Jan

18

I Love the USA

Filed Under Return To Vietnam | 5 Comments

To Serve & Protect

Hurray!  We are now back on American soil, and again, we are reminded of how very much we love this country.  Visiting Vietnam and Cambodia made it clear how very precious freedom is to a country, a people, and to us as individuals.  To all those who have served America or are currently serving our great country abroad, thank you.  While flying from Singapore and changing planes in Tokyo this morning, we came upon several young soldiers returning to the USA on R&R from Iraq.  Tony gave each of them a small card with the words, “Thank You For Serving.”  Only wish you could have seen their faces.  Wow. Actually brought tears to our eyes knowing that they will soon have to return to combat in a few short weeks.  At any rate, this was an amazing trip/journey.  Tony did incredibly well and we truly enjoyed the people in every place we visited.  Following almost 3 weeks of non-stop travel, we have been flying two days without much sleep since leaving Singapore, yet, before we go to bed tonight in our warm, cozy home, we want to say how much it has meant that so many of you have kept up with our blog.  We have indeed received much joy and encouragement from your prayers and support.  With gratitude,

Jan and Tony

Jan

18

Singapore

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Merlion - Singapore Harbor

Singapore is an island micro-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. It is one of four remaining true city-states in the world. It is the smallest nation in SE Asia. The small island of Singapore, prior to European settlement, was a Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Singapore river. Much of the culture remains today. Later it became one of the most important trading and military centers in the British Empire. Singapore was occupied by the Japanese during WW II and reverted back to British rule following the war. It became an independent Republic in 1965 and has become one of the world’s major economic and tourist centers since that time. Today Singapore is a diverse cultural mixture of many different nations with a predominate Asian influence. It is truly a mixture of old and new customs with the statue of Merlion (mermaid & lion) overlooking the beautiful harbor and safeguarding this intriguing city-state on the southern tip of Malaysia just north of the equator.