To all the Vets out there, AND the men & women currently serving our country, THANK YOU!
How's about a little humor to help start off the day (and I'll try not to screw it up again):
After the fall in the Garden of Eden, Adam was walking with his sons Cain and Abel.
They passed by the ruins of the Garden of Eden. One of the boys asked, "What's that?"
Adam replied, "Boys, that's where your mother ate us out of house and home."
"Yours is the profession of arms, the will to win, the sure knowledge that in war there is no substitute for victory, that if you lose, the Nation will be destroyed, that the very obsession of your public service must be Duty, Honor, Country."
General Douglas MacArthur
12 May 1962
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Between the two memorial walls in the interior of the Pentagon, memorial books with photographs and personal information about each victim of the attack wait for visitors to browse through and glean a sense of sorrow or pride from the display. Staff Sgt. Raymon Santiago Estrada pledges allegiance as he re-enlists in the Air Force yesterday at a new memorial inside the Pentagon. Estrada, who helped with Sept. 11 search and rescue efforts, asked for his ceremony to be held at the memorial site. As a service for those stopping by the memorial in the Pentagon, a wall of engraved names flanks a table where memory books and blank paper enable visitors to read about 9/11 victims and record their feelings.
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WHEN SHE WAS working a string of 20-hour days last month, Shelly McMahan didn't have much time to think about the impact her work would have on herself or others.
But now that the Fredericksburg woman has finished the 4-foot by 8-foot black acrylic panels bearing the names of the 184 men, women and children killed when terrorists slammed a jetliner into the Pentagon Sept. 11, she's been able to enjoy a sense of satisfaction.
"I'm just really proud that I played a part in doing it," the 35-year-old graphic designer and former soldier said.
McMahan, who operates Smart Design in Woodbridge, was one of three contractors who created the "America's Heroes" memorial inside the Pentagon. Defense Department graphics director Kathy Brassell and design specialist JulieAnne Tabone came up with the design.
The memorial--a partially enclosed room 10 feet deep and 25 feet wide--was unveiled May 4 in a ceremony open only to family members of the victims. Glenn Flood, a Pentagon spokesman, said the families wanted a quiet, closed event rather than a public dedication.
McMahan's company--consisting of her brother and one other employee--not only made the two panels bearing the victims' names but essentially the entire display.
They created a replica of the "United in Memory" emblem unveiled in October to remember Pentagon victims, as well as two windows with transparent acrylic carvings of the Purple Heart and Defense of Freedom medals.
They also created three other panels--two that explain the medals and a central one that speaks of the Sept. 11 attacks and quotes the speeches of President Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at a one-month anniversary ceremony.
The interior memorial is located next to the Chaplain's Office and a prayer room on the third floor at the apex of corridors nine and 10. It was envisioned as a place Pentagon employees could visit to reflect on the events of Sept. 11--the day 125 coworkers were killed and scores of others injured.
For the public, an outdoor memorial is planned within view of the site where American Airlines Flight 77 smashed into the building. Dedication is tentatively set for the two-year anniversary of the attack.
A design competition is open to anyone. Details on the competition will be available next month on the Web at http://pentagonmemorial.nab.usace.army.mil.
A bill creating a third memorial--one on the National Mall that would honor victims of all terrorist attacks on Americans--advanced Wednesday from the House Resources Committee to the full House of Representatives.
This week, military personnel at the Pentagon and others in town for just a few days stopped to pay tribute at the indoor memorial. Master Sgt. Lori Kelly, an Air National Guardsman from North Pole, Alaska, wrote a note in the sign-in book encouraging the nation to never lose its fighting spirit.
"It's an appropriate monument--something to help us all not forget people who sacrificed their lives for our country," she said.
Staff Sgt. Ramon Santiago Estrada offered a special tribute as well. He was working at the Pentagon when it was attacked and had planned to end his Air Force career when his tour ended.
Instead, the 10-year veteran re-enlisted Thursday in a brief ceremony at the memorial performed by 1st Lt. Robyn Inks and attended by Estrada's wife and fellow airmen.
"He's paying tribute to these people and this country by re-enlisting here," Inks said.
When McMahan won the bid to help with the interior memorial, she was no stranger to the corridors of the nation's defense headquarters.
After four years in the Army, she had worked in the Pentagon for seven years in the Air Force's graphics department. Even after leaving, she had handled several contracts, including a 34-panel display detailing the history of the USO.
The morning of Sept. 11, she was scheduled to make a delivery to the area hit by the jetliner, but was running late. She was still inside her Woodbridge workshop when she saw the World Trade Center attacks on television and then learned about the assault on the Pentagon.
She immediately thought of all the people she knew who worked there. They all survived, but she was shaken.
She didn't make that day's delivery, but was summoned to the Pentagon three days later for a new assignment.
The Defense Department needed signs--thousands of them--to direct the hundreds of people working in the recovery efforts.
"I was making deliveries sometimes at two or three o'clock in the morning," she recalled. "That was a pretty rough period."
But she didn't bemoan the long hours or the chaotic schedule.
"It was draining, but I felt good that there was a way I could help," she said. "Going up there at night, you would see the relief effort going on. You saw how hard they were working and I guess it sort of motivated me to go on."
In December, McMahan received the contract to work on the interior memorial. Then, on April 3, she got a call that it was time to start--giving her 16 days to do five weeks' worth of work.
And painstaking work it was.
Carving lettering into quarter-inch thick acrylic panels with a router requires precision to the thousandth of an inch, McMahan said.
Evidence of her high standards remains in her workshop, where imperfect panels still sit. But she has no regrets about her insistence on perfection.
Visitors who come to the memorial can take away a replica of her work. As at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall, relatives and coworkers can make rubbings of the names inscribed on the panels--or any other part of the display.
So the last thing McMahan wants is for someone's prized memento to have even the slightest flaw.
Memorial Day means more to me than a day off from school. It reminds me of what an amazing country we live in and how it became what it is today. So many men and women died to preserve our way of life. People need to take time to reflect what our lives would be like if these courageous souls had not fought for what they believed in. To me, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance.
My Grandfather had rarely spoken to me about his experience in war. During the rare occasions when he does, he gets a look over his face that is indescribable. You can see the pain and hurt that the death in war has caused him. At the same time, you can see a great deal of pride.
My Grandfather was a pilot who flew a B-17, was twenty-five years old, and full of the devil. On March 16, 1944, while flying his 42nd mission from Italy to Udine, German antiaircraft shot the plane down. In the attack, the belly gunner in the plane was killed.
When the crew parachuted, German ME 109’s tried to knock the air out of their chutes. My Grandfather landed on a roof and was knocked unconscious from the impact. When he woke, a small Italian girl offered him a glass of wine. Standing behind her, however, were Nazi soldiers with rifles pointed at his head.
From there, he was taken to Milan where he was interrogated. Every question the soldiers asked was answered with name, rank and serial number.
Then he was taken with other prisoners outside Milan. Allied bombers were bombing the area, and the prisoners were hidden underground. My Grandfather saw many men being crushed to death from the impact of the bombs during that night of underground hiding.
The following morning, the prisoners that were still alive were marched to the railroad station. While marching, the people in the village spit and threw rocks at them. They were then put on boxcars and sent to a camp called Stalag Luft III, which translates to “Air Force Officers”. The prison camp was ninety miles southeast of Berlin, Germany. My Grandfather stayed there until Christmas of 1944.
The Russians were going to storm Berlin, so the Nazi commander at the prison camp decided to move all the prisoners to a camp in Moosburg, Austria. The prisoners marched for two weeks with the little clothing that they had and barely any food. All 15,000 prisoners were given spoonfuls of margarine to keep warm. Many men died from either starvation or hunger. Those that survived suffered from severe frostbite. To this day, my Grandfather suffers from poor circulation in his hands and feet due to the frostbite from what is now called “The Death March” of 1945.
By the time they reached Moosburg, it was mid-January. In Moosburg, food was scarce and any food they got was terrible. Some food was even infested with worms. In a barracks, life wasn’t any easier. They were cold, dark and damp. The barracks were divided in half, having six rooms on each side, with a hall the length of the building in the center. In a room, there were about thirteen men. Their beds were constructed of wooden planks with mattresses made of wood shavings and hay. Inside a lot of the mattresses were bedbugs and lice. It got so cold that they finally had to split the beds apart and use the wood to keep their fire going.
While my Grandfather was in Moosburg, he became the barber for his barrack. The men in his barrack played cards, checkers and softball to keep active. They also read, wrote letters home, and kept a garden. However, they weren’t allowed to work outside the camp. Some prisoners that were from the Royal Air Force, dug holes from their barracks, underneath the fence and out of the camp. Eventually, the Nazi’s found out about these holes and would wait for every man to come up before shooting them.
My Grandfather’s camp was liberated April 15, 1945, with General Patton commanding the troops. All the prisoners were then loaded onto trucks and were taken to France, and camped for a week outside Paris. After being given food and clothing, medical attention and some rest, they were taken to Antwerp, Belgium. From Antwerp, they boarded a ship that was bound for New York. At the site of Lady Liberty, many fell to the ground and with misty eyes stared in disbelieve at New York Harbor, a sight they thought they might never see again. With tears of joy streaming down their faces, they knew they were finally home.
Whenever I hear about war, I think of what my Grandfather had to endure. I think of the liberties that I take for granted. We are eternally indebted to all the people that courageously laid down their lives to maintain our way of life. To me, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance and a day that honors the many heroes that have died in service to their country. Their sacrifice has made America what it is today, the land of the free and truly the home of the brave.
Confession:
When 9-11 happened, I went to put up our flag. I ruefully discovered that the last outdoor flag we had, had been retired due to wear. The only flag we still had was the one from my Father's casket. We set that one in the window until the matter was resolved.I had to order a new flag and wait 3 weeks for it to arrive. When I picked up the new flag, there were no flag poles in stock. That is when I got "creative". I cut a 6 foot length of 1/2 inch electric conduit to make a pole out of. I stuffed a 1/2 inch dowel rod into it to add strength. Used "S" hooks to attach the flag, and a plastic chair foot cap to finish the top. Now to mount it to the house . . . 18 inch piece of 3/4 inch conduit to the rescue. I put a 30 degree bend in the center of it and used 2 conduit clamps to anchor it to the brick.
Now the Flag flys 24/7. It will withstand a hurricane if needed. Even looks "store bought"!
God Bless our Troops.
Here is a picture taken just before the posting of the first Honor Guard for this week-end.
On the left is Streamwood's Memorial Commission Chairman, Joe Marino, in the center is AO3 Steven Lukasiewicz, & on the right is SSgt Walter A. Wrobel.
Tomorrow, during the main ceremonies at 11 AM, we will have a fly-over by a WWII B-25 bomber, & an Army Blackhawk helicopter.
May God bless all our Veterans & men and women serving today! May God watch over the men and women serving today and keep them safe!
It should be noted that Pat Camunes is the author of "Thanks for Remembering."
For a few more Camunes items, as well as other equally moving comments, see:
http://www.war-stories.com/
Salute to our fallen brothers and sisters. Thank You for your sacrifice. You are not forgotten.
Dead Soldier Day Sale.
