cohee

Alabaster

That stings. Thanks though, cohee. I wish you a pleasant Memorial Day.

one eye joe

Happy Memorial Day to the brave young troops protecting our freedom around the world, and to veterans everywhere. Let us remember the sacrifices of all who served, especially those who gave their lives, and those still missing in action. Freedom is not free. It is paid for with the blood and guts of our veterans. Thanks for posting that memorable photograph from your trip, cohee.........

Raymond759

Thank you all active service personnel and veterans. It is an honor to remember your service.

dfariswheel

Now that I'm retired, holidays don't even seem much like holidays.
Memorial Day is just another one of those holidays to eat out, bitch about some stores being closed, no mail, and why do I care what holiday it is.

Then the other day I was reading through some history of my family and found some papers relating to a very distant cousin from a remote part of the family.

In 1945 he was Army Air Corps bomber crew and simply disappeared on a routine bomber mission somewhere over the Pacific.
No one saw them go down, no one ever knew what happened to them, just .....gone.

Like all air crew he volunteered, and did it for his family and country although I'm sure that like most of them back then he didn't really think of it like that.
No welcome home parade, no GI benefits, no wife, no kids, no grand kids.
Just a heartbroken mother and father, and a family with a gaping hole in it.
No grave, no memorial, no service with bugle and firing squad, just a yellowing telegram, a faded gold star for the window and a Purple heart, where abouts of all unknown today.

I'm still old fashioned. I still notice the Flag whenever one is there to be seen, and I still get a little choked up.
Tomorrow as we go out to dinner and to shop, I'll be thinking of that distant relative who's name I can't even remember off hand.

Just another holiday.

JohnnyT

The front line soldier doesn't fight because he hates what's in front of him...but because he loves what's behind him.

When it comes down to it, he doesn't fight for country or the Constitution or Democracy or mom and apple pie. He fights for the guy beside him and behind him and in front of him. He may not even particularly like one or all of those guys...but he'll lay his life down for his brother.

exfed2002

Fighter Pilot University :: Memorial Day History

JohnnyT

We observe Memorial Day to honor those who said their goodbyes and never got to say hello again. All of them.

We don't celebrate Memorial Day. At least not those of us who may just as easily have been names in that roll call.

We sure as hell don't have Memorial Day so that the merchants can line their pockets by loudly announcing their goddamned Memorial Day sales, flooding the airwaves and the newspapers with grating voices and garish block letters, inviting one and all to help them capitalize and line their pockets on the blood of fallen heroes.

Know this:

I can't speak for anybody else, but I won't be participating in any of your gala events. Nor will I be attending any backyard cookouts so I can stand around telling jokes and discussing baseball and football and NASCAR events and trying to provide an acceptable response to some fuckin' drunk who got started on his 2nd 6-pack before the burgers are done.

I'll be observing Memorial Day in quiet reflection and in hushed respect and gratitude for those who saddled up and died. All those other sons of bitches who didn't write that blank check can go to Wal-Mart...or to hell for all I care.

For the merchants and money changers:

They didn't go ashore and thread their way through machinegun fire at Normandy and Anzio and Iwo Jima and Tarawa so you could make money. They didn't suffer at Khe Sahn and bleed in the Ashau for your sales quota. They didn't suffer heat stroke and malaria in Burma and freeze to death at Chosin Reservoir so you could sell a few more cars. Go piss up a rope. You won't sell me anything on this day.

urah

JimP

Johnny-T, well stated!!! I pretty much do the same thing. I go somewhare with the wife and kids and spend the day playing with them. Couldn't find a better way to honor the sacrifice of those who never came back. Races, sales and parties just "because" still piss me off.

You guys take care - got up this morning and shaved off the four days of growth, broke out a new uniform and started yet another day of service. Gotto go do some PT and plan on getting a haircut before the "First Shirt" starts to give me crap.