Posted on 05/25/2009 1:53:23 PM PDT by Jeff Head
THE TRUE MEANING OF MEMORIAL DAY - PLEASE WATCH
God bless & keep all who do serve, or have ever served, in defense of this Republic & her Constitution...and particularly may He rest all those who have given the last full measure of devotion in that service.
That includes my Uncle Albert Spacil, my mom's only brother & my dear, deceased grandparent's only son. He died in a B-17 over Germany in 1944. God continue to rest his soul until we're all gathered over yonder, across Jordan in our Father's Kingdom.
...and may God grant that we have the strength, courage, conviction, virtue, and faith to stand in our turn against the internal tyranny and marxism that has taken root amongst us and halt its growth in 2010, and then route the vipers out on a rail in 2012!
America has paid the price of freedom in its own blood, both here on our own shores, and abroad throughout the world. From Concord, to Bunker Hill, to Trenton, to Lake Champlain, to Valley Forge, to Cowpens, to Yorktown...to Tripoli...to Ft. Mieg, to Lake Erie, to Horseshoe Bend, to Chippewa and to New Orleans... to The Alamo, San Jacinto, Buena Vista, Palo Alto, Monterrey and the Halls of Montezuma...to Bull Run (twice), Antietam, Fredericksburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg, The Wilderness, Gettysburg, Atlanta and Appomattox...to Manila Bay, Guantanamo Bay, to Santiago and San Juan Hill...to Chateau Thierry and the Argonne Forest...to Pearl Harbor, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, to Normandy, Luxembourg, to islands and atolls throughout the Pacific, Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, to the Philippines...to Seoul, Pusan, Inchon, Chosin, Chipyoongi, Pork Chop Hill and throughout Korea...to Ia Drang, Khe Sahn, Dak To, Hue, Kim Son, Hamburger Hill, "Downtown" Hano, An Loc and all across South Vietnam into Cambodia and Laos...to Granada and Panama…to Kuwait…to Fallujah, the Debecka Pass, Nasiriyah, Haditha, Baghdad, Al Anbar, Mosel, Ramadi and throughout the Sunni Triangle...to Mazari Sharif, to Kabul, to Takur Ghar, to Kandahar, to Tora Bora, to Operation Anaconda and throughout Afghanistan to name but a small few. Americans have shed their blood by the millions for freedom, and that freedom stretches from the United States throughout the world.
Let us never forget it...for should we forget it, or allow our elected representatives to do so (which the current batch of quislings is doing with a will), that is the day that we will place all of our lives and liberty in abject jeopardy.
FYI...great video for Memorial Day.
Thanks for that.
PING!
Thanks so much for the ping.
National Cemetery's are rich in history even in the words on the tombstones. I worked at the one for a while in my area then found out years later one of my past great great likely great grandfathers was buried there. A couple of generations are now passing. The ones who fought wars in WW2, Korea, and Nam. Our nation owes them more respect than what is currently being given at their passing.
Thanks for an excellent post!
In this "hate crime" congress? - The best that we can hope for is no more detrimental legislation.
Some info for Vets either war or peace time may have forgotten. Part of the veterans benefits is the option of burial at a National Cemetery. You need to either have your DD-214 or Discharge where family can locate it. This will mean also the grave is paid for both you and spouse, & any children under 18, as well as the markers and actual burial cost meaning opening and closing the grave.
Only the funeral homes services aren't covered. Not something any of us like to think about but some info for taking care of your family.
Very good thanks Jeff.
Memorial Day Tribute to members of the United States Armed Forces who now rest in peace in Arlington National Cemetery - set to the song - "Arlington" by Trace Adkins -
In honor of the Fallen Heroes of the US Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Reserves. All gave some, some gave all. These are the men and women who bought our freedom at the price of their lives. We give thanks to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and pray for the loved ones they left behind.
Lyrics:
I never thought that this is where I'd settle down
I thought I'd die an old man back in my hometown
They gave me this plot of land,me and some other men, for a job well done
There's a big white house sits on a hill just up the road
The man inside he cried the day they brought me home
The folded up a flag and told my mom and dad
'We're pround of your son'
And I'm proud to be on this paecful piece of property
I'm on scared ground and I'm in the best of company
I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I've done
I can rest in peace, I'm one of the chosen ones, I made it to Arlington
I remember that my daddy brought me here when I was eight
We searched all day to find out where my granddad lay
And when we finally found that cross
He said, 'son this is what it cost to keep us free'
Now here I am a thousand stones away from him
He recongized me on the first day I came in
And it gave me a chill when he clicked his heels and saluted me
I'm proud to be on this peaceful piece of property
I'm on scared ground and in the best of company
I'm thankful for those thankful for the things I've done
I can rest in peace I'm one of the chosen ones, I made it to Arlington
And every time I hear twenty-one guns
I know they brought another hero home to us
We're thankful for those thankful for the things we've done
We can rest in peace, 'cause we were the chosen ones
We made it to Arlington, yea, dust to dust
Don't cry for us, we made it to Arlington
Thanks for the ping!
The problem is that in the past, especially during WW-II, Korea, and Vietnam, we had much larger numbers of troops than we do now. Those troops are now passing, especially the WW-II and Korean era veterans. There just aren't enough current troops, even including reserve and Guard, to draw from.
We felt lucky that at my father-in-laws service we had one from the VFW, one from the Legion (he was a member of both), one active duty honor guard (they would have sent two) and his oldest Grandson, an SFC in the Army Reserve, who would not hear of anyone else doing the honors for his grandfather. (He had been honor guard in Hawaii, for lots of WW-II vets, during his active duty time). Yes we had the electronic bugle for taps, but he did have the flag folding and presentation to my mother in law. Since there was no graveside service, she got the unfired nickle plated blanks to go with the flag. His two first cousins were there, both veterans, I am veteran, and that grandson is a veteran.
Since my brother and mother arranged my father's funeral, there were no military honors, except the flag, which I now have. Someday I'll pick my uncle's flag too, he died a couple of decades ago, leaving neither widow nor children. (In a very real sense he was a casualty of WW-II, when he "camped out in a lifeboat in the Greenland sea in November of '42, courtesy of one of Admiral Dönitz's U-boats.
It’s “support and defend”.
I'll say this much too. National Cemetery's are among the most well kept in the nation. Most of the work is by vets. If the program still exist while using your school benefits on the GI Bill you could work contract for the VA either at a Cemetery or VA Clinic for extra income. That's was how I was working there. They had an administrator and two full timers and the rest was vets working on contract mowing grass and digging graves.
Our cemetery used one plot for vet and spouse. The initial grave was dug down 7 feet or more if possible. When the surviving spouse passed we reopened it down to about 5 feet. They shared the same marker as well. The markers were replaced when worn. They opened a new cemetery about 10-15 years ago. I'm not sure about their procedures.
Likely less than half maybe closer to a third would request honors I'm guessing. A decorated war vet should have such mandatory if requested. But till we get something done about raising the End Troop Strengths back up several hundred thousand that day isn't going to happen.
See you on the other side, brother. Think cipher. Work it.
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