Here are some more goodies from "America -- United We Stand," due out in July of this year.

Remember, you are welcome to submit items for consideration to the publishers. You can send them to: america@virtuserve.org

Please remember, all excerpts posted are the property of the publisher, and should not be reposted or redistributed without their consent.


Linda Pauling, Founder, Make-A-Wish Foundation
Twenty-four years ago I lost my son, Chris, to Leukemia. The day that I buried him my life came to an end. I was no longer married; I had lost my only child—the only child I would ever have. Yes, my heart was still beating, and I was still breathing, but nothing mattered to me anymore. I had lost everything worth living for.

My son had one wish in his young life. He wanted more than anything else to grow up to become a policeman. It was his dream; it was all he ever wanted to be. During the last several weeks—days, really—of his life, several wonderful Arizona Highway Patrol officers came into our lives and helped turn Chris’ dream into a reality. On May 3rd, 1980, my little Chris became the State of Arizona’s youngest and ONLY honorary Highway Patrol officer in its history.

These wonderful men and women were, and still are, the finest people I have ever known. Several weeks after Chris’ funeral they came to me with a proposition—why stop now? Why not continue granting the wishes of a lifetime to desperately ill children and their families?

I honestly thought at that point that I was all out of tears. I just didn’t think I had any left to cry. But I did… A whole new reservoir of them. Only now I found myself crying with joy at the prospects of helping and giving to others who were caught up in much the same tragic circumstances I had barely endured.

And that’s when I discovered new meaning in life and a brand new reason to go on living. It is in the loving and the giving to others that one becomes truly alive. I believe that’s why we were all put here and that is what we were all meant to do.

That year, five of us started Make-A-Wish with about $35 and change. Government agencies at the state and county levels helped us… Private citizens and public corporations helped us. The charity and generosity of Americans from every walk of life made me proud to be an American—fiercely proud.

Within that first year we had succeeded in granting the wishes of a lifetime to eight, terminally ill children in the greater Phoenix area. To date, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted over 125,000 wishes to seriously ill children and their families in 27 different countries.

Chris’ legacy—a legacy of courage and unconditional love—will live on in the organization he inspired, and in the hearts and minds of the brave little children all over the world who came after him…



Don Spira, Holocaust Survivor
Mr. Spira, a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, wrote the following letter to President Bush during the Iraqi war. It was written longhand in Yiddish on a sheet of loose-leaf paper, and translated by a Brooklyn social worker for "Guardians of the Sick".


April 9, 2003


Honorable President of the United States, graced by G-D to lead this wonderful nation, guardian and redeemer of international humanity from barbaric, sadistic terrorism:

First and foremost, I want to extend my heartfelt prayers to the merciful and compassionate G-D. May His infinite mercy and eternal generosity grant freedom and security to our country, and bless the army of the United States of America and the coalition of allied forces with much success to win the war against the barbaric and sadistic oppressor and dictator of Iraq.

With feelings of humility and loyalty, I, a simple man, would like to share his deepest feelings with the most powerful and respected person in the world, the President of the United States, may he be blessed.

When I received from the RNC (Republican National Committee) the beautiful photo of your honor, Dear President, I framed and ornamented the portrait with reverence and respect so that it would shine before my eyes. By adorning the wall with this portrait, I receive an enormous amount of strength, energy, and the impetus to introduce myself and write this letter.

I am 94 years old (G-D grant me life till 120). I was born in a town in Poland, occupied at the time by the Austrian government, on June 26, 1909. I still recall the beginning of the Russian-Austrian war at the age of five. My childhood memories are those of struggling for survival-- a thin line between life and death. According to my childish assessment, I then experienced miracles and wonders. However, it seems that I was fated for further suffering.

I was married for eight years, and was well established. I owned my own home and was a partner in a local mill and lumberyard that had many employees. My family consisted of my 75-year-old mother, my young wife and a 9-year old son, my in laws, siblings, and extended family.

All of these innocent souls, unfortunately, were murdered by Hitler's barbaric regime in 1942. They were brutally and sadistically murdered, and died gruesome deaths, for the crime of being Jewish. My assets were confiscated and I experienced horror and terror in the infamous concentration camps.

But, thank G-D, I survived, and on May 5, 1945, was freed by the great American Army. I wandered in UNRA camps in Italy until 1949, when I was deemed worthy to finally reach the joyous waters at the port of the wonderful land of generosity, The United States of America.

In America, my wounds from the Hitler era (may his name be erased) gradually started to heal. I was remarried to a wonderful woman, a widowed daughter of a Talmudic scholar, who had two little orphans. Their father had died while serving in the American Army. I raised the orphans as my own children, gave them a religious education, married them off to wonderful women, and watched them build their own beautiful families. Thank G-D, they have given me lots of pride and satisfaction and are a constant source of nachas (joy) to me.

Nonetheless, the Hitler experience never allowed me to take full pleasure from life-- to genuinely welcome happy family occasions and other joyous events. The unspeakable horrors I had experienced were so deeply ingrained in my conscious and subconscious memory that I could never truly escape them and enjoy life the way other people would.

However, Dear President, observing your tremendous courage, your sense of mission and sense of determination to carry out this purposeful and holy task of war against terrorism, rejuvenated and revitalized my old, frail body. In my humble eyes, you are protecting the world from all barbaric acts of terrorism, making the world a safer place to live in. Finally I feel there is a man who is "sticking up" for us, and is taking revenge for the innocent blood that was spilled like water during the Holocaust. I realize how much pressure and international opposition you had to deal with, and do not have enough words to commend you for withstanding that.

Hopefully, with the help of the Almighty, the United States will be crowned with tremendous success and my refreshed heart will have the opportunity to absorb the good news: that mankind has been rescued from barbaric, sadistic terrorism.

With much respect, I remain a loyal admirer of Your Honor, the President of the United States of America--

Don Spira