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This morning I attended the 8th Annual Veterans Day Breakfast hosted by the President of the University of South Carolina. It was a great event with probably 600 people in attendance. One of the speakers was the Dean of University Libraries who told us that the University is the recipient of 10,000 reels of film from Quantico chronicling the Marine Corps in the 20th Century. Snippets of film we saw included scenes from Boot Camp, WWII, Vietnam and many other clips. The University has the films safely archived but they want to do more than that! The vision is to...

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Today is the anniversary of Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, when at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, the First World War came to an end after more than four years of carnage. (Armistice Day became Veterans' Day in 1954.) Described by British historian Corelli Barnett as a war that had "causes but no objectives, "the "Great War" left...

Today’s Doodle honors the contributions and sacrifices of Veterans and their families across the country. Doodler and veteran Diana Tran shares what this day means for her: Veterans Day is always special for me. Every year on this day, I spend a little extra time reflecting on my service in the United States Marine Corps. I remember the moments when the task placed before me seemed impossible. Whether that task was traversing an obstacle in training or making it through a mission in Iraq, there was one constant that gave me confidence and strength. I knew that the men and...

A meme was started by Trump antagonists in certain conservative circles that Donald Trump does next to nothing money to help veterans. It turns out Trump has been generous with veterans over the past decades-all it takes is a little more research than those with an ax to grind seem willing to do. UPI reported in 1995 how Trump was credited with 'saving' the New York Veterans Day Parade. The parade that year was marking the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II. From the New York Times in 1995, another report that mentions how Trump came to...

Memorial Day and Veterans Day often get equated, but there is an essential distinction between the two. Veterans Day honors all who have served the American military in wars. Memorial Day honors those who've perished. It's an annual reminder that wars have grave human costs, which must be both recognized and minimized. Those costs are not inevitable. We ought to also set aside time to remember those throughout American history who have tried hardest to reduce them, to prevent unnecessary loss of life both American and foreign: war resisters. War resistors can be heroes....

The following is the first chapter of Changing Commands: The Betrayal of America's Military, written by John F. McManus and published by The John Birch Society in 1995. In observance of Veterans Day 2015, we offer this as an opportunity to reflect back 20 years on the observations of Mr. McManus to see the progress made on such an insidious agenda of changing the role of America's armed forces. The book is available at ShopJBS.org.Changing the Role of America's Armed Forces"The Clinton Administration appears dedicated to sending the U.S. military into dangerous seas of multinational peacekeeping in an effort...

About 125,000 World War II soldiers and airmen are buried in 11 cemeteries in France. For many of their families it’s difficult, if not impossible, to pay a foreign visit to decorate their loved-one’s grave. But 70 years after World War II ended, French volunteers continue their pledge to do what American loved ones can’t. “He was in a bomber group and they were flying a mission over France,” said the nephew named after his uncle Chuck. Gunner Charles Speier was just 20 years old, a gifted artist, when he and his bomber crew were shot down April 1, 1944....

Those who serve their country should be remembered not just on Veterans and Remembrance Day, but every day Never is it more noticeable than it is on Veteran’s Day that talk is cheap. When President Barack Obama will lay the wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington today, commemorating Veterans Day, 2015. Thanks to the convenience of cyberspace, photos of the laying the wreath will be seen worldwide. But there are no pictures anywhere in cyberspace of the 307,000 veterans who died waiting for care that never came. Those felled by illness they brought back from the...

Missouri University: They should have been treated as a child would have been treated The Internet today has been simply aflame with stories and articles about the complete meltdown of sanity at Missouri University (or Mizzou if you prefer) over one of the precious students finding themselves offended by something. Sadly, however, exactly what it was that offended the students was rather elusive. On the other hand, their response to these alleged offenses was utterly evident. For our convenience, the best organized of the student protesters drafted a list of demands, including the termination of the university’s president, which they...

Dear [redacted], November is a great month for Americans. In New York City, we get to look out on Central Park and see the leaves change as we move from the beauty of Fall to a magnificent city cloaked in the chill and briskness of Winter. What we Americans often gloss over is that November is a time for celebrating the very reason we enjoy the freedom, opportunity and prosperity found nowhere else in the world. The reason we are able to live like we do is due to the courage, dedication and sacrifice of those who serve in the...

Cities across America are celebrating Veterans Day today with parades and ceremonies. People in their communities are congregating in schools, town halls, and public venues to celebrate those among them and those who have passed for serving in our military and keeping America free.

Today is the anniversary of Armistice Day, 11 November 1918, when at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, the First World War came to an end after more than four years of carnage. (Armistice Day became Veterans' Day in 1954.) Described by British historian Corelli Barnett as a war that had "causes but no objectives, "the "Great War" left a legacy of disillusionment in its wake and made a shambles of the rest of the 20th century. All told, there were ten million military dead and seven million civilians killed. The resulting economic collapse, the...

In August of this year, my GF's dad celebrated a reunion with the remaining members of his Marine company. These guys went through it in Korea. I just wanted to post this as a tribute. From John (5th from left): This gang was a small part of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, (Not needed ~The First Marine Division. The only Division in Korea.) Our platoon was 81mm Mortars. We all made the Inchon Landing on September 15, 1950. We took part in 6 major battles including the Chosin Reservoir, from November 27th until about December 15th. Countless small...

A Chick-fil-A restaurant in Georgia is honoring veterans and active-duty service members with a “Missing Man Table.”Store manager Alex Korchan told WSB-TV the table features a folded American flag, a place setting for the veteran, and a letter titled “Missing Man Table.” The letter is similar to notes left on other “Missing Man” tables.

I went to Krispy Kreme for my free Veteran's Day doughnut and coffee this morning. Then I tipped the server the cost of the items. Just a thought, but it would be good if veterans who are able would "pass it on" to others if you take advantage of the extremely generous and patriotic businesses that participate in celebrating Veteran's Day. Also, thanks for your service to all of my fellow veterans! PN1 USN (Retired)

These days our men and women in uniform are usually treated with kindness and respect. Nobody begrudges someone in uniform getting to board a flight first, or getting comped a first-class seat. Even those on the left who think that people in military service are misguided dupes of evil militarists no longer indulge the open scorn and calumny prevalent in the Vietnam War era, when a uniform was a target for spittle and charges of “baby-killer,” when in 1971 John Kerry appeared before the Senate and accused U.S. troops of rape, torture, and mutilation. Yet under the surface of progressives’...

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” - officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.” Soldiers of the 353rd Infantry near a church at...

SIERRA VISTA — The City of Sierra Vista's 21st annual Veterans Day Parade begins at 9 a.m. Wednesday, with veterans, floats, cars, musicians and more filling Fry Boulevard starting from the 7th Street intersection and finishing at Veterans' Memorial Park. In addition to the 50 participating groups, such as scouts, JROTC cadets, clubs and pageant queens, this year’s parade is expected to include an F-16 flyover, conducted by the 162nd Wing, around 9:20 a.m.

“Their bodies are buried in peace; but their name liveth for evermore.” Ecclesiasticus 44:14 They are around us every day. We may not know who they are, or what they did, or when they did it, but, they are with us in body and in spirit. They are the old man with a cane who struggles to cross a street, but who once stormed the ash-laden hills of Iwo Jima. They are the janitor with a distant stare who won a Bronze Star at a place called Hue. They are the mailman who fought the Republican Guard and the salesman...

As Veterans’ Day approaches, it is important for those who have never served to take a moment to understand the solitary world of a vet. Millions of vets are and have been successful in all endeavors and professions. They are doctors, lawyers, business people and a thousand other professions. Not all have PTSD; not all are the troubled, brooding, street corner homeless guy, although they exist and need help desperately. No matter how successful a vet might be materially, more often than not, vets are often alone, mentally and spiritually each day and for the rest of their lives. Vets’...