A Day in the Life of President Bush...05-24-08 and 05-25-08

Yahoo News Photos; Whitehouse.gov; various | Daisyscarlett

[daisyscarlett]

The President and Mrs. Bush are at Camp David today.

On Monday, the President will commemorate Memorial Day by visiting Arlington National Cemetery where he will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

The President’s Radio Address subject was Memorial Day. I have included it below and highlighted some passages.

[daisyscarlett]

President's Radio Address

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This Memorial Day weekend, kids will be out of school, moms and dads will be firing up the grill, and families across our country will mark the unofficial beginning of summer. But as we do, we should all remember the true purpose of this holiday -- to honor the sacrifices that make our freedom possible.

On Monday, I will commemorate Memorial Day by visiting Arlington National Cemetery, where I will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. The tomb is the final resting place of three brave American soldiers who lost their lives in combat. The names of these veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean War are known only to God. But their valor is known to us all.

Throughout American history, this valor has preserved our way of life and our sacred freedoms. It was this valor that won our independence. It was this valor that removed the stain of slavery from our Nation. And it was this valor that defeated the great totalitarian threats of the last century.

Today, the men and women of our military are facing a new totalitarian threat to our freedom. In Iraq, Afghanistan, and other fronts around the world, they continue the proud legacy of those who came before them. They bear their responsibilities with quiet dignity and honor. And some have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country.

One such hero was Sergeant First Class Benjamin Sebban of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division. As the senior medic in his squadron, Ben made sacrifice a way of life. When younger medics were learning how to insert IVs, he would offer his own arm for practice. And when the time came, Ben did not hesitate to offer his fellow soldiers far more.

On March 17, 2007, in Iraq's Diyala province, Ben saw a truck filled with explosives racing toward his team of paratroopers. He ran into the open to warn them, exposing himself to the blast. Ben received severe wounds, but this good medic never bothered to check his own injuries. Instead, he devoted his final moments on this earth to treating others. Earlier this week, in a ceremony at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, I had the honor of presenting Sergeant Sebban's mom with the Silver Star that he earned.

No words are adequate to console those who have lost a loved one serving our Nation. We can only offer our prayers and join in their grief. We grieve for the mother who hears the sound of her child's 21-gun salute. We grieve for the husband or wife who receives a folded flag. We grieve for a young son or daughter who only knows dad from a photograph.

One holiday is not enough to commemorate all of the sacrifices that have been made by America's men and women in uniform. No group has ever done more to defend liberty than the men and women of the United States Armed Forces. Their bravery has done more than simply win battles. It has done more than win wars. It has secured a way of life for our entire country. These heroes and their families should be in our thoughts and prayers on a daily basis, and they should receive our loving thanks at every possible opportunity.

This Memorial Day, I ask all Americans to honor the sacrifices of those who have served you and our country. One way to do so is by joining in a moment of remembrance that will be marked across our country at 3:00 p.m. local time. At that moment, Major League Baseball games will pause, the National Memorial Day parade will halt, Amtrak trains will blow their whistles, and buglers in military cemeteries will play Taps. You can participate by placing a flag at a veteran's grave, taking your family to the battlefields where freedom was defended, or saying a silent prayer for all the Americans who were delivered out of the agony of war to meet their Creator. Their bravery has preserved the country we love so dearly.

Thank you for listening.

[daisyscarlett]

DOSE PING

[Jemian]

Hello.

[daisyscarlett]

Memorial Day Traditions

Every Memorial Day, families and communities across the nation take time to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. Americans observe this special holiday in many different ways. Here are a few of those traditions:

Visiting Gravesites -- Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time to honor the nation's dead by decorating their graves with flowers. Many Americans make special flower arrangements and deliver them as a family to gravesites of their loved ones and ancestors.

Displaying the Flag -- On Memorial Day, the U.S. flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon. In the morning, the flag should be raised momentarily to the top, then lowered to half-staff. Americans can also honor prisoners of war and those missing in action by flying the POW/MIA flag.

National Moment of Remembrance -- In accordance with a congressional resolution passed in 2000, Americans pause wherever they are at 3 pm local time for a moment of silence to remember and honor the fallen.

Memorial Day Poppies -- The tradition of red poppies on Memorial Day was inspired by the 1915 poem "In Flanders Fields," by John McCrea. Seeing the poem and its colorful illustration in a magazine, Georgia teacher and volunteer war worker Moina Michael made a personal pledge always wear red silk poppies as an emblem for "keeping the faith with all who died." She also began a campaign to make the poppy a universal symbol of tribute and support for veterans. Through her efforts, the idea was adopted in the United States and spread to England, France, Australia and more than 50 other countries.

[daisyscarlett]

Old Guard performing ‘Flags In’ for 40 years

Following tradition, Soldiers of the Old Guard place flags on the graves in Arlington National Cemetery every year during "Flags In". This gesture is done in recognition of Memorial Day, and it acknowledges the sacrifice these brave men and women have made for their country.

A flag is placed on each grave in Arlington (almost 300,000) on Thursday before Memorial Day by the Soldiers of the Old Guard. These soldiers then stand guard for the next three days to make sure the flags are not disturbed.

[daisyscarlett]

[daisyscarlett]

Country music artist Wynonna Judd performed with the U.S. Army Band at the Wagner Sports Center, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., May 22, 2008. The concert for staff and patients was held in conjunction with a Morale, Welfare and Recreation picnic that featured a local blues band, barbecue and steaks.

[daisyscarlett]

WYNONNA

“Over a year ago, she said, ‘What can I do for the Army, and in particular what can I do for Walter Reed?’” said Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Richard A. Cody as he was introducing the megastar known across the industry as simply “Wynonna.”

“I said, ‘Just come up and tell them you love them,’” he said.

And so she did, in song and in speech.

“Thanks to you all, … my mother and my sister, we live on a farm together and we sleep at night [because] we know that you all are putting your butts on the line for us,” Wynonna told the crowd. “And I just want you to know that today is just a very small composite of how I feel about you.

“We love you, and we support you,” she said.

And the crowd loved her back.

“We love you too, Wynonna,” they screamed repeatedly between songs amid the whistling and cheers.

[daisyscarlett]

[daisyscarlett]

ALL CLEAR

I will be posting events if/when they occur today and tomorrow. Feel free to post anything of interest in the spirit of the thread and the Memorial Day holiday.

[daisyscarlett]

How serendipitous, a Military Mom wins the toaster today! Very cool.

[Churchillspirit]

Beautiful....

[Jemian]

Thank you. A glorious Memorial Day Weekend to all. Many thanks to our military.

[STARWISE]

Thanks, Daisy. President Bush’s speech
is heartwarming and so touching. I love
seeing the Old Guard performing their
annual honoring of brave souls who gave
all.

We can never repay them and their families.

I hope you and your family and all our Dosers
have a wonderfully safe and relaxing holiday
weekend.

Thinking of our awesome military .. God bless
and protect them.

[snugs]

Thanks for the dose and indeed how fitting a military mother won the toaster.

I had hoped to do the toasters today but life somewhat intervened and it did not happen but hopefully I will them done tomorrow if not Monday as it is Spring Bank holiday Monday in Britain so I am not working on Monday.

[STARWISE]

Happy long weekend, snugs. I hope you can get some good relaxing time in for you and Dad. Hugs .. ;)

Hear Pres. Bush's wonderful Memorial Day Radio Address

God bless him for his faithful honor, love and support and support for our incredible military. God bless and protect them.

[SuziQ]

Kudos to Wynonna for putting herself out there in support of our wounded warriors!

[daisyscarlett]

The Vietnam Memorial is seen at sunrise on the National Mall on the first day of the the Memorial Day weekend in Washington Saturday, May 24, 2008.

At the Wall:Visitors to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC, perform a rubbing of a fallen soldier.

[daisyscarlett]

U.S. Honor Guards hold U.S. and Belgian flag during Memorial Day ceremonies at the Henri-Chapelle cemetery in Hombourg, Belgium, Saturday, May 24, 2008.

This 57-acre World War II cemetery contains the graves of 7,992 Americans. About one-third of those buried died in the campaign for the Hyrtgen Forest in November and December of 1944. Another one-third perished in the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 to January 1945. The remaining one-third are soldiers killed in the advance into Germany in 1945 and aviators killed throughout the war.

[daisyscarlett]

The 2008 National Memorial Day Concert
Live on PBS
from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol
Sunday, May 25, from 8:00 to 9:30 pm ET (check local listings).

PBS unites the nation with the award-winning National Memorial Day Concert (2008) honoring the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, their families at home and all of those who have given their lives for our country.

The event is co-hosted for the third year by Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna, two acclaimed actors who have dedicated themselves to veterans’ causes and supporting the troops in active service.

This year’s special tributes are to the veterans of World War II, Korea and Vietnam and the sacred war memorials built in their honor in the Nation’s Capital.

Actor Charles Durning, a highly decorated World War II veteran and 14-year National Memorial Day Concert participant, will be recognized for his bravery and sacrifice as part of the “Greatest Generation.” The valor of the newest veterans will be honored as the program examines the lasting bonds that buddies form on the battlefields of Iraq.

The Concert will also be broadcast via American Forces Radio and Television Network to the approximately 1 million U.S. Armed Forces, Department of Defense civilian employees and their families stationed overseas in 176 countries and territories and aboard more than 200 U.S. Navy ships at sea.

Actor Gary Sinise rehearses for the 19th Annual PBS National Memorial Day Concert on Capitol Hill in Washington Saturday, May 24, 2008.