Remember this weekend.....

At Christmas there is a saying "Christ is the reason for the season" as we have over the years come to think of it more as a commercial venture than the true reason we celebrate. The same could be said for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. If you have Monday off and plan to celebrate with your family or friends, please take a moment and remember those that could not be with their families ever again. Around the world are the earthly remains of millions of Veterans that will never make it home and now rest in eternal peace knowing their sacrifice allows you to live your lives as you wish. No matter your political affiliation, where you attend church (or even if you believe in a God), whether you love or hate the direction of this country, remember those from many countries around the world that died fighting for what they believed was right. When you see a Veteran this weekend (or any other time for that matter), thank them as you would those you cannot for they have all sacrificed in some way to preserve your way of life. We can never repay the debt to our country many have paid, but we can honor their memories and their service to their country. God bless them and keep them all safe so they may return home to their loved ones.

 

AMEN to that brother!
CAP

 

for my dad, who was on Utah Beach on D-Day, recommended for two Silver Stars and got a Bronze Star, his CO died not finishing the paperwork for the Silver Stars, dad with the 4thID 22nd was first to get across that beach. blew up a pill box and headed to machine gun position when glider riders got to them. got shot in the leg D-Day+1 left bullet in leg bandaged up till
VE- Day, Battle of the Bulge, Hurtgen Forest, so many stories he told me. To all veterans, only the American Soldier and Jesus were willing to die for you and me. In Rememberance of Them.

 

Very well said.... Hear, hear! I agree.

I remember a few 4th of Julys ago... I had been saving all of my used flags to give to some organization who would dispose of them properly and with respect. We ended up having a discussion and doing it ourselves. We toasted all of those who had fallen, who had fought for our freedoms and liberty and those that kept us safe at night. We made our own "alter" of sorts and burned them as properly as we knew how. But I think it was the mood of the group that really got to me. Several veterans were there and recalled stories of serving, some under fire. We toasted to them as well. It really made for one of the most memorable July 4ths ever.

 

Remember also that on Memorial Day (formerly known as Decoration Day) you fly your National Colors (American flag) from morning rise at half-staff (for you "swabbies" out there, that's "half-mast" ), after having first raised the flag to the top, then lowered back down to HS, until noon, then it is raised back up to full-staff for the remainder of the day.

If you have a flag displayed on a fixed staff (like I do over the front porch) and "lowering" to half-staff is impractical/impossible, affix a black streamer to the staff above the flag and display it until noon, then remove for the remainder of the day.

For reference: U.S. Code, Title 4, Chapter 1, § 7(m): Position and manner of display

The streamer should be the same width and length as one of the bottom stripes of the flag (i.e.: "full length"), but a smaller streamer displays the same reverent sentiment for those fallen warriors being remembered.

There are commercially-available streamers for this but a "home-made" one is just fine.

And. if you are driving on the highway this weekend, remember: the "Click It or Ticket" enforcement forces will be watching!

 

Because your dad was a "Combat Infantryman" he is entitled to another Bronze Star for his combat service. See your local Veterans Service Representative for the details. He/you will need a copy of his DD Form 214 (Report of Separation) (see: "How to Request Military Service Records or Prove Military Service").

 

ST- Very well said. Ask almost any veteran and they will tell you that they do not serve for the gratitude, but most all of them will still appreciate the gesture.

 

I already had two tours in Iraq before I had enough and could no longer put my life in the hands of those Iraqi snipers or Mc guyver types making roadside bombs. I thank all of you for the little time you will spend remembering some of my close friends that died in Iraq. I was proud to serve the country but could not deploy again for a war that I did not see a real purpose for. 10 and 1/2 years was enough for me if it meant not deploying again... so close to retirement....

 

my daughter now works for verizon in corporate sales, her ex was an iraqi war vet. we supported him in all he did for us. bless you for your service and have a good memorial day. I'm trying to get her interested in toughbooks as well as my grandaughter, two and a half years old. already knows about cellphones and other electronic gadgets. Driller

 

As with most children of my generation, I was spared the horrors of wartime service. Whenever I find myself on a service call at any of the several bases around San Antonio, I make it a point to thank personally those who served so I didn't have to.

To those on this forum who served and still do; *SALUTE*

Thank you for serving so I didn't have to; I pray that your gift means my children won't have to serve either.

Jimrx7 - I personally feel a great shame for your experience; I hear this story all too often from veterans of the last several decades.

Time and time again, the popular media tries to cast our current military actions in the same light as the War to End All Wars, and the War After That; but those soldiers were able to come home KNOWING they had had saved the world. They were able to move on, and they moved ahead with the daunting task of rebuilding this nation in peacetime.

Not once since then have we as a Nation been able to make such a claim; yet since then, we've put more soldier-hours on the ground and lost more lives than both World Wars put together and with few exceptions, whatever the job was it was NEVER FINISHED.

It is in human nature to persevere. We can endure almost any misery, any insanity, any horror as long as we EVENTUALLY see an end to it's cause; we will endure and we will fight to that end with our last breath.

The Business of War has become more important than the completion of any single task that the waging of War can accomplish; once that happens, we as a Nation find ourselves not only at war with our neighbors but with ourselves... and it is a war without end or definable goal.

It is that loss of purpose, that lack of a sense of accomplishment that I miss along with you sir; and I feel great shame as a citizen that I was unable to do my civic duty and prevent our leaders from steering this Nation down such a fruitless path at such a grievous price.

Again, I thank you sir for your service. May this be the last time it is needed.

Namaste.

mnem
"Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters ... but they mean to be masters. "
Daniel Webster

 

Youtube: Friday Squad

A colleague of mine, Tom Aviles at WCCO in Minneapolis, MN, shot this story in 2001 at Fort Snelling National Cemetery about their Friday Squad. Tom "found" the story when he always noticed the squad in the cemetery as he drove home. One day, he decided to tell their story. It's incredible storytelling and incredible photography.

 

You are right on all counts... Thank you for sharing this with us.

mnem
We are the universe made manifest in its desire to understand itself.

 

The following is from a letter from an unidentified Airline Captain:
==
My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.)
"Are they military?" I asked.
'Yes', she said.
'Is there an escort?' I asked.
'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.
'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early," I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,' he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our preflight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia .

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do.. 'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a privatearea for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA .

{End}

Sorry; gotta go and get a screen-cleaning wipe: the screen's rather blurry right now.

-- TopCop1988, Texas Air Guard Security Police and USAF Honor Guard

 

If you have never seen the HBO movie "Taking Chance", I urge you to somehow find a copy and experience a very intimate look at a Marine's final trip home. I lost count of how many times I cried during the movie but it is something you will not soon forget. Nor should you.....