallen comrades from past wars, it is heart-warming to see their faces light up when they come up the ramp from the terminal and see the cheering crowds of those on hand to welcome them.

Such was the case Saturday night at Palm Beach International Airport as upwards of 3500 cheering men, women, and children; Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, family members, members of the Knights of Columbus, Bag Pipers, ROTC Cadets, current and former members of the Military, and so many more all showed up to say “thank you” to 94 members of ‘The Greatest Generation’ as they came home on an Honor Flight.  

On Thursday morning, they departed from PBI to attend the ceremonies commemorating the 70th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion of the Allied Forces into Europe, which led to victory over the Nazis less than a year later.  The Honor Flights are always very special, however this particular one, a two day event, was even more so.  

After two days of visiting places like Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and of course the World War II Memorial, and being treated like the returning heroes they are all around the town, they came home.  The individual stories of the past two days are countless.  I talked to a few of them; guys like Joe Garber who told me about all the autographs he and they signed and how he had been a POW during the last year of the war, about all the thanks they received, the photos they took, and the hospitality.  I heard of another story, which I’ll be following up on soon concerning the passing of a very special jacket.  There was so much more.  However, the real story of tonight was the final surprise for these men.

They didn’t know was what waited for them in the terminal.  You see, few of them are aware of the greeting they have in store.  They don’t know that so many people are waiting to cheer for them, hug them, shake their hands, and just thank them for a job well done.  As they came down the hall, some in wheel chairs, others walking, and every one of them just reaching out to as many as they could, throwing kisses to the crowd while shedding tears of joy….lots of them.  

For the most part, these veterans, many of them survivors of that fateful day, were just scared kids barely out of High School in 1944; some of them probably didn’t even shave yet, but they answered the call and did what they had to do, so that we could have the chance to do what we all do.  They became battle hardened men that day, and they carried home the impossible to forget memories of fallen comrades and the hellish nightmares of war.

Sometimes it becomes impossible as a reporter to simply take notes and scribe what I see, and not get caught up in the moment.  I love these guys, and I fully understand that if not for what they did at that crucial moment in our history; if they hadn’t risked their very lives and run toward the gunfire on our behalf, if they hadn’t been successful, the freedoms we enjoy would have come to an end and instead of being our ‘Greatest Generation,’ they would have been our final generation.  We can never adequately repay them.  God bless them one and all.

It doesn’t get much better for Palm Beach International Airport than when they become host to a Southeast Florida Honor Flight for our Veterans.  This past Saturday was one of those days. In the wee hours of the morning, eighty-two WWII Veterans got up extra early and made their way to PBI with their guardians for the day to take part on such a flight with the Southeast Florida Honor Flights.  

In case you haven’t heard about it, Honor Flights are being conducted around the country to escort our Veterans of WWII; and as soon as possible, Veterans from Korea and Vietnam will be so honored at their respective War Memorials in Washington DC.  Every effort is made to contact all of these heroes and get them to and from the airports and around DC, and finally back home; and it is done so that they have a great time and a memory they’ll never forget. 

For the most part, except for a handful of well-wishers, the terminal was empty when these men and women departed for DC at O Dark Thirty on Saturday morning.

It’s a hectic day of travel; they flew to DC, visited the WWII Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and Arlington National Cemetery, had a nice lunch, and then headed back to the airport for the flight home.  And that’s when it really gets good; you see, few, if any of them are aware of what awaits them upon arrival at the airport.  The plane is greeted with a Fire Truck escort and crosses under an arch of water from the hoses.  

Once at the gate, everyone is carefully and gently deplaned and ‘stalled’ so that they can all head up the terminal together.  That’s when they start seeing what’s waiting for them at the turn.  As this short video courtesy of the PB Hogs shows, first the bagpipes fall in line in front of them, led by a PBSO Trike with lights a blazing.  The moment they turn into the main part of the terminal, they are greeted by the cheers, handshakes, hugs, and singing of the over 2000 Patriots that came out to welcome them home.  

While we were waiting for them to come up the aisle, I had the chance to chat with a few of those who came out; one of them Mr. Norman Cabana was on the last Honor Flight and was proud to now be on the welcoming end.  When the Vets came up the ramp, nothing but tears of joy, the A Cappella tunes of the ‘Sunsation’ Quartet, laughter, and the warmth of what makes America great filled the terminal from one end to the other, and it was indeed a day no one involved will ever forget. 

Take a beautiful day on Palm Beach Island, add several dozen great conservative people for a fundraiser, surprise the head of the foundation with a visit by Brigitte Gabriel, and you have the makings of a great day for everyone in attendance.

Several months ago, two very busy ladies in Palm Beach County, Clai Reading and Audrey Dalton started putting their minds together along with a lot of other people to arrange today’s very successful fund raising event for the Allen West Foundation.  

Fundraisers for the Allen West Foundation, like most fundraisers, are not usually what one might call newsworthy, and can become a bit ho hum; so Clai and Audrey decided to do something different for the Congressman.  

During his public career, he has never been one to shy away from speaking out about the enemies we face, including the perils of radical Islam and the threat it poses.  Along the way, he has become a fan and friend of Brigitte Gabriel; a woman who lived through a youth robbing hellish nightmare at the hands of terrorists, and who is the founder and CEO of Act for America.  

As such, she has been sounding the alarm and spreading her message to all that will listen, including government agencies, Fox News, corporate entities, and at countless gatherings around the country and world.  

Knowing of their friendship, Clai reached out to Brigitte and asked if she could attend and perhaps say a few words.  Ever the friend and patriot, Brigitte could not say yes fast enough.  

Arranging for her to get to Palm Beach was the easy part.  The really tough part was keeping her visit a secret from Allen West because, well, he gets around and knows people, they talk.  

In my travels, I not only report on such events, sometimes I also get to be a small part, and today was one of those days.  I had the distinct honor and privilege to unveil the surprise and introduce Brigitte into the room.  After a rousing round of applause, she did what she does best.

She spoke as effortlessly a fish swimming in water and briefly told the gathering about how she and the Congressman met, how many she has seen come and go in DC, and how Congressman West understands as few do the very real threats we face.  Before closing her remarks and bringing him up to the podium, she did chide him just a bit about one day becoming President West, which got a loud round of applause. 

That’s when he took to the podium and discussed the Allen West Foundation and what it stands for. The foundation is really simple enough and is all about getting back to basic values, the principles of our founders, and the things that made America great. 

During his very brief commentary, he discussed his youth and how he walked past the final resting place of Dr. Martin Luther King daily on his way to school; how at the time he was born, his parents could not even have crossed the bridge to get to the place where today’s event was held in his old district.  

He brought his comments to a close by mentioning the day back in 1787 when after finalizing the establishment of this nation, Dr. Benjamin Franklin was asked, “Dr. Franklin, what sort of government have you given us?”  To which he replied, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”  

He mentioned that encounter with Dr. Franklin because the answer was not so much to the woman who posed it as it was broadly to We the People, then and now, as a whole.  

And that is the essence of what the Allen West Foundation is really all about…keeping our Republic.

You can find out much more about the Allen West Foundation by clicking here, and you may also gain more information about Act for America by clicking here.