This beautiful and sad picture borrowed from Conservatives4Palin.
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http://vimeo.com/5645171
My mom showed me this video on her Mac earlier this month, saw it is making the rounds on the internet today. She was interested in it because after my dad died in 97, she started thinking about getting remarried, and one of the men she had known since the 1960′s at her church — his wife had died the same time my dad did — well, they got married. On Hawaii.
At first, I didn’t really understand why Hawaii meant so much to both of them. Sure, we’ve got family there, but then I heard that my step father was stationed there before WWII began. He was in the Army/National Guard.
My stepdad was born in San Diego in early 1920′s. His father was not around much (oil man) and he grew up during the depression, learning to hunt and fish to help his mom keep food on the table. He was a Boy Scout and liked it and decided at the end of the thirties to enroll in the National Guard. Around 1940, the Guard decided that they needed men in Hawaii. So my step dad went — he was stationed at an Army base there.
One Saturday night he spent in town with some other guys from their barracks — chasing girls. They woke up hearing sirens and alarms from the base going off… they needed to get back to base — which was located on a hillside up and out of town. They flagged down a cab, but the taxi driver didn’t want to take them. My stepdad put a knife under the guy’s throat and made him drive.
They got there just as the Japanese were straffing the barracks. If my step dad had not been out chasing girls, he may not be here today. They had some anti aircraft artillery and got off a few shots at the passing Jap planes but of course, that day on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 — was a rout.
The Army sent my stepdad through Europe for the war, no more Pacific action. So the California kid who was at Pearl Harbor at the beginning of the war also was at D-Day for the end of it.
He just got back from Europe on a world cruise with my mom a couple of weeks ago, he still plays tennis three times a week, he goes fishing/hunting whenever he can get out of town and he treats my mom like a newlywed in love even though they’ve been married for nearly ten years now. I’ll post some photos later, but that video above really is something for this weekend. (So’s my step dad.)
P.S. that video also reminds me of the parades and street scenes in LA after 9/11. It seems like a century ago, that feeling of unity at that time.
Memorial Day. Honor the service of our military. Remember those who died preserving your freedom. And please, take some time to pursue happiness – rest, play, and give your worries a day off.
My grandmother joined the ranks of those remembered on Memorial Day this year. :( She was a marine during World War II and worked as a radio operator. Despite dementia robbing her mind of its memories for ten years, she never forgot her service. And neither will I. Thank you to all of my family members who have served and thank you to all of the other members and veterans of the military who have served and especially those who paid the ultimate price!
I learned years afterwards that when I was a teenager approaching draft age, and while Vietnam was still going hot and heavy, my mom and dad were gravely worried I would be drafted and sent to fight. As it turned out, the war officially ended the year before I turned 18, but also as it turned out, I later joined the Marines anyway. Again, years after the fact my dad told me how concerned he had been over my decision, but thankfully I never saw war.
However, I did indeed serve with numerous combat Veterans, and I still remember how anyone with a military haircut was treated by the average American during my own service. It wasn’t pretty, but we shirked off insults as best we could by considering the source. Still, there’s one particular response I received from a young ‘lady’, (who I had asked to dance while I was on leave), that to this day still pains me. She calmly looked me up and down and replied, “You mean with you?” Though that wounded me to the core and is probably the worst insult I ever personally received, much worse insults had been hurled at my fellow Combat Veteran Marines who had fought and risked their own lives in order to defend such pompous wastes of space.
My point?
Don’t let that ever happen again, no matter how you feel about any particular military action, and show a little respect to the worried parents of such brave men and women as well.
“We will always remember.
We will always be proud.
We will always be prepared,
so we may always be free.”
- President Reagan, June 6, 1984
Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Normandy Invasion, D-day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Leb7ynduCU
American Soldiers’ Prayer
Dear Lord, I volunteer my life,
America’s my call.
To serve, protect, defend and die
I give, to her, my all.
I may be sent around the world
And put in dangers way.
Victory over evil foes
Her troops and I will pray.
When battles rage and bombs are dropped
Bullets rain down as hail,
My fellow soldiers and my Lord
Give courage not to fail.
Should I not make it home to you
From bullet, bomb or knife,
America, I loved you so
For you, I gave my life.
copyright © L. E. McKee, 2010
American Soldiers’ Prayer
Dear Lord, I volunteer my life,
America’s my call.
To serve, protect, defend and die
I give, to her, my all.
I may be sent around the world
And put in dangers way.
Victory over evil foes
Her troops and I will pray.
When battles rage and bombs are dropped
Bullets rain down as hail,
My fellow soldiers and my Lord
Give courage not to fail.
Should I not make it home to you
From bullet, bomb or knife,
America, I loved you so
For you, I gave my life.
copyright © L. E. McKee, 2010
As I took off to go to the rally in Tempe AZ, I am unabe to get Monday off. But, I created my own t-shirt honoring all our past and present heros. I will be visiting a cementary later this week to show my respect. Of all the things the bastard has done, missing the Arlington ceremony angers me most. How can anyone still believe this idiot has anything but disguct for us?
“To everything there is a time.” This is the time to remember and be thankful.
At our service last night the Command Master Chief from the local Naval Air Station provided a thoughtful speech on service and faith. Well done.
SR
Our family use to celebrate Memorial Day in the usual fashion, with solemn remembrances of those lost protecting our freedoms at the graveyards placing flags. Years ago, a close friend of mine, a Vietnam vet, made it very clear that we should have a big party instead… that’s what the fallen would have wanted.
Not just a party, though, a Pig ‘N’ Guns party. And it had to be all day event.
I wholeheartedly agreed.
We have 3 rules for this shindig, the first 2 are: no booze/drugs on the premises and anyone over 3 has to keep ALL their clothes on (long story on the clothes rule).
Here is how it works, we dig a hole, fill it with mesquite and bricks. Light the pit up till the wood is coaled and the bricks are crackin’ hot. Drop the pig in wrapped with burlap, cover it all up with dirt and wait about 12 hours. We ‘Pig In’ at 5:00 am and ‘Pig Out’ at about 6:00pm.
People show up at noon for the Gun’s part. You are to bring your own target and it has to be a cutout that is produced by a specialty print shop in town. The shop produces cutouts from photos of almost any shape you want (including people) on corrugated cardboard.
We have a contest (think beauty contest judged by a select panel of cutout experts) for the most original cutout and the winner gets to keep the cheap plastic trophy we bought at the Dollar General until next year when it is passed on to the next winner… that and a picture of themselves sitting next to the Pig when we pull him out of the ground…
After the cutout contest, those who want (and know how) to shoot (we have a BYOGA policy… bring your own gun and ammo), line up on the back field and shoot the hell out of the cut outs, one at a time.
I tell you, there is nothing more American than the smell of smoking pig and gunpowder in the air on a hot sunny Memorial day afternoon.
The first year we had about 20 people, this year will be close to 150 and 2 pigs (it’s hard to keep count, folks come and go during the day). We went from 4 picnic tables to a dozen or so and had to borrow chairs from our church to seat everyone who comes. We even had to buy a few of those cheap 10 x 10 lawn tents from Lowes because we ran out of tree shade (and we have lots of huge Oak’s and Maples !). Over the years we have added horseshoes (had to build a pit for the shoes to spec of the AHPA), kite making out of newspaper for the kids, badmitton and of course, guitar/banjo pickin.
Everybody has to chip in. Some folks bring covered dishes, everything from potato salad to home made taramisu (my favorite) and hand churned ice cream. Others help clean up, buy supplies or play with the kiddies so their parents can have 10 minutes of peace.
In the evening at dusk, after ‘Piggin Out’, we set off fireworks (legal, of course.. (-; ), build a bonfire and cook smores. If the weather holds, some friends stay and camp out in their tents overnight.
There have been a few tears over the years from scared or tired kids, but never an injury or incident beyond a scraped knee or a bee sting… very peaceful celebration for a bunch of armed Bitter-Clingys.
All of these folks are Veterans, service men and their families, with representation from each war back to the Korean War. Many have seen action.
Oh yeah, forgot the 3rd rule: we absolutely insist that everybody has a good time (except the pigs) in honor of those who are not here to have a good time because of their sacrifice.
In short, we went from a solemn remembrance of what was lost to a celebration of what was sacrificed for us.
P.S.
For those TAM Chatter’s… there is always way too much pie.
Update: NFL Washington Redskin football owner Daniel Snyder won the 2010 cutout contest, a giant Cowboy football helmet came in a close second. Both were blown to smithereens.
Love it, take some photos, will you? Tammy got an ulcer over Obama, I put on about ten pounds due to “Obama Anxiety” so will be trying to keep the caloric intake to a minimum tomorrow. I’ve got to get my stepdad to get me over my fear of guns at his duck club/ranch in the high desert at the family shindig this Father’s Day… so I can be a proper “bitter clinger”.
Tammy… you deserve a metaphorical cross on Memorial day because you put to death your Marxism for the cause, at much personal sacrifice. Sometimes the blood spilled in this battleground is not literal. Saluting you, Tammy.
OMG I gained weight too!!! and the anxiety is so annoying. Last week I waisted 9 hrs of my life at the DMV but on the second day I was standing in back of a young soldier from the Air Force in uniform and thanked him for his service and his sacrifice it was worth the second wait to tell him that. I just wanted to thank all the TAM vets for their service also for any family members too that served THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. -John 15:13, NIV
I went to the parade in D.C. today with my wife and little girls. I was a little taken aback by the commercialism (there were motorcades from automotive companies that sponsored the parade) and annoyed that the performance of Amazing Grace had the lyrics changed to omit God, but overall it was a humbling, moving experience. What hit me hardest was the part of the parade where the survivors of WWII heroes marched by carrying big photos of those they had lost. I think it’s good to remember that when someone volunteers to serve, there’s usually a family who gets “drafted” as well, and has to share in the risk and the loss.