USO Canteen FReeper Style....Memorial Day....May 27,2002

FRiends of the USO Canteen FReeper Style and Snow Bunny

[deadhead]

Marshall Rhein,75, an Air Force veteran from Deer Park placed flags on the graves of fallen servicemen at the Long Island National Cemetery at Pinelawn yesterday, he remembered seeing friends' planes brought down over Japan during World War II.

GOD BLESS OUR FALLEN HEROES~~~deadhead~~~

[Aquamarine]

May we never forget those brave men who sacrificed all for our freedom.
May God bless them.

Click on the picture.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Good morning, all. Great post, Bunny. Thank you.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

-- Lt. Col. John Macrae

In Loving Memory - Memorial Day

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks for your wonderful post.

[Victoria Delsoul]

May we never forget those brave men who sacrificed all for our freedom. May God bless them.

Amen.

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the link. Interesting history of "Taps".
I had no idea there were so many variations re the lyrics.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Great music, Aquamarine. Thanks so much.

[Aquamarine]

Thank you. Nice timing with your poem. :)

[Victoria Delsoul]

LOL, yes.

[Lacey]

We had the honor of visiting the cemetary at Omaha Beach just two days ago and saw them preparing for today's ceremony. Two weeks ago we were in Ypres, Belgium. Since the end of WW I, the town has held a ceremony honoring the fallen soldiers EVERY evening at 8pm. Very moving.

[SassyMom]

Good morning Clara. This virus is not just on this thread. kneezles Aunt had this virus in her computer and she doesn't visit Free Republic at all. It is a nation wide, probably world wide thing.

I hope you have a great day! I will be back to chat later! :)

[MeekOneGOP]

"Top" this, ya'll! (Pardon the Pun!) LOL!

Laredo: Flagpole touted as tallest in U.S. to be dedicated today
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/690161/posts

05/27/2002

By BRENDA RODRIGUEZ / The Dallas Morning News

It is slightly taller than the Statue of Liberty and is destined to become a landmark.

Not far from the Rio Grande, a 308-foot flagpole flying a 50-by-100-foot United States flag is to be dedicated in Laredo on Memorial Day in honor of the men and women who have served this country.

"This is the Laredo National Bank's way of saying thank you to all members of the U.S. military, be they active duty, retired, veterans, National Guard, reserve," said Gary Jacobs, president and chief executive officer of Laredo National Bank, which paid for the project.

The effort also includes a flag park that will have flags representing every country, with the U.S. flag as its centerpiece. The park is being built.

Although Mr. Jacobs wouldn't say how much the flagpole project cost, a published report put the price at $300,000.

The bank was inspired to pursue the project after Laredo's sister city of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, erected a flagpole and Mexican flag in 1998. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the project took on new meaning.

The Laredo flag project in the parking lot of the bank's motor branch less than two blocks north of the Lincoln Juárez International Bridge is expected to boast the tallest stand-alone flagpole in the United States. The flagpole was engineered and manufactured by Fort Worth-based Flags USA.

"If you're coming from Monterrey [Mexico] to Laredo you'll see both flags," Mr. Jacobs said. "And, if you're coming from [Interstate 35] south on the freeway toward Nuevo Laredo, you'll see both flags."

The flag's dedication couldn't have come at a better time in light of Sept. 11, said Jesus E. Cantu, the Webb County veterans service officer. There are about 8,800 veterans living in the county.

A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Cantu said, he could see the flag flying from his office during a test. He called it majestic.

"Any veteran who goes away from this country and comes back, that's the first thing you look for when you come back to American soil," Mr. Cantu said. "You know you're home when you see that flag."

[SassyMom]

I hope everyone has a wonderful day today.

Thank you to our veterans for all they have given to keep this great nation free. I appreciate you and your families for the sacrifices you have made.

Thank you to our men and women that are currently serving in our Armed Forces. Thank you for giving so much for me and my family. You are the best!

[SpookBrat]

"In honor of those members of the Central Intelligence Agency who gave their lives in the service of their country"

[aomagrat]

Today's classic ship, USS Franklin (CV-13), the most decorated ship in US History.

Essex class (short-hull) Fleet Carrier:
Displacement: 34,800 tons
Length: 872'
Beam: 147'
Draft: 28'7"
Speed: 33 knots
Armament: 12 5"/38, 18x4 40mm, 60 20mm; 103 planes (37 F6F, 36 #B2C, 18 TBM)
Complement: 3,448
Geared turbine engines, 4 screws, 150,000 shaft hp.
Built at Newport News, and commissioned 31 January 1944
Sold for scrap in July 1966

USS Franklin, a 27,100 ton Essex class aircraft carrier, was built at Newport News, Virginia. Commissioned at the end of January 1944, she arrived in the Pacific in time to participate in later stages of the Marianas operation. From late June into September, her planes conducted strikes on enemy targets in the Bonins, Marianas, Palaus and Carolines. In October, after supporting the September landings in the Palaus, she took part in the Third Fleet's raids in the Western Pacific and in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was lightly damaged by a Japanese bomb on 15 October, and was hit by a suicide plane on 30 October. The latter caused serious damage and killed 56 of her crew, necessitating a trip back to the United States for repairs.

Franklin returned to the war zone in mid-March 1945 and joined the Fifth fleet for strikes on the Japanese home islands. On the morning of 19 March, while her flight and hangar decks were crowded with fully armed and fueled planes preparing to take off to attack the enemy, a Japanese plane approached undetected and hit the carrier with two bombs. The resulting inferno badly damaged the ship and resulted in the deaths of 724 of her crew. Heroic work by the survivors, assisted by nearby ships, brought the fires and flooding under control. After a brief period under tow, Franklin's engineers again had her steaming on her own. For their bravery under fire the crew was awarded 3 Medals of Honor, 3 Silver Stars, and Dozens of Bronze Stars and Letters of Commendations. The Franklin was the most heavily damaged ship to survive the war.

The badly damaged carrier crossed the Pacific, transited the Panama Canal and in late April arrived at the New York Navy Yard for repairs. These were completed shortly after the end of the Pacific War, and Franklin saw no further active flight service. She decommissioned in February 1947. Though reclassified CVA-13 in 1952, CVS-13 a year later and AVT-8 in 1959, Franklin remained in the Reserve Fleet until she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in October 1964. She was sold for scrapping in July 1966.

[Alamo-Girl]

buuuuuump!

[Angelique]

This site is really worth the visit: Eighth Grade Girl's Vigil For POW's and MIA's

[SassyMom]

I think this says it all....

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks for the roses, Tonk.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Thanks for your post, Sassy. Hope you're having a wonderful day.