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FReeper Canteen ~ Memorial Day 2008 ~ 26 May 08
Serving The Best Troops And Veterans In The World
| StarCMC and GI Joe
Posted on 05/25/2008 5:00:15 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska
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The FReeper Canteen Observes
------------------------ Memorial Day 2008 ------------------------ |
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History Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet (see below) carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead" (Source: Duke University's Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it's difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee. More history here. |
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Poetry & SONG
MEMORIAL DAY.
In distant field of sunny France Where strangers come and go, Amid the farms of Flanders, where The fragrant breezes blow, Our soldier-dead in quiet sleep 'Neath crosses row on row.
Here shrapnel shells once shrieked and burst And took their toll of death; The very wind, itself a foe, Bore poison on its breath.
Above their graves the birds now sing As round that home of yore, When, carefree boys, they romped and played; Those childhood days soon oer, The boys to brave and strong men grown, They romped and played no more.
They put aside their childish toys, A mans work each must do, And when their country called for them, To her they answered true.
"We must protect our native land: She shall not suffer wrong For she has reared and nurtured us, Were men and we are strong. Well bid good-by to those we love; It will not be for long."
With aching hearts and tear-dimmed eyes We watched them go away. Some have returned but many sleep In foreign lands today.
Where English roses bloom and fade, In France where lilies grow, Among the fields of Flanders, where The scarlet poppies blow, Our soldier-dead are not forgot Though strangers come and go.
~By Eula Gladys Lincoln~
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America the Beautiful - 1913
O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern, impassioned stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!
O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife. Who more than self the country loved And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!
O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!
O beautiful for halcyon skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the enameled plain! America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till souls wax fair as earth and air And music-hearted sea!
O beautiful for pilgrims feet, Whose stern impassioned stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness! America ! America ! God shed his grace on thee Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought By pilgrim foot and knee!
O beautiful for glory-tale Of liberating strife When once and twice, for man's avail Men lavished precious life ! America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till selfish gain no longer stain The banner of the free!
O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee Till nobler men keep once again Thy whiter jubilee! |
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Links to redrock's Memorial Day Threads from 2006 "We Can Be Heroes.....Just For One Day" MEMORIAL DAY --Thread # 1
"Just Another Drunk Indian..." MEMORIAL DAY--Thread # 2
"Chocolate Chip Cookies" MEMORIAL DAY --Thread # 3
"Hey...Do Ya Wanna Hear a Polish Joke???" MEMORIAL DAY --Thread # 4 "Remember...What We Owe.." MEMORIAL DAY --Thread# 5
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"Kneel Where Our Loves Are Sleeping Words by G.W.R. Music by Mrs. L. Nella Sweet Kneel where our loves are sleeping, Dear ones days gone by, Here we bow in holy reverence, Our bosoms heave the heartfelt sigh. They fell like brave men, true as steel, And pourd their blood like rain, We feel we owe them all we have, And can but weep and kneel again. CHORUS Kneel where our loves are sleeping, They lost but still were good and true, Our fathers, brothers fell still fighting, We weep, tis all that we can do.
VERSE 2: Here we find our noble dead, Their spirits soard to him above, Rest they now about his throne, For God is mercy, God is love. Then let us pray that we may live, As pure and good as they have been, That dying we may ask of him, To open the gate and let us in. CHORUS Kneel where our loves are sleeping, They lost but still were good and true, Our fathers, brothers fell still fighting, We weep, tis all that we can do." |
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TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Free Republic
KEYWORDS: canteen; freepercanteen; memorialday; military; troopsupport
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
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To: mylife
Not for me, either!
Never did get into the tattoo thingy.
Everyone thinks when you ride a Harley that ya must have a tatto somewheres..
LOL
401
posted on
05/25/2008 9:49:13 PM PDT
by
MS.BEHAVIN
(Women who behave rarely make history)
To: MS.BEHAVIN
I sure will!
She will be happy to her from you!
We're doing great! Violet came back to a total mess!
She worked her butt off to get a bonus for her pharmacy crew and everyone got a bonus check but her! The pharmacist refuses to pass out thier checks until Violet gets hers first!
402
posted on
05/25/2008 9:49:49 PM PDT
by
Randy Larsen
(Arrogance IS my virtue!)
To: LUV W
403
posted on
05/25/2008 9:50:00 PM PDT
by
mylife
(The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
To: bannie
404
posted on
05/25/2008 9:50:45 PM PDT
by
luvie
(The Republican Party is strongest when it is fearlessly conservative! RL \:D/)
To: Kathy in Alaska; LUV W; MS.BEHAVIN; TASMANIANRED; All
LOL ... You surprise me ... having Alice Cooper
loaded, kath. Very cool ... ;)
Got a really good surprise today ... my oldest
son is engaged .. finally: a committment! And
he proposed in the country of his birth on
vacation in the Bahamas.
Woo Hoo! Maybe I will actually be a grandmother
before I’m senile ... LOL.
Hope you’re all enjoying a relaxing Holiday
weekend. Prayers for our troops all around
the world fighting for freedom.
405
posted on
05/25/2008 9:51:07 PM PDT
by
STARWISE
(They (Dims) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
To: Randy Larsen
They had BETTER pay her!
I’ll come down there and kick butt if they don’t!
406
posted on
05/25/2008 9:51:43 PM PDT
by
MS.BEHAVIN
(Women who behave rarely make history)
To: TASMANIANRED
Seriously????
That's great!!! Flaky, stinky starch all over everything! I understand starch: When you smell hot starch, do you have flashbacks?
407
posted on
05/25/2008 9:51:57 PM PDT
by
bannie
(clintons CHEAT! It's their only weapon.; & Barry/Barack has two faces.)
To: SandRat
408
posted on
05/25/2008 9:52:09 PM PDT
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: MS.BEHAVIN
LOL Ya think so? *wink* Well, YOUR hubby might prefer this...
409
posted on
05/25/2008 9:52:31 PM PDT
by
Tamar1973
(Catch the Korean Wave, one Bae Yong Joon film at a time!)
To: STARWISE
410
posted on
05/25/2008 9:53:05 PM PDT
by
MeekMom
(Present your bodies a living sacrifice to God.)
To: Kathy in Alaska
Seems like it’s OK now though.
411
posted on
05/25/2008 9:53:06 PM PDT
by
SandRat
(Duty, Honor, Country! What else needs to said?)
To: Tamar1973
LOL!
I’m not a young chick anymore!
412
posted on
05/25/2008 9:53:47 PM PDT
by
MS.BEHAVIN
(Women who behave rarely make history)
To: STARWISE
WooHoo!! Congratulatons to your son and future DIL, and to you too.
And I only have a single Alice Cooper song....good thing that was the one. LOL!
413
posted on
05/25/2008 9:54:53 PM PDT
by
Kathy in Alaska
((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
To: Randy Larsen
414
posted on
05/25/2008 9:55:00 PM PDT
by
Just Lori
(There is nothing democrat"ic" about democrats.)
To: Randy Larsen; MS.BEHAVIN
Well, that stinks!
What Ms. B said—I’ll be with her! GRRRR!
How could that have happened!???
415
posted on
05/25/2008 9:55:21 PM PDT
by
luvie
(The Republican Party is strongest when it is fearlessly conservative! RL \:D/)
To: STARWISE
Awesome news, Starwise!! WOOOHOOO!!!
Hope they’ll be very happy!....and you, too! :D
416
posted on
05/25/2008 9:56:30 PM PDT
by
luvie
(The Republican Party is strongest when it is fearlessly conservative! RL \:D/)
To: bannie
LMAO! The Mr. is asleep. I gotta be quiet. =)
417
posted on
05/25/2008 9:56:45 PM PDT
by
Just Lori
(There is nothing democrat"ic" about democrats.)
To: LUV W
418
posted on
05/25/2008 9:57:13 PM PDT
by
bannie
(clintons CHEAT! It's their only weapon.; & Barry/Barack has two faces.)
To: MS.BEHAVIN; STARWISE; TASMANIANRED; Tamar1973; mylife; Randy Larsen; Kathy in Alaska; NYTexan
Nite, you guys! Gotta work tomorrow so I need rest. I was up kinda late last night because of the storm.
God bless you all....and God bless our wonderful troops and vets....and our beloved fallen heroes!
(((hugs))) to all!
419
posted on
05/25/2008 9:58:44 PM PDT
by
luvie
(The Republican Party is strongest when it is fearlessly conservative! RL \:D/)
To: Just Lori
shhhh....
420
posted on
05/25/2008 9:59:06 PM PDT
by
bannie
(clintons CHEAT! It's their only weapon.; & Barry/Barack has two faces.)
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