On Monday, we observe Memorial Day, a day dedicated to remembrance. We will honor our sons and daughters who rendered their last full measure of selfless devotion, on battlefields near and far. With due gratitude, humility, and reverence we will remember those who answered their country's call; who fought and died amidst storms of fire and blood, so that we, the living, might continue to enjoy the blessings of life and liberty.
Help us to always remember that peace and freedom do not come about by themselves, nor will they survive unattended; that to secure such blessings for ourselves and for future generations of Americans, we must not only yearn and pray, but also work, struggle, and sacrifice. Thus, may we ever prove ourselves worthy of the memory of those who died in the service of our country. Amen.
I will spend a good part of Memorial Day thinking
about all of the veterans in my life that served our country and in many ways
impacted my life. The first was my Old fire Chief who was at Omaha Beach and
saw action until V.E. Day, my favorite Fire Captain Paul, saw action as a
paratrooper. The chief’s brother-in law Jim, and a fellow department member was
a Marine in the Pacific Theater. Clayton was a sailor as was my dear friend
Howard, both served on the department. As a kid my best friend’s father Melvin
was in the Army. My History Teacher in High School was a bombardier in the Army
Air Corp. Practically every adult that I knew as a kid growing up in
Bloomfield, Missouri was a WWII Veteran.
Viet
Nam found my best man’s younger brother Robert as a Tunnel Rat, his neighbor
Jerry and the brother to my neighbor was an MP in Viet Nam. Another neighbor
Lynn was wounded in the jungles of Viet Nam.
These are only a few. Most are gone. They all had
wounds, but not all were visible.
So I thank all of my Brothers of the Briar for your
service. I salute your spouses and will be eternally grateful for the freedoms
that I and my family enjoy today. God Bless you and those who are no longer
with us. And especially, God Bless America!
@KA9FFJ You mentioned "no historical reading" in another discussion so I thought I would add a comment here. Yesterday I starting reading, Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness by Craig Nelson. I'm only three chapters into the book and find it an interesting, if somewhat disjointed, read. So far it covered the buildup to World War II in the Pacific from 1914 to June 1941.
It's fascinating to see how blind group think on both the Japanese and the "Anglo-Saxon" side (United States and Britain) underestimated each other. I can excuse the British because they were busy with Hitler, but not the highly placed government officials in the State Department, Army and Navy. Sadly, it seems that the U.S. failed to learn anything from World War II in that the government and military has had the same mindset in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East - the enemy was no match for U.S. might.
Agree pappy, we always hear we have to be informed of these events, so as to make sure it never happens again, but of course it does happen again and again.
Comments
On Monday, we observe Memorial Day, a day dedicated to remembrance. We will honor our sons and daughters who rendered their last full measure of selfless devotion, on battlefields near and far. With due gratitude, humility, and reverence we will remember those who answered their country's call; who fought and died amidst storms of fire and blood, so that we, the living, might continue to enjoy the blessings of life and liberty.
Help us to always remember that peace and freedom do not come about by themselves, nor will they survive unattended; that to secure such blessings for ourselves and for future generations of Americans, we must not only yearn and pray, but also work, struggle, and sacrifice. Thus, may we ever prove ourselves worthy of the memory of those who died in the service of our country. Amen.
I will spend a good part of Memorial Day thinking about all of the veterans in my life that served our country and in many ways impacted my life. The first was my Old fire Chief who was at Omaha Beach and saw action until V.E. Day, my favorite Fire Captain Paul, saw action as a paratrooper. The chief’s brother-in law Jim, and a fellow department member was a Marine in the Pacific Theater. Clayton was a sailor as was my dear friend Howard, both served on the department. As a kid my best friend’s father Melvin was in the Army. My History Teacher in High School was a bombardier in the Army Air Corp. Practically every adult that I knew as a kid growing up in Bloomfield, Missouri was a WWII Veteran.
Viet Nam found my best man’s younger brother Robert as a Tunnel Rat, his neighbor Jerry and the brother to my neighbor was an MP in Viet Nam. Another neighbor Lynn was wounded in the jungles of Viet Nam.
These are only a few. Most are gone. They all had wounds, but not all were visible.
So I thank all of my Brothers of the Briar for your service. I salute your spouses and will be eternally grateful for the freedoms that I and my family enjoy today. God Bless you and those who are no longer with us. And especially, God Bless America!
You mentioned "no historical reading" in another discussion so I thought I would add a comment here.
Yesterday I starting reading, Pearl Harbor: From Infamy to Greatness by Craig Nelson. I'm only three chapters into the book and find it an interesting, if somewhat disjointed, read. So far it covered the buildup to World War II in the Pacific from 1914 to June 1941.
It's fascinating to see how blind group think on both the Japanese and the "Anglo-Saxon" side (United States and Britain) underestimated each other. I can excuse the British because they were busy with Hitler, but not the highly placed government officials in the State Department, Army and Navy. Sadly, it seems that the U.S. failed to learn anything from World War II in that the government and military has had the same mindset in Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East - the enemy was no match for U.S. might.