BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Native American Geronimo?

I think it's a card box. But if you want an easier suggestion, use a deep basket with a bow on it, maybe some flowers. Put one card in to "prime" the basket and everyone will know what it's for. I've used baskets for cards at the last 20 or so weddings and doing it again this month.

My apologies to everyone for being so far off topic.
Beetlemess, I hope this suggestion will work for Bridezilla and Groom-Mothra, saving you some time and effort.

Welcome indinB and thank you for your post. A friend forwarded me an article by Kenneth Cohen, entitled:

"Would the U.S. Navy Kill Lincoln? On Geronimo and the Persistence of Stereotypes"

He couldn't believe this code name was used either and referenced the many, many Native Americans who have and continue to serve honorably and protect our Country. The title of the article caught me off guard. However, the point was that using the code name of Geronimo to denote bin Laden was just as offensive as if they had used Lincoln or Washington.

I know that procedures for radio transmissions are unique to each branch of the military, and units can have their own particular protocol. Beetlemess provided two possible interpretations of the radio transmission. He's served in both the Navy and the Marines, and is our best source right now.

I have only heard the message repeated and seen it printed. I have not heard an actual recording and don't know if what was made public is the entire radio transmission. So I don't know whether:

Geronimo refers to bin Laden OR
It was the radioman identifying himself/unit as Geronimo and then stating the message, E KIA (enemy, killed in action)

Both of these are valid possibilities. As to which one is correct, that can only be cleared up by the Navy Seals, and they don't talk much. Until they do explain, I'm going to stay on the fence.

I am still inclined to believe 'Geronimo' was the code for the Seals team. Somewhere in a code like that, the sender has to be identified. E is for 'enemy', KIA is killed in action, so 'Geronimo' must be the Seals team.

Geronimo was so clever at avoiding detection, so it was always a surprise when he did appear and accomplish his task. It was like the game we played when we were kids. "Geronimo!" was our yell when we jumped out from our hiding place and attacked. It was not just my siblings and I who honored Geronimo like this, every kid we knew at that time was into hero worship of Geronimo.

I might be on the fence about this, but I am leaning heavily towards that more positive and valid possibility. Actually, I might fall off

There is so much racial/ethnic sensitivity and tension in our Country. For every offensive statement, actual or perceived, the flames are fanned so vigorously. Are we really that thin-skinned? I'm not referring just to American Indians here. It's wide-spread and this situation is just one of many examples.

What is the source of all this divisiveness and for what purpose? Is the goal to divide us so thoroughly along racial/ethnic lines, it becomes impossible to effectively work together to solve our problems? And it's not just those lines were are being divided on. There are politcal, religious and social divisions.

I view this as an actual "attack" on our Country, our way of life. If it persists, it could prove more devastating than the attacks of Sept 11th. This has infiltrated our mindset, and is already affecting our children, our future. We are becoming more and more divided, at the time we should be uniting. I've said this before, but it bears repeating. This is eerily similar to tactics described in the book Art of War. Divide and Conquer.

Our Country has enemies and one is gone. Do the remaining enemies include ourselves as we perpetuate all this societal division? Those who fan the flames are like bullies in a school yard, trying to coax or intimidate us into a fight. I am a person of free will and logic. I'm not falling for that trickery, and will not be part of division within my Country.

But I have fallen. It is really hard balancing a soap box on a fence when one is leaning precariously to one side

One old lady's opinion:
When I heard of the use of Geronimo's name in connection with the Seals mission, I immediately remembered it's use in WW11, when I was a child. Our soldiers would yell "Geronimo" when they jumped out of planes over enemy territory. The word was supposed to help them time the interval before pulling the ripcord on their parachute, and it didn't hurt that it also invoked the spirit of the famous warrior. Like Phyllis, the kids in my New York neighborhood shouted his name when they played soldiers. The military is strong on tradition, and I think giving the Seals mission the name Geronimo was giving a nod to the brave parachutists of WW11 and their dangerous missions over Nazi territory.

I did not know the name Geronimo was also used to time the ripcord pull. Thanks for sharing a bit of our military resourcefullness.