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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
------------------------

 

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.

 

 

 

 

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 o’er,
The boys to brave and strong men grown,
They romped and played no more.

They put aside their childish toys,
A man’s 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,
We’re men and we are strong.
We’ll 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~

 

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!

 

 

 

 

 

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

 



 

 

 

Remember! width=

 

"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 pour’d 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 soar’d 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."

 

 

 

 



TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Free Republic
KEYWORDS: canteen; freepercanteen; memorialday; military; troopsupport
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To: Kathy in Alaska

Yay!


621 posted on 05/26/2008 1:24:25 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: MeekMom

Fantastic graphics, MM...


622 posted on 05/26/2008 1:25:03 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska ((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: mylife

I didn’t see an answer to your request...

Mt. Tiefort.

I spent a few days camped in a wash along Tiefort’s southern flank. We paid close attention to the weather forecasts, then. There was a jumbled pile of debris about 50 yards up-canyon from our DF site that was probably a result of unchecked run-off from the mountainside.


623 posted on 05/26/2008 2:10:37 PM PDT by HiJinx (~ Support our Troops ~ www.americasupportsyou.mil ~)
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To: HiJinx

Quite the campsite aint it? ;)


624 posted on 05/26/2008 2:14:24 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Kathy in Alaska; All


625 posted on 05/26/2008 2:15:48 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Dims) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: HiJinx

Thanks for the spelling. I broke out a topo map here but no land marks listed.

Spent 3-4 days on that rock L0L


626 posted on 05/26/2008 2:17:07 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: All
For all the guys ............ ;)


627 posted on 05/26/2008 2:20:15 PM PDT by STARWISE (They (Dims) think of this WOT as Bush's war, not America's war-RichardMiniter, respected OBL author)
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To: All

From email.........

Speeding Ticket

Two California Highway Patrol Officers were conducting speeding enforcement on I-15, just north of the Marine Corps Air Station at Miramar. One of the officers was using a hand held radar device to check speeding vehicles approaching the crest of a hill. The officers were suddenly surprised when the radar gun began reading 300 miles per hour.

The officer attempted to reset the radar gun, but it would not reset and then turned off. Just then a deafening roar over the treetops revealed that the radar had in fact locked on to a USMC F/A-18 Hornet which was engaged in a low flying exercise near the location.

Back at the CHP (California Highway Patrol) headquarters the Patrol Captain fired off a complaint to the USMC Base Commander. The reply came back in true USMC style: Thank you for your letter. We can now complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Hornet had detected the presence of, and subsequently locked on to, your hostile radar equipment and automatically sent a jamming signal back to it, which is why it shut down. Furthermore, an Air-to-Ground missile aboard the fully armed aircraft had also automatically locked on to your equipment location.

Fortunately, the Marine Pilot flying the Hornet recognized the situation for what it was, quickly responded to the missile system alert status and was able to override the automated defense system before the missile was launched to destroy the hostile radar position.

The pilot also suggests you cover your mouths when cussing at them, since the video systems on these jets are very high tech. Sergeant Johnson, the officer holding the radar gun, should get his dentist to check his left rear molar. It appears the filling is loose. Also, the snap is broken on his holster. Thank you for your concern . Semper Fi.


628 posted on 05/26/2008 2:21:17 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska ((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Kathy in Alaska; StarCMC; laurenmarlowe; The Mayor; Colonel_Flagg; GodBlessUSA; Mrs.Nooseman; ...


Music for our Troops, Veterans, and their families!!
HONORING THE FALLEN THIS MEMORIAL DAY

Aaron Tippen~The Stars & Stripes & the Eagle Flies

Alan Jackson~Where Were You (Live)

John Michael Montgomery~Letters From Home

John Phillip Sousa~El Capitan

John Wayne~America, Why I Love Her/Pledge of Allegiance

Lee Greenwood~9-11 Tribute-God Bless the USA/God Bless America

Mariah Carey~Hero


GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS--PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE....
....AND GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!

629 posted on 05/26/2008 2:53:37 PM PDT by luvie (The Republican Party is strongest when it is fearlessly conservative! RL \:D/)
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To: Lady Jag
HI, LJ.

free dixie,sw

630 posted on 05/26/2008 3:03:29 PM PDT by stand watie (Resistance to TYRANTS is OBEDIENCE to God. T. Jefferson, 1804)
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To: mylife; laurenmarlowe; StarCMC; AZamericonnie; MS.BEHAVIN; Brad's Gramma; HiJinx; beachn4fun; ...
America, Why I Love Her....John Wayne
631 posted on 05/26/2008 3:38:35 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska ((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Tanniker Smith
Thanks, TS, for WHAT IS A VET?
632 posted on 05/26/2008 3:40:50 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska ((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: mylife; All



A Soldier
 
  There is discipline in A Soldier
you can see it when he walks,
There is honor in A Soldier
you hear it when he talks.
There is courage in A Soldier
you can see it in his eyes,
There is loyalty in A Soldier
that he will not compromise.
There is something in A Soldier
that makes him stand apart,
There is strength in A Soldier
that beats from his heart.
A Soldier isn't a title any man
can be hired to do,
A Soldier is the soul of that man
buried deep inside of you.
A Soldier's job isn't finished after
an 8 hour day or a 40 hour week,
A Soldier is always A Soldier
even while he sleeps.
A Soldier serves his country first
and his life is left behind,
A Soldier has to sacrifice what
comes first in a civilian's mind.
If you are civilian -
I am saying this to you.....
next time you see A Soldier
remember what they do.
A Soldier is the reason our land
is 'Home of the free',
A Soldier is the one that is brave
protecting you and me.
If you are A Soldier -
I am saying this to you.....
Thank God for EVERY SOLDIER
Thank God for what YOU do!

Angela Goodwin


633 posted on 05/26/2008 3:43:12 PM PDT by Lady Jag (You can contribute to FR any time at https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate)
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To: Kathy in Alaska; All
Dont let the title throw you off
634 posted on 05/26/2008 3:44:08 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife

The stories they had to tell when their work was done for the day! Legends in the making! d:o)


635 posted on 05/26/2008 3:48:40 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska ((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: pookie18

Hiya friend!
God bless you and a happy Memorial Day to you! :) ((hugs))


636 posted on 05/26/2008 3:49:46 PM PDT by MeekMom (Present your bodies a living sacrifice to God.)
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To: Kathy in Alaska

Beautiful


637 posted on 05/26/2008 3:50:05 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: Lady Jag
A Soldier

Thank God for EVERY SOLDIER
Thank God for what YOU do!

Yes! Thanks.

638 posted on 05/26/2008 3:50:48 PM PDT by Kathy in Alaska ((~ RIP Brian...heaven's gain...the Coast Guard lost a good one.~))
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To: Kathy in Alaska

No doubt.

Never let the naysayers dissuade you


639 posted on 05/26/2008 3:51:07 PM PDT by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: mylife; Kathy in Alaska

Good evening friends!
Hope you’re both having a fantastic weekend! :)

God’s blessings upon you!


640 posted on 05/26/2008 3:53:41 PM PDT by MeekMom (Present your bodies a living sacrifice to God.)
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