from Jack and Tina
Hope everyone has a really nice weekend. Enjoy the time, be kind to each other and play safe! Think positive thoughts and most of all remember why we have a Memorial Day and no, it has nothing to do with NASCAR! ; ) (Thank you veterans past, present and future)
Memorial Day History
Three years after the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.
The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.
Local Observances Claim To Be First Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.
Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.
Official Birthplace Declared In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.
By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.
It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.
Some States Have Confederate Observances Many Southern states also have their own days for honoring the Confederate dead. Mississippi celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday of April, Alabama on the fourth Monday of April, and Georgia on April 26. North and South Carolina observe it on May 10, Louisiana on June 3 and Tennessee calls that date Confederate Decoration Day. Texas celebrates Confederate Heroes Day January 19 and Virginia calls the last Monday in May Confederate Memorial Day.
Gen. Logan’s order for his posts to decorate graves in 1868 “with the choicest flowers of springtime” urged: “We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. … Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”
The crowd attending the first Memorial Day ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was approximately the same size as those that attend today’s observance, about 5,000 people. Then, as now, small American flags were placed on each grave — a tradition followed at many national cemeteries today. In recent years, the custom has grown in many families to decorate the graves of all departed loved ones.
The origins of special services to honor those who die in war can be found in antiquity. The Athenian leader Pericles offered a tribute to the fallen heroes of the Peloponnesian War over 24 centuries ago that could be applied today to the 1.1 million Americans who have died in the nation’s wars: “Not only are they commemorated by columns and inscriptions, but there dwells also an unwritten memorial of them, graven not on stone but in the hearts of men.”
To ensure the sacrifices of America ‘s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.
The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”
This is not new, but it is fitting.
The things they Carried….
They carried P-38 can openers and heat tabs,watches and dog tags,insect repellent, gum, cigarettes, Zippo lighters, salt tablets, compress bandages, ponchos, Kool-Aid, two or three canteens of water, iodine tablets,sterno, LRRP- rations, and C-rations stuffed in socks. They carried standard fatigues, jungle boots, bush hats, flak jackets and steel pots. They carried the M-16 assault rifles. They carried trip flares and Claymore mines, M-60 machine guns, the M-70 grenade launcher, M-14’s, CAR-15’s, Stoners, Swedish K’s, 66mm Laws, shotguns, .45 caliber pistols, silencers, the sound of bullets, rockets, and choppers, and sometimes the sound of silence.
They carried C-4 plastic explosives, an assortment of hand grenades, PRC-25 radios, knives and machetes. Some carried napalm, CBU’s and largebombs; some risked their lives to rescue others. Some escaped the fear, but dealt with the death and damage. Some made very hard decisions, and some just tried to survive. They carried malaria, dysentery, ringworm, jungle rot and leaches. They carried the land itself as it hardened on their boots.
They carried stationery, pencils, and pictures of their loved ones – real and imagined. They carried love for people in the real world and love for one another. And sometimes they disguised that love: “Don’t mean nothin’! “They carried memories.
For the most part, they carried themselves with poise and a kind of dignity. Now and then, there were times when panic set in, and people squealed or wanted to, but couldn’t; when they twitched and made moaning sounds and covered their heads and said “Dear God” and hugged the earth and fired their weapons blindly and cringed and begged for the noise to stop and went wild and made stupid promises to themselves and God and their parents, hoping not to die.They carried the traditions of the United States Military, and memories and images of those who served before them. They carried grief, terror, longing and their reputations. They carried the soldier’s greatest fear: the embarrassment of dishonor. They crawled into tunnels, walked point, and advanced under fire, so as not to die of embarrassment. They were afraid of dying, but too afraid to show it.They carried the emotional baggage of men and women who might die at any moment.They carried the weight of the world.
THEY CARRIED EACH OTHER.
Author Unknown
Remember them this Memorial Day.
And here is some inspiration…
The Eagle and the Wolf
Remarks for Pepperdine University Convocation Series, 14 October 1998
by General Charles C. Krulak, Commandant of the Marine Corps
I am happy to be here this morning-to have an opportunity to talk to the leaders and thinkers of tomorrow and, more importantly, the day after tomorrow. I considered a few different topics to talk to you about this morning: the importance of my Christian faith in guiding my personal and professional life, the Marine Corps’ intensive efforts to develop values in our newest Marines, or even my thoughts about our Nation’s role in humanitarian missions around the globe … I will do that if you would like-but during the Q&As … There is another topic that I would like to talk about today-one that is critical to each of us, our Nation, and our world-as we move toward the 21st Century … A topic that rarely gets talked about in forums such as this, which makes it all the more important to discuss. It serves as the foundation for all that we are, all that we do, and all that we will be … I will talk about the importance of character … I can tell you from personal experience that combat is the most traumatic human event. It strips away an individual’s veneer, exposing their true character. If a character flaw exists, it will appear in combat-guaranteed. This morning, I will tell the story of an American whose true character was tested and exposed in the crucible of war. I will then draw some conclusions that are applicable to how the rest of us should live our lives … lives where combat will hopefully never play a role. He was a 19 year old Marine-about the same age as most of you in the audience this morning.
His name was LCPL Grable. He was a man of courage …a man of character … and this is his story… Vietnam … It was 0600, the third of June, 1966. I was in command of “G” Company, Second Battalion, First Marine Regiment. I was a First Lieutenant at the time, and had been given this command because the previous commander had been killed about one week earlier. My Company had been given a simple mission that began with a helicopter assault.
We would land in a series of dried-up rice paddies about 6 football fields in length, and three football fields in width. These paddies were surrounded by jungle-covered mountains, with a dry stream bed running along one side. We were supposed to land, put on our packs, and do what all Marines do: find the largest mountain, and climb to the top. There we would put ourselves in a defensive perimeter to act as the blocking force for an offensive sweep conducted by two battalions. The helicopters landed, unloaded my company of Marines, and had just started to leave when the world collapsed. Automatic weapons, mortar fire, artillery-it was hell on earth. Fortunately, a good portion of my Company had managed to move into the dry stream bed where they were protected from most of the fire.
However, one platoon had landed too far west to move immediately to the cover of the stream bed. As they tried to move in that direction, the fires on them became so heavy they had no alternative but to hit the deck. One particular squad found itself directly in the line of fire of a North Vietnamese 12.7mm heavy machine gun. In a matter of seconds, two Marines were killed and three were seriously wounded. As I watched what was happening from my position in the stream bed, I knew that it was just a matter of time before that machine gun would systematically “take out” that whole platoon-squad by squad. If I didn’t act immediately, they would be lost in just a matter of minutes. I made a call to the commander of the first platoon that had made its way into the stream bed, directing him to move up the stream bed so he could attack across the flank of the gun position-not having to assault it directly from the front. At the same time, I directed another platoon to provide suppressive fire that might diminish the volume of fire coming from the machine gun position. All this was happening in the midst of smoke, multiple explosions, heavy small arms fire, and people yelling to heard over the din of battle.
Suddenly, my radio operator grabbed me by the sleeve and pointed toward the middle of the rice paddy where a black Marine-a Lance Corporal by the name of Grable-had gotten to his feet, placed his M-14 rifle on his hip, and charged the machine gun-firing as fast as he could possibly fire. He ran about 40 meters directly toward the machine gun and then cut to the side, much like a running back might do during a football game. Sure enough, the machine gun, which had been delivering heavy fire on his squad, picked up off of the squad and began firing at Grable. Seeing the fire shift away from them, the squad moved immediately to the cover of a small rice paddy dike-thick ground, about a foot high separating each paddy from the other. Both they, and the other two squads were able to drag their casualties and gear to the position of safety behind this dike. Grable didn’t look back. He didn’t see what happened. He kept on fighting. He dodged back and forth across these paddies, firing continuously. He would run out of ammunition, reload on the run, and continue forward-dodging back and forth as he ran. BAM! Suddenly he was picked up like a dishrag and thrown backward-hit by at least one round. The rest of the platoon charged.
My radio operator grabbed me again, but saying nothing, he just pointed to the middle of the rice paddy. That young Marine-Lance Corporal Grable-had gotten to his feet. As he stood, he didn’t put the rifle to his hip; he locked the weapon into his shoulder … took steady aim-good sight picture, good sight alignment-and walked straight down the line of fire into that machine gun. About four minutes later, my command group and the rest of the unit finally arrived at the now-silent machine gun position. There were nine dead enemy soldiers around the gun… Lance Corporal Grable was draped over the gun itself. As only Marines can do, these battle-hardened young men tenderly picked up Grable and laid him on the ground. When they opened his “flak jacket” he had five massive wounds from that machine gun. FIVE!!!
About seven months later, I traveled back to Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington and watched the Commandant of the Marine Corps present Lance Corporal Grable’s widow with the nation’s second highest decoration for valor-the Navy Cross. In this woman’s arms was the baby boy that Grable had only seen in a Polaroid picture. Grable displayed great physical courage. Somewhere in his character was another kind of courage as well-moral courage-the courage to do the right thing. When he had the chance to do something else, he chose to do the right thing. His squad was in mortal danger. He had a choice to make, and he did what was right, at the cost of his life. Let me remind you, this was 1966. Grable was a black Marine from Tennessee, who couldn’t even buy a hamburger at the McDonald’s in his hometown. Grable … moral courage … personal courage … character …
So, what of your character? Who are you? No, not the way you look in the mirror or in photographs … but who are you really? What do you stand for? What is the essence of your character? Where is your moral compass pointing? Which course do you follow? Everyday we have to make decisions. It is through this decision making process that we show those around us the quality of our character. The majority of the decisions we have to make are “no brainers.” Deciding what we are going to have for breakfast is not going to test your character …Judgment maybe, but not character. The true test of character comes when the stakes are high, when the chips are down, when your gut starts to turn, when the sweat starts to form on your brow, when you know the decision you are about to make may not be popular … but it must be made. That’s when your true character is exposed. The associations you keep, the peers you choose, the mentors you seek, the organizations you affiliate with-all help to define your character.
But in the end-you will be judged as an individual-not as part of a group. Success in combat-and in life-has always demanded a depth of character. Those who can reach deep within themselves and draw upon an inner strength, fortified by strong values, always carry the day against those of lesser character. Moral cowards never win in war-moral cowards never win in life. They might believe that they are winning a few battles here and there, but their victories are never sweet, they never stand the test of time, and they never serve to inspire others. In fact, each and every one of a moral coward’s “supposed victories” ultimately leads them to failure. Those who have the courage to face up to ethical challenges in their daily lives will find that same courage can be drawn upon in times of great stress, in times of great controversy, in times of the never ending battle between good and evil …All around our society you see immoral behavior…lying, cheating, stealing, drug and alcohol abuse, prejudice, and a lack of respect for human dignity and the law. In the not too distant future, each of you is going to be confronted with situations where you will have to deal straight-up with issues such as these.
The question is, what will you do when you are? What action will you take? You will know what to do-the challenge is-will you DO what you know is right? It takes moral courage to hold your ideals above yourself. It is the DEFINING aspect When the test of your character and moral courage comes-regardless of the noise and confusion around you-there will be a moment of inner silence in which you must decide what to do. Your character will be defined by your decision … and it is yours and yours alone to make. I am confident you will each make the right one. When that moment of silence comes and you are wrestling with your decision, consider this poem:
THE EAGLE AND THE WOLF
There is a great battle that rages inside me.
One side is a soaring eagle
Everything the eagle stands for is good and true and beautiful.
It soars above the clouds.
Even though it dips down into the valleys, it lays its eggs on the mountain tops.
The other side of me is a howling wolf.
And that raging, howling wolf represents the worst that is in me.
He eats upon my downfalls and justifies himself by his presence in the pack.
Who wins this great battle?…
The one I feed.
May God bless you and Semper Fidelis!
Take part in the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 pm Wherever you are, stop, and give a minute of your time for awareness or prayer.
Remember all gave some and some gave all, Please take the time to honor their service.
Arlington flags.
http://www.ijreview.com/2014/05/141554-watch-group-soldiers-something-truly-american-fallen-heroes-arlington/
In reply to poster #1 hypercritical,judgmental and hollow faultfinding,
‘Usually when one copies something written by someone else you use quotation marks’
You mean like this? which you clearly demonstrate,
“hypocrisy
1. the practice of professing standards, beliefs, etc, contrary to one’s real character or actual behavior, esp the pretense of virtue and piety
2. an act or instance of this”
Once more the a Liberals useless utterance imploring Saul Alinskys rule number 5:
* RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)
OOP’s I may have forgotten importance of quote marks, much like Biden plagiarism’s of his 1988 champaign..
Anyway people, please take a moment of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation, and Thank those you can who returned safely after severing our country, so that this day will always have importance of meaning.
So far in 2014, 22 service members have died in the line of duty in Afghanistan. Memorial Day isn’t distant history, it’s still happening right now. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers today.
Well said Harold. Thank you.
This day is for those who died serving our country and to be thankful for those who served and survived.