“The United States believes strongly in what you call soft power, the value of democracy, the value of the free economic system, the value of making sure that each citizen is free and free to pursue their own God-given ambitions and to use the talents that they were given by God. And that is what we say to the rest of the world. That is why we participated in establishing a community of democracy within the Western Hemisphere. It’s why we participate in all of these great international organizations.

“There is nothing in American experience or in American political life or in our culture that suggests we want to use hard power. But what we have found over the decades is that unless you do have hard power — and here I think you’re referring to military power — then sometimes you are faced with situations that you can’t deal with.

“I mean, it was not soft power that freed Europe. It was hard power. And what followed immediately after hard power? Did the United States ask for dominion over a single nation in Europe? No. Soft power came in the Marshall Plan. Soft power came with American GIs who put their weapons down once the war was over and helped all those nations rebuild. We did the same thing in Japan.

“So our record of living our values and letting our values be an inspiration to others I think is clear. And I don’t think I have anything to be ashamed of or apologize for with respect to what America has done for the world.

“We have gone forth from our shores repeatedly over the last hundred years… and put wonderful young men and women at risk, many of whom have lost their lives, and we have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury them in, and otherwise we have returned home… to live our own lives in peace.”

– Secretary of State Colin Powell, at the World Economic Forum, 26 January 2003, responding to an assertion by George Carey, former Archbishop of Canterbury, that the United States ”is in danger of relying too much upon the hard power and not enough upon building trust”.

For Postcard Friendship Friday — and the Friday before we celebrate our Independence Day — I would like to present these reminders that American men have not been the only guardians of our freedom.  The United States Postal Service apparently felt that the theme of women who protect and defend us is worth repeating as well.

The postcard pictured is a Postal Service-issued postcard that reproduces the “Women in Military Service” 32-cent stamp, issued on 18 October 1997, which was also the date of the dedication of the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at the gates of Arlington National Cemetery.  A 3-cent stamp with a very similar theme (but which unfortunately omitted the Coast Guard) was issued on 11 September 1952.  The Department of Defense used the latter stamp to impress upon women the option of a military career.

Although the Postal Service has issued other stamps honoring individual women who served or contributed — pioneers in aviation, medicine, and other fields — I think that these stamps say it best.

My favorite woman in uniform (excluding those with whom I served) is without a doubt Rear Admiral Grace Hopper (1906-1992), a pioneer in computing.  Among other achievements, she brought forth the idea that we could program computers using words and syntax that resembled human languages, instead of having to use the ones and zeroes of the machine.  (She’s also credited with the saying that “It’s easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission” which, in my opinion, is how most progress is made.)

Be sure to stop by the other blogs celebrating Postcard Friendship Friday.

“Scaling new heights at Lackland AFB! Air Force Recruits face long days and demanding physical challenges as they are transformed from civilians into proud members of the United States Air Force! Lackland AFB, located adjacent to San Antonio, Texas, is the world’s largest military training center.”  This is a card that I bought when I went through basic training there myself, long, long ago.  Note the janitor-style uniforms which, thankfully, were phased out in favor of camouflage.  Also note that, instead of boots, we were allowed to wear sneakers on the Confidence Course.  Afterward, the instructors took us all out for ice cream.  No, not really, but I’m sure that any soldiers or Marines looking at this card are making fun of me.  (As a former airman, I am still entitled to make fun of the Navy.  Except for the SEALs.)

But since we’re on the subject of our men and women in uniform, this is an excellent opportunity to tell you about Move America Forward’s second annual “Troop-a-thon” Care Package Drive, an eight-hour event to be hosted live on 25 June 2009.  According to MAF, “The goal of the project is to send care packages to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the 8-hour event that will be broadcast on the Internet, radio and TV, viewers are encouraged to sponsor care packages for the troops as the guests and hosts discuss various topics related to supporting our troops. Care packages will include items that our military personnel have requested, and each comes with a personalized note from the sponsor.”  Last year, they were able to ship 12,000 care packages.

For more information, please visit http://www.troopathon.org.  And tell your friends!

Here’s a still from the original Star Trek series (“The Menagerie”, 17 November 1966) featuring Susan Oliver as an Orion slave girl, and is one of 30 cards in the Star Trek Postcard Box by Chronicle Books.

Susan Oliver is my hero.  The fan site SusanOliver.info carries images of a letter and photo she sent to a fan back in 1966, an Air Force sergeant in Vietnam.  In the letter, she expresses pride in those who serve.  There are a number of entertainers today who would do the same, but it seems that it’s a small percentage overall. Sadly, Susan Oliver passed away in 1990.

Don’t forget: there’s only three weeks to the Star Trek Movie Launch, so click the link and get showtimes and tickets. Naturally, the new Star Trek movie features an Orion slave girl as well. Better than the original? You be the judge.

“December 7, 1941, Japan’s sneak attack on Pearl Harbor sinks the Arizona, Oklahoma and Utah. The Oklahoma was salvaged and scrapped. The remaining six battleships returned to duty. U.S. Losses: 2388 killed, 1178 wounded, 12 ships sunk or beached, 9 damaged, 164 aircraft destroyed, and 159 aircraft damaged.” This modern chrome postcard was published by the late WW2Cards.com. My guess is that the original photo started out as a black-and-white photo, and was taken from either Ford Island or Hickam Field.

I couldn’t let Air Force Day go by without a salute to my brothers and sisters in blue. I thought I’d post a card that isn’t typical of what people think when they think “Air Force.”

“The Huskie, displayed at the AF Museum, W-PAFB (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base), Ohio, was used primarily for crash rescue and aircraft fire-fighting. It carried two rescuemen/fire fighters and a fire suppression kit suspended beneath the aircraft. It could often reach a crashed airplane before ground vehicles arrived. Foam from the kit plus the powerful downwash of air from the rotors could open a path through flames allowing rescuers to reach crash victims.”

This helicopter had only an 860 horsepower engine, but it had a top speed of 120 miles per hour and a range of 185 miles. It’s a little over 17 feet high and 47 feet long, and the rotors are as long as the craft itself. It had a ceiling of 25,000 feet. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to be up that high in a chopper, watching passenger jets cruise by.

This is a memorial in my hometown which is inscribed with the names of all the local folks who have gone to war, including my stepfather. My mom found this card and sent it to me inside of a greeting card, though I guess she originally planned to just send the card itself through the mail. “Saw this card and remembered your visit and the monument with Joe’s name. Here’s one for your collection. Hope all are well. Oops! I wrote upside down!” That’s my mama.

Another modern reproduction from the late WW2Cards.com. “The USAAF’s version of the civilian Douglas DC-4. With a crew of six and no armaments, later versions were able to carry up to 49 passengers.”

Lest there be any doubt: The Cold War did not end, it was won, and it was won by these guys. The aircraft at the top of the postcard is a B-52, while the headquarters building is pictured below.

I was stationed here from August 1986 through November 1989, and worked in this building (though not the part that you can see above ground in this photo). I loved the work; it was always comforting to know just how many minutes I had to live (usually about 12) on the off chance that the Soviets decided that their submarines were getting too heavy and needed to release some of their missiles. But Bellevue, Nebraska was not the most exciting locale for a young airman.

We had a saying about Offutt Air Force Base: once you get on it, you never get Offutt — but I needed to. Finally, I decided that the only way I was going to PCS out of there was to put an 88 on my dream sheet — that is, volunteer worldwide. I quickly received new orders — for Southwest Asia.