manwon said:
Flex I am completely with you, although Mr. Mason did apologize, he could still make things right if he is truly sincere. Like you said time will tell, and I am not holding my breath, because in God we trust and everyone else only has their word.
Joey, that is truly a wonderful cue that means more than words can say to me personally. This is truly the tribute you intended it to be, and I understand very well your motivation for wanting it displayed with Honor for all to see. For those who have served our country in a time of crisis there is no better thanks or tribute than something that comes completely from one's heart. I only wish that the Politics that created this entire thread to occur and the people responsible would understand how they are viewed by the people who continue to keep the light on for those who have yet to come home.
Thanks again Joey, and have a great night!!
Manwon,
I appreciate your sentiments and all of the positive feedback I have received from all of the AZers. The many PM?s and posts you all sent are a treasure I will always hold close to my heart.
The posts that you and others have made, touches me deeply and so I would like to share with you my first and now final thoughts about the POW-MIA cue/case.
The frustration of knowing that as an individual I could do very little to help my brothers and sisters fueled a need in me to do something for them, something personal, not conceived for profit or fame.
My first thought of the POW-MIA cue came from the anguish I experienced while watching the news media covering the stories of our soldiers in combat in the Middle East. Occasionally I play pool in regional and national tournaments around the country and thought that it would be nice to create this cue to take into battle on the field of green. Since then the field of green seems to have turned blue. I wanted to use the POW-MIA cue in battle, on the hard, flat slate. It was not meant to be created just to lie in some trophy case, to be traded or collected.
I think the idea was wrought out of frustration, seeing our young men go off to war only to see many of them come back to our country with missing arms and legs and some only to come back in body bags, to be buried and forgotten. SOME NEVER RETURN. It breaks my heart to see their suffering and to know their pain. I was lucky enough to be a fishing partner of a POW from World War II and as his story of suffering and pain unfolded over a period of years, I was able to come to grips with my own personal demons.
The physical injuries of our soldiers are right out there for the world to see or for the world to turn their back on. The real suffering inside each of them is harder to see and will plague many for the rest of their lives. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTST) is a real illness and it brings suffering that seems to last a lifetime and in many cases, does. PTST is difficult to treat and it affects not only the recipient but their family members, friends and all of society.
We as individuals, sit back here in the comforts of our own home, enjoying the fruits of our labor, living the Epicurean lifestyle that America has come to know. All the while, politicians send off our young men to fight for our freedoms and the freedoms of people we don't even know, for reasons that are hard to explain and often impossible to justify. Our soldiers risk life, limb and a lifetime of mental damage that can't be seen and it affects all of us, not just our brave young men and women who serve our country's beck and call. How do you tell a young, formerly, healthy young soldier that their permanent injuries and sacrifices were justified? How do you tell the family who dreads getting up in the morning, knowing that their child will never return and that their sacrifice was justified?
In recent years, I dreamed of a way to reduce the number of wars that America becomes involved in: It is just a dream, nothing more. It revolves around our president, his cabinet, our congressmen and senators. If any of them deem that it is necessary for America to go to war with another country, each of them should be required to send their first born child or perhaps their brother's first born child to the front lines to fight for our country's interests. Perhaps then, we would find a way to get along with our neighbors.
Evil, injustice and man's inhumanity is everywhere, not just abroad and it must be fought and we like all nations send our strongest and bravest young people to answer our country's call to war. This war in the Middle East is going to result in an even greater civil war. It may become one of the most brutal civil wars that have ever been fought. I don't have a solution. It is far too complex and those that would have us bring our young men and women home today, do not bear my resentment. I have great empathy for them, greater than most will ever know. There is a growing risk in the world, a madness that can only result in added world chaos. As I age and try to recognize the warring parties and what they are fighting for, I see age old prejudices based on religion as the single fuel of this madness. Religious factions and countries are siding with one another over money and power, using religious beliefs to stoke the fire of hatred for their neighbors, friends and even family. This poison seems to be in every religion and those in power use it effectively. I would like to think that we are doing some good in the Middle East but it appears we have opened Pandora's Box. History may make the brutal dictator Saddam Hussein look like a moderate before this is over.
It is my empathy that I share with our soldiers and the frustration that I feel as an individual that moved me to create the POW-MIA cue. As an individual, I know that there is little that I can do to resolve the problems of the world. I have enough difficulty taking care of my own little problems in the safe comforts of my own little cocoon, while my young brothers and sisters go off to fight and risk everything that they have for you and me and country.
Many people were consulted for this creation and enormous amounts of time were spent in the creation of this one of a kind POW-MIA cue/case.
When people see the POW-MIA cue/case I want them to take pause and think about the price of war.
This cue's creation was my personal whisper of remembrance, to honor the sacrifices made by all of our soldiers past, present and future; especially the POW's and MIA's. It hurts to know that there is so much noise in the world that my whisper could not be heard.
Joey Aguzin
