The FReeper Foxhole Celebrates Veterans Day - November 11th, 2003

various

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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U.S. Military History, Current Events and Veterans Issues

Where Duty, Honor and Country
are acknowledged, affirmed and commemorated.

Our Mission:

The FReeper Foxhole is dedicated to Veterans of our Nation's military forces and to others who are affected in their relationships with Veterans.

In the FReeper Foxhole, Veterans or their family members should feel free to address their specific circumstances or whatever issues concern them in an atmosphere of peace, understanding, brotherhood and support.

The FReeper Foxhole hopes to share with it's readers an open forum where we can learn about and discuss military history, military news and other topics of concern or interest to our readers be they Veteran's, Current Duty or anyone interested in what we have to offer.

If the Foxhole makes someone appreciate, even a little, what others have sacrificed for us, then it has accomplished one of it's missions.

We hope the Foxhole in some small way helps us to remember and honor those who came before us.

To read previous Foxhole threads or
to add the Foxhole to your sidebar,
click on the books below.

Veterans Day



To our veterans - Thank You


Veterans Day

A day set aside to honor our country's living veterans. At the Foxhole honoring veterans is a major part of our mission.

Whereas we will not forget those who died or our POW/MIAs, and course those who are currently serving, today we specifically honor those men and women living among us who have served our country in times past, our living veterans.

Especially here at the Foxhole we are blessed to have veterans as part of our Foxhole family both as readers and contributors.


We would like to welcome all our veterans to the Foxhole on this very special day as we attempt to honor you and thank you for your service to our country. Freedom is not free and our debt to you and those gone before you can never fully be paid. May God richly bless you all. Welcome home and we will never forget.

It matters not where, when or how your served; here at home or in a foreign land, in the air, at sea or on land; in peacetime or in war, on the battefield or behind a desk; on supply lines; as an engineer, a mechanic, an infantrymen, a cook or medic. You chose to volunteer or fullfilled your duty by the draft and served America and we are forever grateful. Every job is important as they all support each other and the cause of freedom.

Some sacrifices are greater, yes, and some service more dangerous than others, yet all service is sacrifice by the troop and their family and we highly respect that service. Some gave all, all gave some.

Thank you all - from SAM and snippy




"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." --Thomas Paine, Founding Father



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


"Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain."
--Dwight D. Eisenhower


"We must not forget the past. We must not forget those who sacrificed, but we must also remember the reason for their sacrifice. They died so tyranny would die. They died to create a better world for those of us who followed them. Their sacrifice was not in vain."
--Secretary of State Colin Powell as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, observing the 50th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1991.


"America was founded on the principles of liberty, opportunity, and justice for all, and on Veterans Day we recognize the men and women of our Armed Forces who have valiantly defended these values throughout our Nation's history.

These remarkable individuals have helped to make our Nation secure and to advance the cause of freedom worldwide. By answering the call of duty and risking their lives to protect their fellow countrymen, these patriots have inspired our Nation with their courage, compassion, and dedication.

Our proud veterans have also helped to shape the American character. They have given us an extraordinary legacy of patriotism and honor, and their service represents the highest form of citizenship."
--George W. Bush


Veterans Day is the day set aside to thank and honor ALL those who served honorably in the military - in wartime or peacetime. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for their service, to acknowledge that their contributions to our national security are appreciated, and to underscore the fact that all those who served - not only those who died - have sacrificed and done their duty.

--- Department of Veterans Affairs







It is the VETERAN, not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the courts
who has given us the right to keep and bear arms.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN, who salutes the Flag,



and serves under the flag.


ETERNAL REST GRANT THEM O LORD,
AND LET PERPETUAL LIGHT
SHINE UPON THEM.
(CholeraJoe provided the above graphic - Thank you CJ)








I brought this next poster over from a Veterans Day thread SAM posted last year. I think it best represents the Foxhole's year-round effort in honoring our veterans by the history we bring to our readers.

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FReeper Foxhole Armed Services Links

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. I only scold you lovingly though. You are an important part of our "family" here at the Foxhole and I won't have you talking about your service as any less than others. It all counts and I'm glad to see you yield. ;)

[OESY]

Thanks OESY for remembering the Dogs.

Thanks for the heads up! Here's another website -- with pictures -- that I found:

War-Dogs.com

[SAMWolf]

"Be Worthy"



Do not give us medals or ribbons for our death,
For where we are, we cannot wear them, about them we cannot know.
Do not raise flags or hold parades for us,
For where we are, flags and bands cannot go.

We ask but one thing of you, our America, our land -
Of you who asked us to fight:
Please be worthy of the blood we shed,
Be worthy of our eternal night.

Let this be our everlasting, enduring challenge and proclamation:
Be worthy of the tears, loss, pain, and sorrow
The we, our families, and our nation
Have shed for this - your today and tomorrow.

For this, our sacrifice, we ask this and nothing more -
Remember our country, its freedom, and its history.
Let freedom, vigilance, and respect reach from shore to shore.
Do not let our lives and deaths be a mystery.

From Lexington to Gettysburg to the Ardienne Forest, to Bastogne,
To Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf, the present, and the future unknown;
Where you, our country has sent us, we have always gone
So that you and we can always call America and freedom our home.

Our blood, our hopes, our lives we gladly pay
So that on our country and its honor there is no stain.
Never let history say,
"They served, cried, bled, and died in vain."

Honor us or remember us, as you will,
But always think first of why we are not here - you, our country
Our plea will always be insistent, quiet, but still:
Please, Please be Worthy.

An Annoymous Vietnam Veteran
November 11, 2002

[Conspiracy Guy]

Me too. Both in hot war and cold war. Combat and support. We all need know the sacrifices made by those who serve.

[Darksheare]

Well, I do count it as a point of personal pride that the people I trained up to replace me in my slot in my unit all were promoted to higher positions.
A few made Seargent, and one went to OCS and became a Lieutenant. (He transferred form us to another battery, ended up XO over at that battery. *chuckle*)

That is my personal pride, that those I trained knew their stuff and weren't afraid to say so.
(If they didn't, I'd have hounded them for it, and did at times.)

I do miss it at times.

[SAMWolf]

"What Veterans Day Means To Me"
R. Cannon, First Place – High School Division

He sat in his congressman's office surrounded by his family, and received the Bronze Star for bravery after fifty-three years. He cried as he told his story. He was drafted shortly after Pearl Harbor. An Army infantryman during World War II in the European Theatre, he was captured by the Germans in the Tunisian Invasion of North Africa and taken prisoner. My grandfather, Joseph Mandese, spent two years in a prisoner of war camp. He was given a cup of water, a piece of cheese, and a piece of bread each day. He was tortured during interrogations. Lice were embedded under his skin, and he suffered from dysentery. Along with four other prisoners, they planned and executed an escape that took them through the mountains of Italy. They hid in fields and relied on the generosity of an Italian family for fourteen months until it became to dangerous. His ordeal ended when the Fascists fell, and they met American troops. He was eighty-five pounds and had been in the same clothes for three and one-half years. During this time his family had mistakenly received notice of his death.

The young congressman and his staff, who worked to help him get his long overdue medal, were amazed by my grandfather's recall of dates and places. I am proud of him. He is eighty-one years old now and he wears his medal proudly.

My grandfather truly believes that his contributions and those of other soldiers in World War II helped save our democracy. He is correct. Our great country is great because of the people, men and women, who gave their life, their health, and the innocence of their youth to go to foreign lands and fight for freedom. My generation is very much removed from the horrors of war. It is through the recent war movies, such as, Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line, that we can vividly see the atrocities of war. Veterans Day could be a time when our schools organize programs in which we would hear the first hand accounts of soldiers who are still alive from the different wars. By hearing their stories, like I heard my grandfather's, we would be touched by their brave efforts.

The teen-agers of today are enjoying the freedoms we have because of those who served and protected those freedoms. I enjoy spending time with friends and running frequently to stay in shape. What would my life be like if I were now saluting another flag? Would I be doing the things I love to do? Would I be forced to do things that the government would want me to do? Would my future choices be restricted? The answers to all these questions are unknown, but one certainty is that our freedoms were safeguarded by our veteran's efforts. I am certain that what our veterans have done will not and have not gone unnoticed.

There are many like my grandfather who have served our country in or out of wars by being in military service. Our flag and the freedom that it symbolizes was protected by their peace and war time efforts. On November 11, what can we do to honor our veterans? How can we show them our gratitude? Some concrete ways to show them that we appreciate their bravery would be to: take a moment in our busy schedules and remember them in a moment of silence, attend the local Veterans Parade, support veteran organizations, or simply tell a veteran--thank you.

[Light Speed]

[snippy_about_it]

I confess I can find nothing to brag about for April 24th except the fact that it is your birthday and hopefully that has changed the tide!

:)

[PsyOp]

“I’ve long since forgotten the name of the speaker, but I’ll never forget what he said. ‘Imagine this. In the spring of 1945, around the world, the sight of a twelve-man squad of teenage boys, armed and in uniform, brought terror to people’s hearts. Whether it was a Red Army squad in Berlin, Leipzig, or Warsaw, or a German squad in Holland, or a Japanese squad in Manila, Seoul, or Beijing, that squad meant rape, pillage, looting, wanton destruction, sensless killing. But there was one exception: a squad of Gis, a sight that brought the biggest smiles you ever saw to people’s lips, and joy to their hearts.’” - Stephen H. Ambrose, The Victors, 1998.

Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen - In Quotes.

[snippy_about_it]

SAM these essays of "What Veterans Day means to me" are excellent posts. Thank you. It's good to see our young people have an understanding and are learning about our veterans.

[snippy_about_it]

SCDogPapa, Ping to the link at post 162. Thanks OESY, great link.

[snippy_about_it]

Great pictures Light Speed, thanks.

[PsyOp]

PsyOp as a member of the 101st. Photo taken during a training excercise in '83.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks SAM for the poetry "Be Worthy". You've posted some really good stuff for today.

[Prof Engineer]

I've always had a special attachment to poppies. I assumed it to be just for the CA state flower, but now I realize there's a much better reason. Thanks for the post

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the Bulge photos Light speed.

[snippy_about_it]

Great! Thanks PsyOp. Got one without the mask?

Thank you for your service to our country.

[HiJinx]

"What Veterans Day Means To Me"
C. Fruend, First Place, Intermediate/Middle School Division

Wow. Somebody gets it.
SAM, thanks for posting this, and thanks to C. Freund for a winning essay.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks PsyOp for the link to your thread, great stuff.