Let Us Remember (The Real Memorial Day) 05-30-02

The History Channel, Billie, various ^

[Billie]

Thank you for saying so. It was a pleasure. Perhaps you could keep this memorial thread going? It's what the canteen used to be, imo.

That it was, Jim. And that's a nice idea. :)

Thanks, CC for coming - I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Billie]

Thank you, Ragtime Cowgirl. :)

[Mama_Bear]

"Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be...."

Inspiring words. Thanks for posting this MacArthur quote.

Nice to see you around, whoever. Hope all is well in your world. :-)

[Mama_Bear]

I just read through all of the quotes you have posted. They are all wonderful and inspiring. Thank you.

[Billie]

Hi, Lori - I was just answering Freepmail to tell you to come back and check the thread again. It's a nice little reunion of sorts here. :)

[Billie]

Time for me to say goodnight. Thank you. :)

[whoever]

Good night, Billie. Thanks for the thread. May God richly bless you and yours.

[Mama_Bear]

Hi, Lori - I was just answering Freepmail to tell you to come back and check the thread again. It's a nice little reunion of sorts here. :)

Indeed it is. :-)
Good night, Billie.

[Aeronaut]

Thanks for the great quote from RR. His image ought to be on Mt. Rushmore.

[lodwick]

There are 106,957 US military personnel interred in 22 US military cemeteries in Europe (there are four other US military cemeteries overseas: Manila, The Philippines; Carthage, Tunisia; Mexico City and Panama City).

Good Morning all.

[lodwick]

The groundskeepers' devotion has resulted in stunning landscapes providing appropriate grandeur to the grounds, even at the smallest, the 4.5 acre Brookwood Cemetery of World War I dead, about 25 miles south of London, England.

At the larger cemeteries the long rows of neat crosses and Stars of David have an immediate, sobering effect on visitors.

The largest World War I site is the Meuse-Argonne Cemetery near Romagne-sous-Montfaucon, France, a 130.5 acre plot of eight quadrangles with 14,246 graves.

The 113.5 acre Lorraine Cemetery, settled between rolling hills near St. Avold, France, is the largest World War II cemetery with 10,489 graves (in size, the Normandy Cemetery near Omaha Beach is the largest, covering 172.5 acres).

On the days that memorial services take place, several cemeteries have become compulsory destinations for local government officials and US diplomatic missions to turn out en mass.

[lodwick]

The Brookwood Memorial

Servicemen and servicewomen with no known graves are commemorated on the Brookwood Memorial (3,500 casualties from the Second World War) and the Memorial Chapel in the American section (563 casualties from the First World War). Altogether the Military Cemeteries form about 37 acres, comprising what is the largest military burial ground in the United Kingdom.

[Billie]

Thanks again for all your wonderful contributions.

[lodwick]

A very good morning to ya. I've learned more American History getting info to post on FR than I ever did in school. Off to Buchanan Dam for a fat cheeseburger and a visit with a friend - see you in the afternoon, with luck. ;-)

[The Thin Man]

Hi who. You compelled me to come up with a few George Washington quotes.

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation."

"To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace".

"Do not let any one claim to be a true American if they ever attempt to remove religion from politics."

"The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference -- they deserve a place of honor with all that is good."

[lodwick]

What Color the Patriot

Over 23 years ago, I met the man I love and married him. He was an individualist, with his life planned out for him. He was going to be commissioned as an infantry officer and serve his nation, answering his call. From his time in boy scouts, and later as an Eagle Scout, he never had second doubts about service to our nation and its Constitution; they were his bedrock, and the spread of democracy and equality his purpose.

We first started dating when he was a ROTC cadet in Florida. I can remember the harassment he received from the educators and students in 1977 for wearing his uniform on campus. Never did it bother my young paratrooper that the University of South Florida allocated thousands to the Revolutionary Communist Youth Brigade (RCYB) and Gay organizations on campus, and then voted one dollar to the ROTC program for a bus ticket to get the hell off of campus. He soldiered on because it was their right under the constitution to express their opinions. As a member of the "Green machine," it was his duty and his oath to this nation to protect these rights.

When he first was commissioned in 1979, the military was recovering from Viet Nam and had little public support. His senior officers were Viet Nam veterans who enforced mission accomplishment and soldiers first. They instilled to their junior leaders that the military always takes care of its own. Many times, the officers and senior NCO's spent money out of their pockets to make sure the soldiers had things they needed. While they trained hard and were always deployed ready to defend America, recruitment and lack of qualified soldiers severely limited our capabilities to defend our nation. Many of his soldiers could not speak English and had families that were living below the poverty standard, but he was always there for them. The Army was green and always took care of its own.

When racial riots broke out, or drugs were rampant in the barracks, he was always the first one working with the soldiers or locking the criminals up. I asked him why he was always the one to take care of the problems; he would say proudly - soldiers trust me, they are all "green" to me. As the years progressed, pride in the military soared and quality young people came in by droves. Life was good; the military had adequate funding for training and it was the "Year of the Family." Our leadership was true to their word and were finally taking care of the soldiers with pay raises and quality of life improvements for their families. The "Green Machine" was ready to do anything and did. Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm and Haiti; our military performed as true patriots and the finest soldiers in the world. During Somalia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Kosovo, the military continued to perform, but something was happening; the "Green Machine" was fracturing. Our spouses were always deployed, not fighting our nation's wars, but taking care of our government's failed diplomacy.

I always knew I was married to a warrior, but these "peacekeeping missions" were killing the units he served in. Many officers and soldiers were leaving when their time was up, and the divorce rate in some units rocketed to over 70%. When asked why they were leaving, numerous comments arose, from health care for their families, to pay, to stress from multiple deployments, but the largest common denominator was the lack of trust and disgust with the leadership in Washington. While these soldiers were serving another holiday season away from home, they would watch their Constitution slowly be destroyed from within the halls of the White House. My soldier continued to serve because his soldiers and the "Green Machine" needed him.

I've been a warrior's wife for 23 years and a commander's wife for nine of those years. I've always supported him and shipped him out to different combat zones and numerous other hell holes, even though my heart was breaking. I've always been there when he returned and nursed him back to health or helped him heal whenever he was broken; always knowing he would be one of the first called to support the "Green Machine" on the next mission. While for today, he continues to soldier and serve this great nation, the color of green has taken on another meaning; that of disgust.

It's not about Monica, or the selling of America to the Chinese, it's not about election fraud, campaign finance violations, the selling of the White House to the highest bidder, or placing personnel in positions as Under Secretary of State only because their claim to fame was getting rid of Monica. It's not about appointing non-US citizens to Ambassador positions because they contributed to the Clinton/Gore re-election campaign. It's not about human right violations and torture conducted by our supposed allies in the Middle East; that is most often ignored by the administration and the media.

While my husband can't openly protest or publicly support a candidate while in uniform, I can. It's now my turn to fight for this country and its Constitution, and the rights of our soldiers. It is time to take our country back and this can only be done by its citizens. This letter is for those who serve in uniform , but mostly for those who paid the ultimate price for freedom.

Please forward this to all of your friends and family, but most importantly to the media. Let the world know.

Janet N. Ward

Wife of an American Servicemember

Note: This was written pre September 11, 2001

[lodwick]

I Will NOT Forget!

I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List," asked myself, "Why didn't the Jews fight back?" Now I know why.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor and asked myself, "Why weren't we prepared?" Now I know why.

Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil people.

On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed themselves to be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.

On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too many Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are dedicated to the dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and media personnel want us to forget the carnage. They say we must focus on the bravery of the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the killers.

They implore us to understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television stations have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying devastating footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.

I will not be manipulated.

I will not pretend to understand.

I will not forget.

I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to kick our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.

I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's address to the nation with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel about him, he is still our president."

I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned President Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and commented, "We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."

And, I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters weren't informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't "likely - nor should they be expected-to show deference." I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States of America.

I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic terrorists and their supporters with the world's most sophisticated telecommunications equipment and encryption technology, thereby compromising America's ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone, land lines, faxes and modem communications.

I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like those perfected by the previous administration.

I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing" regulations like the silly "Have your bags been under your control?" question at the airport.

I will not be influenced by so called,"antiwar demonstrators" who exploit the right of expression to chant anti-American obscenities.

I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by American war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines.

I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose reassurance over reality.

I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told Labor Party conference, "They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000, does anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?

There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds, no point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or be defeated by it. And defeat it we must!"

I will force myself to:
* hear the weeping
* feel the helplessness
* imagine the terror
* sense the panic
* smell the burning flesh
* experience the loss
* remember the hatred.

I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and asked myself, "Where did they find the courage?"

Now I know.

We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.

MGySgt. Ed Evans USMC (Ret.)

Not as lean,
Not as mean,
But still a Marine.
Semper Fi!

[lodwick]

A War Prayer

O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells;
Help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead;
Help us to drown the thunder of our guns with the shrieks of their wounded writhing in pain;
Help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire;
Help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief.

For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes;
Blight their lives, Protract their bitter pilgrimage; Make heavy their steps;
Water their way with their tears, Stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet.

We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset, and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts.

Amen.

Mark Twain (1835-1910), U.S. author.

[lodwick]

Laters, manana, and good evening all. Going into FullLurk mode. JL

[WaterDragon]

I just finished reading Moore's book, "We Were Soldiers Once...And Young" and cried all the way through it. Should be required reading for every American adult!