Remembrance, gratitude, fortitude
The Blue Angels’ missing man formation:
Honoring the fallen at Blackfive.
Memorial Day in Iraq from milblogger JD Johannes:
Words and men I’ll never forget:
“Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark.” - Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr.
“He knew what he was fighting for.” - father of Lt. Michael P. Murphy.
“He felt that what we were doing was just and right.” - Charles Cummings, father of fallen hero Army PFC Branden Cummings, who died in an IED attack in Diyala, Iraq.
“I genuinely believe the United States Army is a force of good in this world.” - 2LT Mark Daily.
Give thanks to all who have given their lives in service to our great nation.
See what others have said
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Trackbacks
- Locomotive Breath 1901
- Memorial Day « Because No One Asked
- Amber » Blog Archive » Memorial Day, 2008
- Why We Remember « The Reluctant Optimist
- Memorial Day 2008 | The Sundries Shack
- Jules Crittenden » Memorial Day
- Macsmind
- Memorial Day « Axis of Right
- Memorial Day 2008 « Kevin’s Korner
- Solomonia
- Memorial Day: « Riggword Weblog
- Memorial Day–Silence remains appropriate « THE TYGRRRR EXPRESS
- The World According To Carl
- The DaleyGator » Blog Archive » The bloggers remember the heroes!
- Michelle Malkin » BDS alert: NYT and Huffpo get totally unhinged
- California Conservative » Blog Archive » Memorial Day 2008
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Last World War I Veteran Honored at Liberty Memorial Kansas City, Missouri (The only WWI memorial in the country)
Jungleheart, I haven’t seen it on my page but I just checked and saw it. I guess I was thinking something bigger? But it’s good to see it up there, I stand corrected.
thanks!
Today, I think of my dad. He was a WWII vet who never saw combat. He did though see the ravages of combat. Being partially blind, he served as a medical orderly in a hospital unit that followed the advance across northern Europe. Understandably, he never talked about what he witnessed and took it to his grave. I miss him.
May God Bless those who have lost a loved one in the defense of our great country. May God’s Grace give those who have fallen the Peace they deserve.
And thanks to those who are serving now and to their families.
And thanks to our host, Mrs. Malkin, for allowing us to post a comment.
Hey Soap, since you mentioned the A-10, here is an article pubished in the latest issue of the Air & Space mag. It’s pretty interesting.
http://www.airspacemag.com/military-aviation/The_Bridge_that_Did_Not_Fall.html
I would like to add that although the A-10 was built for this kind of mission, it has also distiquished itself as a pretty good SAR CAP. It has given the Warthog a new lease on life.
Aironlater, I’m not sure if it your supposed moral or intellectual superiority you think you have, but why would you criticize anyone for posting a thank you or “God Bless America,” when the purpose of this thread was to say thank you. I didn’t think we had to provide a resume of our qualifications to prove we were “qualified” to do more than “type a comment.”
Get over yourself.
But I digress, the purpose of this post was to say thank you. I apologize to all our veterans if I forgot this.
I, for one, am thankful for all American troops, both past and present who have served this country. On March 31st, my father-in-law passed away. He was a Marine in the Pacific Theater during World War II and stationed in Guam. He didn’t like to talk about the experiences he had there. At his funeral a Marine honor guard presented my Mother-in-law with the flag that draped his coffin. It was an extremely moving ceremony. So this Memorial Day is a little more poignant for my wife and myself.
I hope you have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day. I invite you and your readers to my blog to see my Memorial Day tribute.
Done, and proudly, AN!! Flying the flag is a small gesture of thanks to those who gave their lives that I might live mine in peace. Thanks also to you and other Viet Nam era vets (including my DH) for your service!
Sorry, but this is simply incorrect. Surely you know that human beings are communal by nature, and words and gestures matter in building and/or destroying community. Flying our nation’s flag, invoking God’s blessing on our nation, attending a service for those who gave their lives for you, thanking a service member - all these are acts of national community-building.
Surely you also know that children fundamentally believe that the world began the day they were born. Without adults taking these acts and speaking these words, our children don’t have much chance of learning their nation’s history, or that anything matters outside of their own narrow perspective on life; that their lives, lived in such privilege compared to the rest of the world, are a gift from those who went before them.
You’re right when you say that not participating in Memorial Day doesn’t mean that you aren’t patriotic, but it’s a bit like asking your wife to continue believing that you love her when you steadfastly refuse to ever say the words or take any public or private act that demonstrates it.
May God bless you today, with the blessings bought for our country by those who went before you.
I stand fully with the majority of other commenters here, in thankfulness and in respectful awe at the men and women who died to keep our nation free, the shining city upon the hill.
Nothing I do in the course of my workday is anywhere as important, as thanking a serviceman or woman in uniform for their service to us, to me.
They stand as constant reminder, that freedom isn’t free; in fact, it is the most costly commodity we cherish here in America, since it is constantly paid for with our finest and bravest.
Thank all of you who have served America, for your sacrifices; and know that I stand in awe of you.
I teach our preschool class at our church. Yesterday, our lesson included the meaning of Memorial Day, and tribute to the God Whose grace and strength has made our military the mightiest in the world. The children, ages 3-6, made a wreath of red, white and blue, and went out back to the church cemetery to place it on the grave of Army Sgt. David Operacz. We helped the children to salute as they laid the wreath. May Sgt. Operacz, and all those who gave their lives defending our country Rest in Peace.
It is
the
VETERAN, not the
preacher,
who has
given us freedom of religion.
It is
the
VETERAN, not the
reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.
It is
the
VETERAN, not the
poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.
It is
the
VETERAN, not the
campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is
the
VETERAN, not the
lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is
the
VETERAN, not the
politician,
who has given us the right to vote.
God Bless our armed forces, and our Vets.
My nephew turned 25 yesterday. In Iraq.
I hope he got my care package.
You bring up an excellent point here. Humans are, in fact, communal by their very nature. And our ‘communities’ are built up by the actions and words of others. That being said, when those words and/or actions are are more reflexive, more theatrical in nature than they are grounded in honesty and love, then the structure of the community becomes weak. Not in-so-much as it will fall apart easily, but that it has used, as part of it’s foundation, deception.
I also agree with what you have written here. This also goes back to the point of how community is built on words and actions. It’s not only important for your children, the children of the community, to see and hear these actions but to be told why it is that these are done. It becomes a far easier teaching tool for parents to simply have their children mimic what they do without providing any sort of explaination - the answer to the ‘why’ that you hear children ask so often.
A commentor earlier in the page stated - foolishly I might add - that “liberals” hate American history. I find this statement to be not only ridiculous by its very nature, but it also makes the commentor appear excesively uninformed.
One of the most important pillars of any progressive / liberal movement is knowing your history, how it truly happened, and how it can be built on ( if it made your country better ) and how it can be avoided ( if it did nothing to better your country ). That history also includes Memorial Day and learning about what these men and women have went through ( both on and off the field of battle ). So, to say that any liberal ‘hates’ American history is one of the most unfortunate beliefs of the conservative movement.
Aironlater, your condescending remarks are the epitomy and the hallmark of the liberal movement as well. You mock those us who feel it is important to serve ourselves or who have relatives (spouses, sons, daughters, siblings) and say “we hide behind the military shield”. Well, what did you do for Memorial Day besides have a bbq or a few beers? Did you bother to thank a vet, Lord knows you insulted enough of us here yesterday.
I’m glad you’re so proud of yourself and your liberal views. As I said, many of us here have put on a uniform so you can be as nasty as you want to be to us. Get over yourself. If Obama wins it will be Carter redux. You are probably not old enough to remember that since most liberals are pretty young. It is my hope that you can see past your own self importance and understand that you don’t own partriotism by not showing it.
If you are public school educated the History you are taught is not what was taught 25-50 years ago. It’s your brand of “history” that was sneaking into my curriculum when I was a senior in high school where a teacher said that the US was terrible for dropping bombs on Japan. Boy there was a lot of discussion about that but you probably would agree being a “progressive”. But this incident happened in a private school. I taught for sometime in public school and found it sickening the “history” the kids were being taught. Your “how it can be avoided” is truly telling of what your view of the US is.
Here’s a some information for you, the Vets have never been adequately taken care of since the Revolution. If you think for one minute that Jimmy Carter did anything for the Viet Nam Vets you would be mistaken, in fact he smacked them down by giving amnesty to the draft dodgers. If you think Clinton did again, you are mistaken. However, Republicans haven’t done so great a job either. It’s a lot of pompous talk but no action on either side.
No one said you really hated American History, you just view this as a flawed nation that really isn’t that great. Progressives as you like to call yourselves are really people who have a different view of America. Your view is that it’s better in Europe.
You claim that we “indoctrinate” our children by having them “mimic” our brand of patriotism. If you have children, what to you do, you do the exact same thing. In fact you take them to Dan Zane’s House Party for a “fundraiser” for Barack Hussein Obama (his name) where they are treated at a todler age to some BDS. How nice. Yet, you will probablly say this is outstanding but having Michelle’s little son sing “God Bless the USA” yesterday is terrible. Yes, liberals and progressives know everything.
I see the Keyboard Warrior Brigade has a new Lt. I’m sure you’ll fit in just fine with them.
I’m off this thread now. I cannot tolerate anymore of your condscending remarks. I have a husband overseas, and two little kids here at home, one who has his birthday and party today.
To the rest of you, have a great day as well.
I know that Republicans by and large, are significantly more loyal, patriotic, and pro-national security and defense, than the Democrats of the last 40 years.
The frothing nutroots in your party stampeded all the way to the polls, to place the Democrats in a Senate and Congressional majority, and they’re still not satisfied.
Heh. Welcome to the real world of politics.
Newsflash, sweetpea: You cannot say you ’support the troops’ without also supporting the mission. The two are not mutually exclusive.
And you’d better brace yourself. This war wth modern day Ottomans ain’t over by a long shot.
Not until they re-write the Koran to exclude the anti-Jew, anti-Christian, misogynist, kill-all-the-infidels rhetoric proscribed by Mohammad, and used by muslims as a doctrine for terrorism, or they’re all dead.
I think it’s gonna be the latter, myself.
Terrorists can and do cross borders. They damned sure crossed ours. To even remotely suggest that we could have limited our retaliation to the Afghanistan territory is tactically, historically, and strategically myopic. They’re bred, trained, funded, and supported throughout the Middle East.
Spit in any direction over there and you’ll hit a jihadist.
What really gets me is that the Left perverts patriotism into a form of protest that usually involves Code Pink and A.N.S.W.E.R. Or Harry Reid’s diatribes. That’s not love for this country, it’s malfeasance. But don’t dare question the patriotism of your party.
Don’t even attempt to merge your leftwingnut historical revisions and views with anything about what veterans have been through. It’s a despicable insult.
GFY.
Let me first start by saying that you are more then just a little off-base with your speculation as to whom I might be. Of course, that is one of the wonderful things about the internet - you can pretend that the person you are arguing with is your greatest enemy and you’re more than free to unload everything on them.
First, I spent my Memorial Day as I spend most of them, with family and then several of us volunteered at a local church that was putting together care-packages for vet and then took dinner to several homeless Vietnam vets that some of us met last month.
Do I expect you to believe any of that, no - but there it is all the same.
The one thing that you are correct about is my lack of remembrance of the Carter administration. The one question that I would ask of you is this: how are you so sure, so positive, so unflinchingly certain that Obama wil be the same? Of course, seeing as how I have no memory of those days, I should most likely be warry of what you would say of them.
Also, I never once claimed I ‘owned’ patriotism, those were your words. I would be more than a fool to claim that I did.
Yes, I was public school educated. In the early 80s in a small, conservative, Christian, farming community in Kentucky I attended an elementary school with less than 200 students and then went on to high school in a nearby community not much larger than where I was before. Middle-class families, most of whom attended church and had ‘blue collar’ jobs. Not exactly the prototypical stronghold of far-left thought.
I will agree with you that much of the ‘history’ that is taught in some public schools is not exactly ‘history’. However, It is difficult for me to believe that every public school in America has this problem. But, that is an entirely other issue for another day.
You refered to my statement of avoiding a repeat performance of those moments in history that have damaged this country. Strange that you would not back this up with those examples that you feel I am citing. It is easy to see the moments in American history that we would all like to never have to repeat. It’s ashame that you think that this is somehow ‘wrong’.
And see, you’ve brought up Jimmy Carter aagain. I never did. You envoked Clinton’s handling of returning vets, I didn’t. This does bring up a very interesting point - how returning military personel are treated when they come home. I don’t have all the correct answers, though I wish I did. There are a great many ways that vets can be treated better than they are now. Those include improved medical care, continued education ( if they so choose ), and benefits for their families. On the surface, it appears that Bush and McCain don’t have an ounce of support for the GI Bill that Senator Webb and many others have worked on, but I feel that there is much more to that story. I certainly hope that Bush and McCain aren’t simply dragging their feet on this one just because they can.
That, to me at least, sound like a bunch of Bill O’Reilly style bluster. No nation is perfect. No nation is great. But, America has the promise of greatness. Yes, America has flaws, but we - as American citizens - have the ability to correct those mistakes, make life better for ourselves and others. I never once claimed that Europe is better. But that statement is so predictably generalized that anytime anyone would dare mention that even the smallest part of a European nation may be better than America ( be it healthcare, transportation, agriculture, or any variety of areas ) that person would have the label of “socialist” slapped on them before they could draw their next breath. This would not happen due to anything other than ignorance - a fear of realizing that maybe, just maybe, something can be improved upon.
And here is where you drive completely over the edge. I never said that ALL parents indoctrinate their children. Once again, those are your words. I simply pointed out that is what some parents choose to do.
Since you bring it up, I do have a child - a 5-year-old daughter. I’m not entirely sure what Dan Zane’s is, but I do know what you are refering to when you say BDS. Once again, I have to say that it never ceases to amaze me that so many people within the conservative movement are more than willing to compartmentalize, label, associate, re-associate, and create the most absurd things imaginable. BDS? I mean, I voiced more than my fair share of distaste for Clinton when he was in office ( oh, that’s right - you guys don’t “eat your own” I forgot about that ). To simply rally behind Bush each and every time he opens his mouth, signs something, goes somewhere, does something simply because he is who he is is preposterous.
And since you brought it up, my daughter is more concerned right now with reading story books, learning math and science, drawing pictures, and going to church than knowing about politics and watching cable news.
Also, never once said anything about Malkin’s child, the song, or posted in the thread you referencing. Once again, like all the other times in your reply, these are your words - not mine.
No matter what you many think of me - seeing as how it is not a pretty picture at all - I don’t wish you any harm, but simply hope that there is some small part of you that knows that everything that you are heaving at me is not and cannot be correct.
Just to address a couple of the statements you have made here ( as the remainder seem to be in reference to what others have said : ie - terrorists crossing boarders, the 2006 mid-term election, and your impenetrable knowledge of your party’s partriotism since 1968 ).
First, I can and do support the military and not the mission. I know that this is a concept that is difficult to wrap your head around, but it shouldn’t be. And, I think it’s a pretty safe wager to state that not every active-duty military member supports the mission that they are on.
Secondly, I take particular offense to being associated with the likes of CODE PINK and Harry Reid ( I can’t begin to know who(m) ANSWER is, but it’s more than likely some fringe group that the majority of conservative feel comfortable maligning ALL liberals/progressives with ).
People like CODE PINK most likely dont’ have the bone-marrow intellegence to tie their own shoes, and they certainly don’t speak for me. They are little-darlings of people like Fox’News’ because they are so eager to claim that they are one-and-the-same with the Democrats, but end up looking like rank-amatuer fools. I find this completely insane and pathetic. Harry Reid isn’t exactly a hero of mine either. What I can say about them though is this, at least they have ideas of their own that they are willing to express. Unfortunately, I don’t agree with them.
And lastly, just like the comments before yours that made mention of ‘leftist revisionist history’ I posed this question: what part of history am I revising that you dont’ like? What part of history am I revising at all?
Oh, and GFY? Very nice, really polishes your image well.
A 5 y/o watching cable news? You have to be kidding. I know you want them to be informed, right? Yet, you think I get my marching orders from Bill O’Reilly. What a buffon you are. Condscending, typical liberal buffon. Have a wonderful day in la la land, while those of us who have husbands in Iraq go about our lives. Your support of them but not their mission is not wanted or needed by about 95% of the military. Yeah, there are always the 5% that don’t agree with anything. So, you’re right there but that’s about it. I’m sure you better get back to CNN you might miss some important Scott McClellan interview.