Friday, November 11, 2011

Veterans Day 2011 - Heroes Amoung Us


We have so many heroes among  us, so to put a face on it, I will focus on one among us. Pictured in this blog is Todd Torrance from central New York State. He served in the U.S. Army with Fort Drum's 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan and Iraq.  I am using him to represent all of our veteran heroes: past, present and future. One day in Iraq he was on a security mission to protect the funeral procession for an Iraqi official. During this time his Humvee hit an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) which exploded his world. But let us hear it directly from him, as the New York Times featured a fascinating article by him which you can read by clicking here: New York Times, by Todd Torrance.




Above is pictured a tattoo on Todd's right shoulder, which dates his "alive date", the day he survived the road side bomb which took out his Humvee. Note the purple heart, and the 1/71 refers to his unit, the 1-71 Cavalry.


This aftermath of his alive date has culminated in having his date with Danielle, now his fiancĂ©e. If this were a movie, one could say this is the fitting ending to an amazing story, but alas, it is the beginning of great things to come for a survivor.

When I asked Todd to make a final statement for this blog, his final answer was to flash another tattoo for the camera. Click on his picture to see it larger. If the tat sounds familiar, you may also see it in 1 Thess. 5:24. 

In thanks to Todd and to all of our veterans, please view the following video, Thank you for my Freedom:



Saturday, November 5, 2011

Marjorie Bourne - A force to reckon with in speedboat racing during the early 1900s.


Marjorie Bourne, daughter of Commodore Frederick G. Bourne, won the above trophy in the 1911 Thousand Islands Yacht Club speedboat race. (Photo by Patty Mondore, copyright Gold-Mountain). Marjorie and her boat, called the Moike, are pictured below. The antique speedboat can still be seen today in Clayton's Antique Boat Museum in the Thousand Islands.


F.G. Bourne brought the Singer Sewing Machine/Manufacturing Company to its worldwide success. He also had built what is now called Singer Castle on Dark Island, a famous tourist destination spot. After his death, Marjorie owned the castle for many years.