# They Bleed Red, so We Wear Red



## Mike Baker (20 Jan 2007)

So I got this in my e-mail, Mods if it has been posted already feel free to deleat it.




Last week, while traveling in Canada on business, I noticed a soldier traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. 

After we boarded our flight, I turned to the soldier, who'd been invited to sit in first class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading 
home. 
No, he responded. Heading out I asked? 
No. I'm escorting a soldier home. Going to pick him up? 
No. He is with me right now.  He was killed in Iraq.  I'm taking him Home to his family.  The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut.  It was an honor for him.  He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the 
news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days.  I turned back to him, 
extended my hand, and said, Thank you.  Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do. 
Upon landing in Canada the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom. 
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honour of having Sergeant Steeley of the Canadian Armed Forces join us 
on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family. I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open 
The forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will turn off the seat belt sign." Without a sound, 
all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am 
proud to be an Canadian. So here's a public thank you to our military men and women for what you do so we can live the way we do. 
Red Fridays. 
Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday. The reason? Canadians who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority."  We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking 
numbers.  We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing. Many Canadians, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of Canada supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday -- and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that .. Every Canadian who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red. 
By word of mouth, press, TV -- let's make Canada on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers.  
If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before Canada is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. 
The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is .."We need your support and your Prayers." 
Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.


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## George Wallace (20 Jan 2007)

Obviously someone has once again taken an American story and Urban Legend and changed it to be "Canadian".  There are no Canadians serving in numbers in Iraq.  That should have been the first thing to set you off.




			
				Michael Baker said:
			
		

> So I got this in my e-mail, Mods if it has been posted already feel free to deleat it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



If you look into the Topic on the US Marine Major who is an Assisting Officer, you would see some similarity to your story, except his story is real.


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## Mike Baker (20 Jan 2007)

Yeah that's what I thought, but it still serves the same purpose and creates the same idea.


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## George Wallace (20 Jan 2007)

Just more proof that Red Friday's was 'stolen' from the US.   ;D


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## Michael OLeary (20 Jan 2007)

http://www.snopes.com/politics/war/redfriday.asp

Red Friday



> Claim: Wearing red on Fridays will demonstrate support for U.S. troops overseas.





> In the spring of 2006, a "wear red on Fridays to show support for the troops" crusade began developing in Canada after Lisa Miller and Karen Boire, the wives of two Canadian servicemen, *thought to adapt the 2005 American exhortation* quoted above to Canadians serving overseas and post the revamped suggestion to their web site, MarriedToTheCanadianForces.com. Their "Red Fridays" movement has been widely publicized and has proved to be very popular among military and non-military families alike. On 23 September 2006, thousands clad in red attended such a rally led by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Parliament Hill.


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## ubique_2 (26 Feb 2007)

My wife was involved with MCF at the time "red Friday" was being pushed by MarriedToTheCanadianForces.com and was interviewed by press a number of times.  The idea may not have been an originally Canadian idea, but you can be assured that it was service sposes that started the push to wear red.  Regardless of who started it, it is a refreshing change to see people wearing red in support of the Canadian soldiers abroad, and I salute those who help spread the word and show their support...

CHIMO


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## armyvern (26 Feb 2007)

I support the Red Friday campaign wholeheartedly, but I don't neglect to give credit to where credit is due, and that is the US mil wives in this case.

Same thing with the yellow ribbons, an American idea from over 15 years ago and adopted by Canadians during the first gulf war.

So yes, spread the word, but do so honestly.


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## Franko (26 Feb 2007)

To be quite honest...the whole "Red Friday" and yellow ribbon campaign doesn't mean a thing unless it's far away from a military base.

Sure there's lots of support in the local military community, but how about in smaller communities like Richibucto, NB....or  Kitsault, BC?

I recently went back down east for a spell and I saw the odd person wearing a red shirt and a yellow ribbon pin.

To me it means a whole hell of alot more when I see it there than anywhere else.

As for who did it first....who cares?

Jeesh, I got back from tour and everyone was talking about the Red Friday thing and I had no idea what they were talking about. 

Almost sounded like the commies had took over.        ;D

Regards


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## Mike Baker (26 Feb 2007)

Recce By Death said:
			
		

> Sure there's lots of support in the local military community, but how about in smaller communities like Richibucto, NB....or  Kitsault, BC?


And my town, right?  ;D We have Red Fridays every week here at our school, and later this year we will have a town wide one, and send stuff like letters, a flag with all our names, pictures, etc. Plus, we might get on Hockey Night In Canada  ;D

Cheers


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## Pea (26 Feb 2007)

Well, My Mom lives in a town of about 500 people or so in Northern Alberta, and there is a small group of the locals (mom included) that wear red on Fridays and have the support ribbons on their vehicles. It always brings a smile to my face when I go home for holidays.


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## GAP (19 May 2008)

They Bleed Red, so We Wear Red
19 May 2008
Article Link

Red Shirt Fridays: There are a couple of web sites out there that advocate wearing red on Fridays to show support for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I’m not sure exactly who is the originator of this idea in the US—I think it actually started in Canada by the wives of some Canadian troops in Afghanistan. But regardless of when or where it started, I would like to show my support for our troops by wearing red on Fridays. In fact, I’ve got a couple of Marine Corps tee-shirts I’ll be wearing. Here is a quote from http://www.redshirtfridays.org/:

The mission of redshirtfridays.org is to show support for our servicemen and women. We are not a political organization. We do not care whether or not one supports or does not support the war. We care only about making our support of our servicemen and women known to our fellow Americans and the world. We are a silent majority that does not wish to remain silent anymore. We need to let our servicemen and women know we support their sacrifice and we will not forget them and we will do this by wearing red on every Friday.
More on link


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## geo (19 May 2008)

Hmmm... red shirt friday hijack?

Oh well, while it was "our" idea, I have no problem sharing a good idea with good friends.

CHIMO!


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## The Bread Guy (23 Aug 2008)

Sorry to revive a necrothread like this, but it took this long for MSM to figure it out (or at least some MSM, considering others appear to have taken it for cash as recently as August of this year) - shared with the usual disclaimer...

*American urban legend adapted for fallen Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan*
Canadian Press, 23 Aug 08
Article link

It's a story that brings a lump to the throat and has even reduced some military families to tears.

It inspires national pride and calls for Canadians to show how much they appreciate the sacrifices of soldiers in Afghanistan by wearing red on Fridays. The problem is - the story is phoney.

A chain e-mail which circulated last month among military families and the general public paints a compelling first-person account of a traveller on an Air Canada flight sitting near a stoic soldier who is escorting the body of a comrade killed in Afghanistan home for burial.

"The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut," the e-mail reads.

"It was an honour for him. He told me that, although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days."

It goes on to say that once the flight arrives in Toronto, the soldier, identified as Sgt. Steeley, is allowed to exit the aircraft while other passengers wait respectfully for the coffin to be unloaded.

"So here's a public thank you to our military men and women for what you do so we can live the way we do," the e-mail said.

The narrator claims to have watched the sergeant saluting on the tarmac as the coffin comes down the ramp.

But, it's all an urban legend.

The Canadian Forces has no record of a Sgt. Steeley.

The bodies of Canadian soldiers arrive at the air base in Trenton, Ont. on military aircraft and are always driven by hearse along Highway 401 to Toronto, which has been renamed "Highway of Heroes."

Soldiers accompanying the dead almost always have a personal connection to them, either serving in the same combat unit - or in the same trade, such as engineers or medics.

Regardless of the truth, Sheldon Posen, a folklorist at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, said the e-mail has all the elements of "the perfect manufactured legend," a tale with a message.

"Someone has come up with a very powerful narrative that's very affecting, that's plausible to support the cause," said Posen.

National Defence said it has no idea where the story originated.

"Through our research this story has been circulating for years and is coming from an unknown source," said public affairs spokesman Jonathan Juteau in an e-mail response.

But a quick Internet search revealed a virtually identical chain e-mail circulated in the U.S. a few years ago, featuring the same Sgt. Steeley on the same solemn mission.

In that case, the fallen soldier was a U.S. marine, the plane was going to Chicago and it too encouraged Americans to support their troops fighting in Iraq by wearing red.

Posen said that would make sense because there is an American cinematic quality to the narrative.

Over thousands of years, different cultures routinely rip off each other's myths to suit their own purposes, he added.

The Internet is a perfect vehicle for urban legends, where they can not only be shared instantly, but adapted quickly to different audiences.

In some cases, the blog chatter in the U.S. was incredulous:

"Again, why people do this is beyond my comprehension," said one posting on The Lighthouse Patriot Journal site, which seeks to debunk myths.

"There are enough real stories of heroism and honour and (it's) not necessary to make up stories such as this."

Even in the age of 24-hour news coverage and reality television, Posen said it's a mistake to think the power of myth-making is on the decline.

"Real life stories are rarely that tidy," he said. "I think (this story) is addressing a perceived need by the military, by military families and those who support the military and want to see something that's more positive about them in the public consciences."

The campaign to encourage Canadians to wear red started in the spring of 2006 as fighting intensified in Afghanistan.

Two military spouses, Lisa Miller and Karen Boire, spearheaded the movement, which became an instant sensation, especially among military families. In September 2006, thousands took part in a "wear red" rally on Parliament Hill to champion the cause.


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## missing1 (23 Aug 2008)

Scum on Facebook and other sites have made this and "support our soldiers" a money making venture, so be careful of the causes you join and who you send money to.


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