Memorial Day (Full Version)

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candystripper -> Memorial Day (5/27/2006 12:58:19 AM)

As Y/you attend family gatherings, take a trip, or just relax on Monday, take a moment to remember that Memorial Day is a holiday in the US which honors the service of our Men in the armed forces, past and present.
 
My daddy, a scottish immigrant, was a Korean War veteran.
 
i remember the night of the draft lottery.  Our group gathered together --  each with a list of pertinent birthdays -- and it was a dark and solemn moment as each young man received his number, high or low.  Even those with high numbers were solemn, knowing someone else would be drafted in their place.  It was the height of the "burn your bra' brand of femininism, and that night i felt so damned stupid; knowing Men face dangers in battle women cannot dream of. 
 
W/we are not equal.....our young men die on foreign soil.  Our young women nowadays may as well, but only rarely.
 
i bought a posie today in remembrance.  i hope Y/you did too.  However Y/you choose to do so, i urge Y/you to take a moment and reflect on the rich and happy lives W/we have, and the Men who protected U/us so that W/we could have them.
 
candystripper




Kedikat -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 4:01:14 AM)

I have never had to go to war.
I think I would have gone to some. I would have fought against going to others.
I do not know why any individual person joins the military. Drafted in the past, enrolled lately. I know what I feel about whether soldiers should be sent to places to defend or fight and die.
I thank them all. I mourn the dead.
But I hold the ones who send them responsible. The ones who might make their service needed, responsible.
Any death, of soldier or civilian is the responsibility of those who send them.
A soldier may do evil in the heat and confusion of battle. A soldier can lose humanity in the insanity of war. Lose humanity in even being made a soldier.
I do not fault any soldier.
I hold the chiefs to fault.
All soldiers have my benifit of the doubt, and my thanks. Past and present.
All those leaders that use soldiers instead of wisdom. are murderers.
All those citizens who allow it are complicite.
Me included.
All those collateral damged, so many.....unkown soldiers, children, mothers.......
I don't just have memorial day, it is every day I hear the death tolls everywhere. Soldiers, civilians. Wars and wars....all the time.






Level -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 4:02:29 AM)

Yes. I would hope, no matter how one feels about war in general, that we can all honor those who sacrificed for us and our nation. My father served in World War II. Daddy, wherever you are, I hope you know that I love you, and thank you for all you were, and did.




SirCumsSlut -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 4:19:13 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: candystripper

As Y/you attend family gatherings, take a trip, or just relax on Monday, take a moment to remember that Memorial Day is a holiday in the US which honors the service of our Men in the armed forces, past and present.
 
My daddy, a scottish immigrant, was a Korean War veteran.
 
i remember the night of the draft lottery.  Our group gathered together --  each with a list of pertinent birthdays -- and it was a dark and solemn moment as each young man received his number, high or low.  Even those with high numbers were solemn, knowing someone else would be drafted in their place.  It was the height of the "burn your bra' brand of femininism, and that night i felt so damned stupid; knowing Men face dangers in battle women cannot dream of. 
 
W/we are not equal.....our young men die on foreign soil.  Our young women nowadays may as well, but only rarely.
 
i bought a posie today in remembrance.  i hope Y/you did too.  However Y/you choose to do so, i urge Y/you to take a moment and reflect on the rich and happy lives W/we have, and the Men who protected U/us so that W/we could have them.
 
candystripper

 
It is a sad state of affairs when the most important things this holiday weekend are the price of gas, the traffic jams heading to the shore (jersey shore) and what do we take to the bar b que.  Memorial Day is a rememberance day for those that sacrificed their lives for us as well as those countries that wanted our help (am not talking Iraq).  But please let us not forget the women that served as well in Korea, Viet Nam, the Gulf War,  the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the farce that is taking place in Iraq right now.  Although the women that served in Korea and Viet Nam were not "soldiers" but nurses does not make their life sacrifice any different. 
 
So when remembering our fallen heros this weekend, remember to the women that were there to comfort the fallen and the women that serve today.




ScooterTrash -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 5:06:30 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: candystripper

As Y/you attend family gatherings, take a trip, or just relax on Monday, take a moment to remember that Memorial Day is a holiday in the US which honors the service of our Men in the armed forces, past and present.
 
It actually stated rather passively after the civil war and was called Decoration day until the Gov't recognized it as Memorial day. YES, a tip of the cap and a thanks to all, from past and present, who made the ultimate sacrifice.




juliaoceania -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 11:06:54 AM)

 
I am remembering the ones that are serving right now. The ones from the past conflicts I cannot help, I try to think of the ones that are being harmed today. It is not their fault that they are sent where they are sent.

War is always a failure and the people that fight them never profit from them. It is always weapons manufacturers, politicians, and the oil industry that profit. It is disgusting. Everytime I see one of our young people come home maimed for life all I can think of is, "How much to Lockhead Martin make this year?".. really freakin revolting.

I remember them all on memorial day, my veteran family members. I also belong to several online groups for veterans and their families against war. It is my way of saying "I support you, not the people that sent you there".


You say to honor the men and their sacrifice, like women do not sacrifice, well we do. How many mothers never hold their sons again? How many wives are left with brain damaged husbands? How many kids do not get to play ball with their fathers that are in wheel chairs? Many sacrifice a little piece of themselves, and they never saw combat.. Not to mention the women who have nursed men in all the conflicts there have been, and many while in harms way... It is just devastating

War... what is it good for.... absolutely nothing.




pahunkboy -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 11:41:51 AM)

 
Very true. Remind me of Christmas- almost year round now. Traffic jams and malls.
 
I dread that.
 
Hugs and a big thank you to all veterans!  Thank you for serving.
 
 
 
 
 
 
quote:

It is a sad state of affairs when the most important things this holiday weekend are the price of gas, the traffic jams heading to the shore (jersey shore) and what do we take to the bar b que.  Memorial Day is a rememberance day for those that sacrificed their lives for us as well as those countries that wanted our help (am not talking Iraq).  But please let us not forget the women that served as well in Korea, Viet Nam, the Gulf War,  the hunt for Osama Bin Laden and the farce that is taking place in Iraq right now.  Although the women that served in Korea and Viet Nam were not "soldiers" but nurses does not make their life sacrifice any different. 
 
So when remembering our fallen heros this weekend, remember to the women that were there to comfort the fallen and the women that serve today.




NastyDaddy -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 11:54:35 AM)

Salutes and thank you to our fallen comrades past, present and future. None of them made the decision to do war, some even died by our own hand... they all just did their jobs.

We were fortunate to have the Moving Wall visit my town a few weeks ago. It was great to see the numbers of people visit, and most ordinarily would never have an opportunity to see the real Wall in DC. If you ever get a chance to see the Moving Wall I recommend it. Despite being a smaller community, there are seventeen former resident's names on the Wall from here.





pahunkboy -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 12:22:24 PM)

I seen the moving wall. It is more powerful then I had anticipated. It was in Milton PA a few years back.

--I now sorta understand what the Vietnam are was like.




Level -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 1:48:11 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania
War... what is it good for.... absolutely nothing.



Edwin Starr called, he wants his lyrics back [sm=crop.gif].
 
There are times in history when thank goodness enough people were willing to go to war to stop a great wrong.




juliaoceania -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 2:35:25 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania
War... what is it good for.... absolutely nothing.



Edwin Starr called, he wants his lyrics back [sm=crop.gif].
 
There are times in history when thank goodness enough people were willing to go to war to stop a great wrong.



If you are talking Fascism, well we didnt even know about what Hitler was doing until the war was over.. it was rumored, but still no one here knew. People fought because they were drafted often.

On Memorial Day I would love to quote my favorite Marine Smedley Butler and let him speak for my own views

War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people. Only a small inside group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few at the expense of the masses.

I believe in adequate defense at the coastline and nothing else. If a nation comes over here to fight, then we'll fight. The trouble with America is that when the dollar only earns 6 percent over here, then it gets restless and goes overseas to get 100 percent. Then the flag follows the dollar and the soldiers follow the flag.

I wouldn't go to war again as I have done to protect some lousy investment of the bankers. There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights. War for any other reason is simply a racket.

There isn't a trick in the racketeering bag that the military gang is blind to. It has its "finger men" to point out enemies, its "muscle men" to destroy enemies, its "brain men" to plan war preparations, and a "Big Boss" Super-Nationalistic-Capitalism.

It may seem odd for me, a military man to adopt such a comparison. Truthfulness compels me to. I spent thirty- three years and four months in active military service as a member of this country's most agile military force, the Marine Corps. I served in all commissioned ranks from Second Lieutenant to Major-General. And during that period, I spent most of my time being a high class muscle- man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism.

I suspected I was just part of a racket at the time. Now I am sure of it. Like all the members of the military profession, I never had a thought of my own until I left the service. My mental faculties remained in suspended animation while I obeyed the orders of higher-ups. This is typical with everyone in the military service.

I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. The record of racketeering is long. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912 (where have I heard that name before?). I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.

During those years, I had, as the boys in the back room would say, a swell racket. Looking back on it, I feel that I could have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents




Level -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 3:32:27 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: juliaoceania



If you are talking Fascism, well we didnt even know about what Hitler was doing until the war was over.. it was rumored, but still no one here knew. People fought because they were drafted often.



We knew Hitler was running roughshod over an entire continent, enslaving nation after nation. Even if the Nazis had never begun trying to exterminate Jews, it would have been the right thing to go over there.




juliaoceania -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 3:50:53 PM)

I do not want to turn this thread into this. We should pay more attention to our vets, especially giving them adequate care and job assistance when they get home. If anyone wants to talk about Smedley Butler or WWII .. well that is another thread. I remember the sacrificesmy family has made in every war... Maybe that is what makes me so antiwar




Level -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 4:25:29 PM)

Agreed. I doubt this is what the OP had in mind. So, fini.




candystripper -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 8:06:13 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Level

Agreed. I doubt this is what the OP had in mind. So, fini.


Thank You Level.  Normally i enjoy having a post hijacked, but this one is special to me.  Personally, i fear the draft will be reinstituted and i grow more sad each passing day about the wars. 
 
However, whether or not one agrees with the impetus for going to war, the veterans deserve our ever-lasting thanks.
 
candystripper




Level -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 8:16:48 PM)

Of course, and I do apologize *smiles*.




LadyHugs -> RE: Memorial Day (5/27/2006 8:37:15 PM)

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen;
 
To those active military, to those reserve military, to those National Guard members, to those retired military veterans -- Thank you.  I do remember you. 
 
To those family members who quietly are behind the scenes, giving support and love to those who serve and have served. -- I thank you.  I remember.
 
Let us remember them.  Respect them.  Support them.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Lady Hugs




miikaawaadizi -> Rolling Thunder 2006 (5/29/2006 2:38:22 AM)

Honour, and steel, winds blow as we ride,
though those who sent us would rather we hide,
politics forgotten, we put them aside,
we come for our comrades, and honour and pride.

gladly we served, gladly we fought,
for those who needed us, for those who sought,
freedom and life, to live in safe port,
released from terror, and life peril fraught.

hundreds of thousands, steel voices cry in pain
hundreds of thousands, steel voices cry in shame
our children are home?  how many remain?
for those that came home, nothing's the same.

steel voices raise up, our rallying cry,
asking the guardians, why? oh why?
we did not object, we knew we may die,
but to rest at home, those guardians deny.

everyone comes home, this we all knew,
but those given peace, there are so few,
betrayal and abandonment, if only we knew,
so we raise steel voices, so you now know too.

harden our hearts, lest we forget
those who served, without a regret
and sit ye at dinner, this day that you set
a feast of celebration, with friends well met,

remember the fallen, and those who weep,
for loved ones still missing, no word not a peep,
and when this night you lay to sleep,
think of those, your freedom do keep.

bring them home, alive or dead,
do not allow them to languish in dread,
"everyone comes home", it once was said,
remember those words, and those whom they led.

celebrate life, but on memorial day,
hear our steel voices, as we ride to say,
our comrades will come home, we pray some day,
regardless of the price for which we must pay.

honour the fallen, those who paid the price,
in deserts or swamps, or yes fields of rice,
return our children home, why must we ask twice?
listen we pray, to this pleading precise.

for they are our legacy, those ones who stood tall,
risking their life, lest freedom would fall,
raise up your voices, every one and all,
let "everyone comes home" be your call.

http://grovehouse.org/miika/gallery2/v/RT2006




fullofgrace -> RE: Rolling Thunder 2006 (5/29/2006 3:54:05 AM)

thank you to all of our military, military family, and national guard.

my Dominant served in the navy for a long time. i at one point actually planned to go into the navy. my father and both grandfathers have served in the armed forces, and i've spent years working on a history project in my grandfather's honor for his service during world war ii.

it makes me sad sometimes, even though i don't necessarily support war, that our holidays have turned into just...days off from work instead of actual days of remembrance. seeing threads like this gives me hope that at least not everyone just gives the holiday lip service.




Level -> RE: Rolling Thunder 2006 (5/29/2006 3:56:09 AM)

[image]http://www.militaryfactory.com/arlington/imgs/DSC00656.jpg[/image]

[image]http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~jktanaka/guard.jpg[/image]

[image]http://www.nuclearfootball.com/image/Iowa-Jima.jpg[/image]

[image]http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/gifs/Omaha_landing_craft.jpg[/image]




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