Memorial Day Thanks...

[Midpack]

"I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY AND THIS DAY TO THANK THOSE THAT SERVED IN THE ARMED FORCES TO PRESERVE OUR NATION AND INSURE OUR FREEDOM. WHETHER LIVING, DECEASED OR MISSING THANK YOU ALL. WE WILL NOT FORGET YOU."

[Dawg52]

I concur.

[Wags]

Well said and I also concur.

God Bless Us All

[crazy connie]

Agreed. Thank you, so very much!

[Goonie]

AMEN!!!

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

It is more than that. Thank you for defending civilization. After the first gulf war, the Japanese admitted that no one else has the means or the will to do so.

The rest of the world forgets easily. We do not.

[bbbamI]

and a warm hug to all!

Thank you....

[Notmuchlonger]

Thanks!

[lazygood4nothinbum]

not sure what i was watching last night. think it was dateline nbc. was a program about a vietnam veteran's journey from bloodshed to redemption, the journey of a photograph of a young father and a daughter which he had taken from the wallet of a soldier who he killed in combat and returned 30 years later to that soldier's daughter.

the story was very well told. how he carried the photo throughout his life. how much it disturbed him that he took a life and how he struggled to come to terms with that and with his sense of duty.

after he aged some 30 years, he tried to find resolution of his conflicted feelings by placing the photograph, and a hand written letter, at the vietnam memorial wall in washington d.c. where it was collected and caught the attention of an archivist there. the picture he tried to release from his heart was published in a vet's newsletter which he receives. so he contacts the publisher and gets his photo back.

he now decides that he will only find peace if he can return the photograph to the daughter of the man he killed in battle. the story of his quest is picked up by a newspaper in vietnam, which publishes the picture of the soldier and his daughter. a copy of that particular newspaper with that story and picture happens to be used to wrap some goods from market which someone sends off to a village far from town.

the person who received the newspaper wrapped package sees the picture, walks over to a neighbor's house and says to the woman there, this is a picture of your father.

word gets back to the american veteran that the daughter has been found and so he journey's back to where he never thought he'd be again, to vietnam. when he returns the picture to this daughter and says to her "i am the man who killed your father," she and her brother greet him with tears as if he embodied the spirit of her father returning.

war is hell. may you all find peace.

[Ronstar]

Very well said, Midpack! I had a brief chat with a Vietnam vet yesterday while he was waiting to march in a parade. He was dressed in fatigues and said that he had marched in more than 30 Memorial Day parades. He didn't say it, but I could tell how much this day and what it represents meant to him. As we talked, I could feel the extent of his sacrifice. I'm glad I chatted with him, and I am very grateful to him and all others that defend our freedom.

[Goonie]

We went to our local Memorial Day Commemoration today. The weather cooperated, and there was a very good turnout!

It started with the Navy Mothers dropping a wreath into the river in honor of all of the sailors who have passed on. Then a small parade from there to the park downtown where our war memorials are located (Civil War thru Gulf War). The parade included the High School and Jr. High School Marching bands playing the themes of the all the various branches of the military and other patriotic songs, followed by the obligatory Fire Trucks and River Rescue Trucks......lots of flashing lights to the delight of the little tikes (NO sirens to the delight of us older 'kids'! ). Behind that were all of the Scouting groups......and then HUNDREDS of school children all waving the Stars & Stripes! The police closed down the state highway through town for the parade....there were no detours....motorists just had to sit and wait for about 20 minutes until the parade got to the park.

At the park the leaders of the VFW, American Legion, and AmVets all said a few words in honor of all of the fallen soldiers. Each of the area schools has an annual Memorial Day Essay contest, and the winner from each school read their winning essay.

As the church bells tolled, one of our local veterans read the list of area veterans who had passed away in the last year. Sadly the list grows each year......this year we lost 84 veterans from WWII, up through the Middle East. The ceremony ended with the Honor Guard of our local Veteran Orgs offering up a 21 gun salute.

Thanks to all who have served!

[Buckeye]

There was a beautiful story on ABC News tonight about a man in Edmonds, WA who does free portraits in pencil of the Iraq War dead for parents who request them. He is extremely talented. One of the fathers who requested a portrait (who is very anti-war) ended up hitting it off with the artist. Between anti-war protests, he helps the artist get the portraits mailed so the artist can spend all his time drawing.