A post by Maynard; bumped from last year
Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to our country. It’s a time to pause and give thanks to those who paid the price for the freedoms that we too often take for granted.
Yes, recreations such as the Indianapolis 500 have become part of our Memorial Day tradition. But please don’t forget the solemn nature of the occasion. One of my pet peeves is people who say “Happy Memorial Day”, or retail stores that can’t acknowledge Memorial Day except as occasion for another sale. No point in being a sourpuss about this inappropriate behavior, but please try not to propagate it.
**Note from Tammy: Sorry to interrupt Maynard’s important post, but wanted to let you know I’m at a Memorial Day ceremony so today’s Tammy Radio will be a Best Of. I will have a Special 2 Hour Podcast for TAMs later today.**
The man who wrote the 2nd Ammendment said many times “freedom is not *free*!” Which is why he went around the 13 states telling folk that the people needed to have the same weapons as the government in order to protect themselves from the government. He later became our 3rd President.
Can anyone tell me the name of this American patriot.
BTW he was absolutely right. Freedom never has been free and never will be. It is bought and paid for with blood and lives!
an old exJarhed
Thomas Jefferson
Semper Fi
Hopefully, during the usual picnics and barbeques, those enjoying themselves will at least pause to reflect on, and honor, the brave souls who sacrificed all, and remember what they were fighting for.
And to ROD and GRITSTER: Thank-you, gentlemen, for your service to this great Country.
That Memorial Day is a time of remembrance, to thank the men and women of our armed services who have given their lives to keep us all free, was the subject of my letters of protest to several Senators earlier this week.
To think that the Senate Immigration Reform bill is even being debated at the start of Memorial day makes me furious.
Why did these fine protectors die? For an amnesty bill for illegals?
I agree with you Tammy. It’s sad to think that many people just see this day as another “holiday” and forget the true meaning.
Rod and Gritster, thank you both, but Jefferson did not write the Second Amendment. Jefferson had nothing to do with drafting the federal constitution and was an opponent of it, including actively pushing for Virginia to vote against ratification when he was governor. James Madison was the principal draftef of both the federal constitution’s original text and the Bill of Rights.
Right on target.
Only morons and thoughtless people (media especially) say “Happy Memorial Day.” It makes my skin crawl. It’s like saying “Have a happy funeral.” To think that our brave have died to keep this country free, and to think of what has gone on in this country in the last 40 plus years.
My Husband is now serving in Iraq for his 4th time and our 10th deployment so far and still going!!! 16 years already!! My Dad was a Marine in Nam, and My Grandad was a marine in WWii!! OOOH RAA!!
You can beleive here in this household we know the sacrifice made for our country on a regular basis..as should we all!!
So this ( THANK YOU ) goes out to my Husband who has given his sweat and brawn and the willingness to lay down his life so that possibly his children wouldnt have to.. also this goes out to the Men and Women to the right and to the left of him that fight the good fight side of him.. and last but not least this goes out to the Men nand Women who came before and paved the way with their unrelentlessness and their lives so we could live in the Greatest Country in the World!! Thanks for keeping that Wolf away….. THANKYOU ALL AND SEMPER FI!!!!!
We never forget in this household. Two military brats married to one another. My Dad (RIP) fought in WWII and was part of the D-Day invasion. My wife’s Dad (RIP) AND Mom (still very much with us) both met in the Navy. One brother-in-law in the Navy and another retired from the Marines.
Freedom is not free. Memorial Day is a day to remember that, and also a good time to take advantage of some of those freedoms as well. So don’t feel too guilty about firing up the BBQ.
My late Grandfather, Father, and Father-In-Law were all, in the same order WWI and WWII veterans. I will always remember their service and dedication on this day. RIP Victor V Kullman, Eugene C Butler, and Burnham Nephew. We love and miss you all.
The way I see it, my fellow veterans gave their lives so that we could all have a “happy and safe” holiday weekend.
Though I do agree with you about “Happy Memorial Day”.
It’s perfectly fine for Saturday and Sunday to be about bbq’s, picnics, baseball games, etc. but Monday should definitely be set aside for quiet reflection.
FYI…3pm Monday has been established as The National Moment of Remembrance
Pass it on… : )
The Ugly American
United States Navy Veteran
For our heros
Dedicated to PFC Randall J. Gustafson
2/02/1947 -02/14/1968
Binh Duong, South VietNam
If God be the music
Let me stop to listen to the symphony
If life be a song
Let me sing it with my whole heart
If love be a tear
Let me sob with tears of joy and sorrow
For God has a special vial just for me.
If a soldier be the instrument of liberty
Let my voice ring out in honor to his memory
If a soldier sacrifices his life
Let it be for God, country and his fellow man
For no greater love can be given
If death be the dirge to awaken our souls
Let Christ be our peace and our hope
If memories be the key to my heart
Let them be cherished
For those who have fallen,
Know the memories are alive and well
And kept next to my vial of tears
If honor and duty be the trumpets of angels
Let it be heard as the battle cry of heroes
Shouting from the heavens
With some called home to sit at the right hand of God.
If courage be a soldiers heart beat
Let its rhythm give him strength
And life for one more day
If gratitude be a light to the soldiers path
Let it shine brightly on his face
And warm him while he is away
If a prayer be the path
Let it travel straight to you
LJ (GUSTAFSON) NEWLIN
Thank you for the Maynard repeat. I am on my way, as soon as I finish this Post, to the US Naval Academy cemetery to “visit” my husband, put up a flag and leave flowers. It is amazing to me that on Memorial Day someone has the flags out before I arrive (this is only my 2nd Memorial Day since he died). They are so on top of things at USNA. It makes the grounds overlooking the Severn River very special but at the same time solemn and peaceful.
UglyAmerican that poem was a respect that has no end it speaks of truths that people have forgotten and choose to use it against our forgotten heroes. My grandfather was in WWII and i believe that would have made him tear up as it did me. Thank you to all who have served our country and to all who are serving now. “Semper Fi”
Unfortunately, it has already gotten worse.
“Happy 9/11!” – James Brolin
Many thanks to the vets who sacrificed their tomorrows so that we could have ours. God Bless You.
Without the sacrifice of our war veterans we would not have what we so value and cherish in our lives, it is because of them that we have the freedom to do so. Let’s honor their sacrifices in continuing to uphold and fight for the freedoms we have that they have fought and died for.
Only the dead have seen the end of war. No more doughboys in the convertables for the parades these days, few even who saw Iwo or Normandy. Let’s honor the fallen, and instill in our communities the honest appreciation that we will continue to need to produce individuals brave enough, and strong enough, to to keep the republic free.
i’ve had the honor to know several guys who’ve served & are serving in iraq & afghanistan, and i’m humbled by the chance. they’ve all made it home ok EXCEPT one who died last year after only a few months away, because he was beaten by his own men, for a combination of outrageous reasons. we had just spoken the previous night online, when he was a little bit downtrodden, and i was trying to support him as much as possible, and give him some things to think about that i thought would help him lift his spirits…the one thing i always told him when we ended our converations, was “dude…always remember that you ARE a hero, and always hold your head up high & be proud!”. i know it was the only thing i could really give him, but i felt it was the most important thing that needed to resonate inside his mind. little did i know when i was growing up, that memorial day would mean so much to me now….what’s REALLY sad is how the french take much better care of our monument over there, than we take care of our capitol monuments over here..the mall in washington, through neglect and lack of money is filthy, overgrown, and just downright disgusting….at least our freedom fighters can rest in a clean peace…
So Malia decided where Obama would give Memorial Day address? Sheesh! Let’s pray she doesn’t have a bad hair day during a terrorist attack.
God Bless all that sacrificed and served…My father was with Patton in the 3rd Army. Went through the Battle of The Bulge. Would not talk about it much. He is my hero! I told him many times that he “saved the world” 🙂 Our warriors are the best we have!
Watching “Joe” today at Arlington did not make it for me. The “One” should have been there. I am counting the days.