This is a historical photo of an American soldier during WWII ……. 🦅

He had just killed a Japanese soldier on the island of Iwo Jima in 1945. The American soldier went through the dead soldier's pockets and found photos of the dead man's family. The American soldier then realized that the man he killed was a human being, not just an enemy combatant; at that realization, he began to cry. 

Most war propaganda lies and hatred come from those who have never stepped foot on a battlefield. That day, the American soldier has wounded a part of his humanity, which that photo reveals to us.

Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O'Neill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

WeChat - Thomas_F_ONeill

U.S. Voice mail: (410) 925-9334

China Mobile: 011 (86) 13405757231

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Happy Valentine’s Day 💕

Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O'Neill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

WeChat - Thomas_F_ONeill

U.S. Voice mail: (410) 925-9334

China Mobile: 011 (86) 13405757231

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thomas_F_ONeill

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-f-o-neill-6226b018/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomas_f_oneill/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/

A Chinese New Year celebration in Suzhou, China from 2014 ....... 🦅

In February, back in 2014, I attended a Chinese New Year celebration in Suzhou, China. I want to share those experiences with you.

Many foreigners living in Suzhou enjoy going to Shiquan Street, and it is due to the many western bars and restaurants there. I spent a portion of the Chinese New Year in 2014 at a trendy place called Jane's Pub Bar, but unfortunately, she sold the establishment in 2017, it is now an Irish pub that becomes jammed packed on St. Patrick’s Day, but I will leave that for a different post. 

I was not aware that on the Chinese New Year in 2014, a huge firework display would go off in front of Jane's Pub Bar to usher in the new year. I got more enjoyment from watching how excited the locals got when setting the fireworks off. I quickly pulled out my BlackBerry phone to capture part of the moment on film. 

We Americans rely heavily on public safety, so seeing the fireworks going off while the street was still open for traffic was pretty amusing. No one seemed to mind, though, and we enjoyed watching the night sky light up with booming bursts of exploding energy. 

When the show ended, and the smoke cleared, a beautiful Chinese woman ran up and gave me a big kiss and yelled, "Happy new year, Tom." That was quite exhilarating, too, and since that moment, I've become a huge fan of the Chinese New Year. 

The year 2022 now marks the year of the water tiger, and hopefully, the tiger will scare away the COVID - 19 virus and bring some normalcy back to the world; we certainly can use more normalcy no matter where we live. 

Always with love from Suzhou, China

Thomas F O'Neill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

WeChat - Thomas_F_ONeill

U.S. Voice mail: (410) 925-9334

China Mobile: 011 (86) 13405757231

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Thomas_F_ONeill

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-f-o-neill-6226b018/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thomas_f_oneill/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3/