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Even if you attend a local tribute, it’s too easy to allow Memorial Day to drift into just another holiday. A recent movie provides a fresh window into the importance of honoring our lost noble warriors.“Eye in the Sky” stars Helen Mirren as Colonel Katherine Powell, a UK-based military officer in command of a top-secret drone operation whose mission was to capture terrorists in Kenya. Through remote surveillance and on-the-ground intel, Colonel Powell discovers the targets are planning multiple suicide bombings. The mission escalates from "capture" to "kill."But as American drone pilot Steve Watts, played by Aaron Paul, is about to...

Southern women scattered spring flowers on graves of both northern Union and southern Confederate soldiers of the Civil War in which over a half-million died. Many places claimed to have held the original Memorial Day, such as:Warrenton, Virginia;Columbus, Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Boalsburg, Pennsylvania;Waterloo, New York. One such place was Charleston, South Carolina, where a mass grave was uncovered of 257 Union soldiers who had died in a prison camp. On May 1, 1865, former slaves organized a parade, led by 2,800 singing Black children, and reburied the soldiers with honor in gratitude for their freedom.

On Memorial Day, the flowers bloom. A dozen towns in a dozen states all claim that it began there when after the long weary struggle of the Civil War, the mothers and sisters of the lost and the fallen brought fresh cut flowers to bring a touch of life to the dead men entombed in the cold, gray stone.

I just watched the annual National Memorial Day Concert broadcast on PBS. As always, moving and, at times, up lifting. Each war from today's Iraq and Afghanistan back to WW2 were honored with profiles of those who served. One glaring exception : Korea. Anyone know if there is a good reason for this? Some military protocol I missed?

“Look at all these bikers,” Mr. Trump, standing before a crowd in front of the Lincoln Memorial, said with admiration. “Do we love the bikers? Yes. We love the bikers.” Mr. Trump was addressing a gathering at the 29th annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle run, a vast event over Memorial Day weekend that is dedicated to accounting for military members taken as prisoners of war or listed as missing in action.

In his Sunday remarks, the New York billionaire promised to improve veterans health care, called for rebuilding the American military, and condemned Clinton for remarks she made last year downplaying problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs. “She thinks the VA is doing good,” Trump said.

Illegal immigrants in the US often get better care than the nation's military veterans, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has said. "We're not going to allow that to happen any longer," he told a bikers' rally in Washington DC. Mr Trump did not provide any evidence for his assertion. Last year, the billionaire sparked anger by attacking the military record of Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war. Mr Trump said Sen McCain was only considered a hero because he was a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. He then added: "I like people who weren't captured." Since...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump will ensure American veterans have convenient access to top quality health care services, indicated Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), a former commander at the fabled Navy SEAL Team Six during an interview with Breitbart News Saturday host Matt Boyle on Sirius XM Patriot Radio Channel 125.

On the afternoon of March 12, 2014, Jennifer Collins checked her phone and found a message from her husband, Dave Collins, a retired Navy SEAL. He’d texted to say that she should pick up their son from kindergarten, and then this: “So sorry baby. I love you all.” Hours later, two police officers showed up at their house in Virginia Beach with news that Dave, 45, had shot himself in his truck a few miles away. Although Jennifer had held out hope for any other explanation, she also knew the moment she read it what the text meant. For months,...

VENICE (CBSLA.com) — Vandals defaced a memorial to Vietnam war veterans in Venice – an awful sight on this Memorial Day weekend. Stewart Oscars welled up as he looked at the vandalized mural located on Pacific Avenue near Sunset Court. It was covered in graffiti from end to end. “This knocked me out. So sickening. Just sadness…think of all these people. They’re gone,” Oscars said. “I remember the Vietnam war and how friends went to war, and bodies came back. Somehow, it has to be taught that this is not a good idea. This is actually stupid.” The memorial was...

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In Alabama, Governor Robert Bentley signed HB98, which provides for retired veterans who qualify, to obtain free pistol permits.  The bill was popular with the legislature, passing nearly unanimously. HB98 passed the House 93 to 4 with 3 abstentions. It passed the Senate 30 to 2 with no abstentions on 3 May, 2016, and was signed into law by Governor Bently on 13 May, 2016. The bill applies to retired military veterans who are non-disability retirees from the Army, Navy, Coast Guard or Marines, or any reserve component thereof. From the HB98(pdf): 24  (b) Any retired military veteran who...

The news on Donald Trump and veterans hasn’t been very flattering this week, but recent Morning Consult surveys show that members of the military and their families largely back the presumptive GOP nominee in the race for the White House. Almost half of veterans and voters who belong to veteran households (47 percent) picked Donald Trump as their presidential nominee in surveys taken from May 13 through May 24. Of the 1,668 military voters polled, only 38 percent support former Secretary of State and first lady Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee. Fourteen percent of military voters remain undecided....

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Melvin Rector long carried Britain in his heart after he helped defend it during World War II, but 70 years passed without him stepping foot in the country. The 94-year-old finally decided to leave his home in Barefoot Bay, Fla., to visit Britain earlier this month. The National World War II Museum in New Orleans conducts a travel program through which interested parties can visit certain sites of the war. He signed up for one, in hopes of visiting the Royal Air Force station Snetterton Heath, in Norfolk. He served there with the 96th Bomb...

Favorite "Flower" Songs *Video* Killswitch Engage - Rose Of Sharyn Numb and broken, Here I stand alone, Wondering what were The last words I said to you Hoping, praying that I'll find a way To turn back time, Can I turn back time? What would I give to behold. The smile the face of love, You never left me, The rising sun Will always speak your name. Numb, i'm broken Here i stand alone. Wondering the words, The last words i said to you It won't be long We'll meet again... What would i give, to behold The smile,...

Link only. Illegal immigrant stole ID of deceased veteran and got, among other things, a VA Choice Card

Like a lot of other Americans these days I’m spending too much time pissed off about way too many things in this great nation of ours. I’m not perceptive enough to fully understand how we got ourselves into such a mess but I do know it’s gotten me to thinking about Memorial Day this year. And that’s another thing that pisses me off. As a veteran, I’m angry that this day will be passed by most of my countrymen with not one thought about the millions of Americans who lost their lives in our nation’s wars or undeclared conflicts. As...

Documents show that slain Navy Seal and “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle misrepresented the number of medals he received. Navy documents obtained by an online magazine through an open records request show that Kyle earned one Silver Star and three Bronze Stars with valor. In his best-selling book, Kyle wrote that he had received two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars. A Navy spokeswoman confirmed the validity of the documents and says the armed services branch is investigating the discrepancy. The Intercept first reported the discrepancy and posted the documents. Kyle’s widow, Taya Kyle, didn’t immediately return a phone call...

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) has called on Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert McDonald to resign because of his remarks comparing wait lines at a Disney park to VA health care. “Secretary McDonald’s preposterous statement is right out of Never Never Land,” Blunt said Tuesday. “I call on him to resign because it’s clear he cannot prioritize getting our veterans the health care they deserve and have earned in a timely manner. Dismissing wait times when veterans can often wait months for an appointment is negligent and a clear sign that new leadership is needed at the VA.”

The secretary of veterans affairs, Bob McDonald, refused to apologize for comparing VA wait times to Disneyland wait times earlier today on MSNBC. "Wait times are important but it is not the only measure of veterans experience. That's what veterans are telling us. We talked to a lot of veterans. It is important and if I were misunderstood or said the wrong thing, I am glad i have to correct it," said McDonald.