Memorial Day Message

I heard this talk at a Scout Breakfast on Memorial Day weekend two years ago. It was so moving that I asked him to please let me share it on my blog. Below is what he emailed to me. I hope it moves you as much as it has me.

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I used PART 1 as an introduction, and is an excerpt from the 2008 Memorial Day message from the VFW website:

http://www.vfw.org/index.cfm?fa=news.newsDtl&did=4547

It’s a sacred day to all war veterans: None need to be reminded of the reason that Memorial Day must be commemorated. But what about the general public, and more important, future generations? Do most non-veterans really recognize the importance of the day honoring their fellow Americans killed in war?

Sacrifice is meaningless without remembrance. America’s collective consciousness demands that all citizens recall and be aware of the deaths of their fellow countrymen during wartime.

Far too often, the nation as a whole takes for granted the freedoms all Americans enjoy. Those freedoms were paid for with the lives of others few of us actually knew. That’s why they are all collectively remembered on one special day.

This should be regarded as a civic obligation. For this is a national debt that can only be truly repaid by individual Americans. By honoring the nation’s war dead, we preserve their memory and thus their service and sacrifice in the memories of future generations.

They came from all walks of life and regions of the country. But they all had one thing in common—love of and loyalty to country. This bond cemented ties between them in times of trials, allowing a diverse lot of Americans to achieve monumental ends.

We remember the loss of loved ones, a sense of loss that takes group form. In essence, America is commemorating those who made the greatest sacrifice possible—giving one’s own life on behalf of others.

Means of paying tribute vary. Pausing for a few moments of personal silence is available to everyone.

As America’s older war veterans fast disappear from society’s landscape, there are fewer and fewer standard-bearers left to carry the torch of remembrance. Such traditions will live on only if there is a vibrant movement to which that torch can be passed.

Now, more than in recent years, the enduring relevance of Memorial Day should be clearly evident. With two wars under way, the public has no excuse not to remember.

This much is owed to the more than 4,500 Americans who have died thus far in Afghanistan and Iraq.

PART 2 was to give a history of the holiday, and is an excerpt from a Heritage Foundation essay by Carolyn Garris, Memorial Day: Following Logan’s Orders on May 25, 2007:

http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed052507d.cfm

Americans celebrate Memorial Day with barbeques and bargain sales. Yet often our beach umbrellas overshadow what the holiday means. By looking back at why it was created, we can gain a better appreciation of how — and why — we should observe it today.

Memorial Day arose in the aftermath of the Civil War. At that time, each town honored its fallen soldiers separately. Then, in 1868, retired Union General John Logan organized the first national Decoration Day. Serving as commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union Veterans, Logan ordered local posts to honor the fallen on May 30, 1868 by “strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades, who died in defense of their country.”

One month later, Congress established a national Memorial Day, although Americans did not celebrate it in solidarity until after the First World War.

The holiday has evolved, but it remains true to its roots. “It is the purpose of the commander-in-chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept up from year to year,” Logan wrote in his order for Decoration Day. These days, the president executes the national observance and gives the Memorial Day Address at Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1950, Congress recognized Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace. In 2000, the president issued a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time each Memorial Day. Since Logan, the president has guided our national observance with moments of silence, prayer, and the playing of Taps.

Originally, Logan wrote his orders for veterans. He urged them to remember the fallen, as long as “a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of his departed comrades.” A few years ago President Bush acknowledged, “I know that those who have seen war are rarely eager to look back on it and the hardest memories of all concern those who serve their country and never live to be called veterans. Yet memory is our responsibility.” Although generations separate us from Logan’s words, many veterans of foreign wars still live among us. Sharing the stories of the lost lives is a tangible way to honor their memory.

But today, Logan’s orders speak broadly to all Americans. He could not have foreseen the destructiveness of 20th century warfare. Yet his guidance offers three practical ways for citizens to observe Memorial Day.

1. Remember the fallen. For Logan, this meant decorating their graves with the “choicest flowers of spring-time.” Ceremonies at local cemeteries remind Americans that though war seems thousands of miles away, our neighbors, classmates and brothers are involved. America has very few national heroes. Instead, our heroes are 18-year-olds who commit their lives to service of their country. As Logan suggested, a proper celebration of Memorial Day honors these individuals.
2. Remember their cause. Logan requested that an American flag, which “they saved from dishonor,” be raised above the departed. They died for the American flag and the nation that flag represents. They died in pursuit and defense of her principles, “liberty and justice for all.” The proper honoring of these individuals unites Americans to their mission.
3. Serve their families. Finally, Logan expected that remembering leads to service. “Let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us, a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan,” he wrote. A few years prior, Abraham Lincoln gave a similar charge, “to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” Serving the soldiers’ widows and orphans is a national duty. Today, war separates thousands of military families. A proper Memorial Day celebration includes serving the families who sacrifice daily for our country.

Memorial Day is not just for the government and veterans; it is a day for Americans. This Memorial Day, let us all follow Logan’s orders: Cherish “tenderly the memory of the heroic dead, who made their hearts a barricade between our country and our foes.”

PART 3 was what it means to me and my family personally.  I had read (I think in the Army Times, while I was in Iraq), someone use the Oath of Enlistment in a Memorial Day address, which gave me the idea to mention it here.

I, like my grandfathers, father, uncles and cousins before me, am a veteran. I am proud of having served in the Armed Forces. I served in the Army Field Artillery and Cavalry from 2000 to 2006. I mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom from August 2004 to February 2006. I am currently serving in the Inactive guard and reserve of the US Army.

Just a few month after receiving his high school diploma, my father stormed the beach in Okinawa for 82 days and was just one of the 38,000 wounded during that great battle that took the lives of 12,000 of America’s finest.  World War II took the lives of 416,800 sailors and soldiers.  The Americans going into World War II came from the farms and the cities, left their tractors and time cards, and these civilians became soldiers. Then and now, we are always underestimated by the enemy. They think we are soft and apathetic. They think this because we love liberty, we accept all come to our shores, and we think that freedom leads to happiness and prosperity. Sometimes this makes us too trusting. And, let’s face it– sometimes we are unprepared. But the last 250 years of history is full of grand armies and navies unprepared to face the heart of free men, fighting for their liberty.

My Grandfather served in WWI, his grandfather and uncle in the Mexican-American War.  WWI saw over 116,000 U.S. military deaths, the Mexican-American War witnessed more than 13,000.  We had grandfathers on both sides of the Civil War, the bloodiest in our history; some experts say the toll reached 700,000; and the first Persingers to set foot on US soil, had to fight for as part of the Virginia Infantry Regiment during the American Revolution.  An estimated 25,000 American Revolutionaries died during active military service.  Some who lived into their seventies saw their first military pension payments.

Memorial Day, for myself, my father, and for all soldiers, living and dead, is embodied in the words of the oath they first take when they enlisted into the service of their country:

I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I WILL SUPPORT AND DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC; THAT I WILL BEAR TRUE FAITH AND ALLEGIANCE TO THE SAME; AND THAT I WILL OBEY THE ORDERS OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE ORDERS OF THE OFFICERS APPOINTED OVER ME, ACCORDING TO REGULATIONS AND THE UNIFORM CODE OF MILITARY JUSTICE. SO HELP ME GOD.

Memorial Day, is traditionally May 30; May 26 is this year’s Congressional designation. It is a day of “National Mourning.” All U.S. Flags should be displayed at half-staff during the morning hours. At noon, they should be raised back to full-staff.

Let us now observe the bearing of flag with silent reflection, and let us pay our respects to our honored dead by supporting and defending the Constitution, by never sacrificing freedom for the illusion of peace, or liberty for the promise of leisure; and bear true faith and allegiance to the same.

DP

We’re Take’n Back America

We’ve been asleep at the wheel for far too long and now we are about ready to crash if we don’t wake up quickly. We have to do something right now before everything this country has been to us will be gone. Those of us older than 40 years old know what I’m talking about. They remember how America used to be and the values that have been lost today. Our children and grandchildren depend on us right now to protect what we have lost and pass on something worthwhile to the future. What future do our children have right now if we do nothing?

Is this situation what our Forefathers feared would happen? Is this what they fought and died for? Is this what our fathers, grandfathers, and brothers died to protect in previous wars? Is this what our men and women are fighting for RIGHT NOW around the world, as we sit here in our plush war homes and drive our nice cars and eat nice meals?

Well, I’m sorry but this just isn’t good enough for me. I remember America 50 years ago, and I remember the way it used to be –before Democrats forgot who they serve, and Republicans got greedy. The youth don’t know the America that we know. They don’t know what they’ve lost, but we do. We know that they deserve more than what they are inheriting now, don’t we? l, very controlling and outright loss of freedom planned for us! Can’t you see it? Can’t you stop long enough to read between the lines?

Whatever way of life we live now, it is nothing like we will have if we take the bate and fall for the garbage being told to us by the Democrats. If you believe they are telling you the truth then you’ve been brain washed, because they are telling us the biggest lies ever before told by politicians from the past. They have evil, very controlling and outright loss of freedom planned for us! Can’t you see it? Can’t you stop long enough to read between the lines?

This is no longer “Politics as Usual” and a question between Democrats and Republicans. It is a matter of evil versus lessor evil. Let’s clean out the Democrats and get back the House, and then we can work on cleaning out the Republicans.

Just remember that a vote against Republican or no vote at all, is a vote for the Democrats and more loss of rights and freedom. You have to see this before we’ve lost everything we hold dear. NO MORE POLITICS AS USUAL. THIS IS NOW SURVIVAL!

I want to hear from you if you don’t agree with this video. I promise, I’ll be nice. I just want to know your thoughts on this!

Despicable Human Beings

I am tired of politicians using racism as a tool to separate people from the Republican Party, TEA Party efforts, and states trying to protect citizens from ILLEGAL immigration. Politicians who do this are despicable human beings and obviously have no conscience.

Using racism as a political tool is NOT “politics as usual”, as some people would have you think. This tactic is way out of bounds of ethical and we need to hold the offenders accountable!

The problem is the Elite in government who believe the peasants (that’s us) are easily influenced. They think that we can be manipulated to believe as they want us to believe and think as they tell us to think. We must inform them that they are wrong.

We are NOT ignorant and are perfectly capable of thinking for ourselves. With 24/7 access to the Internet and live reports, we find out what politicians do not want us to know. This is why they want control of the Internet, so they can control the information that we access.

We need to tell politicians who use racism as a tool that we know what they are doing, that we are offended by its use, and that we won’t tolerate it any longer. Even more important, they need to know that we think it is despicable to suggest racism when they know it’s a lie!

What type of person will use the evil of racism as a tool to divide people for political gain? It just goes to show that the Party using it is desperate and feels a need to use everything in their arsenal to reverse people’s attitudes toward them.

Being desperate is one thing, but hitting below the belt by accusing racism when they know it isn’t is shameful. I noticed the Democrat Party started doing this in the 2000 elections. They made claims that the Republican Party were racists because they tried to get in the way of black voters, which was completely a lie.

During that same time frame, I read a report by Associated Press that the Democrat Party told people to make racism claims, even if they had to lie, and say that Republicans tried to prevent them from voting. They stated that, even if it wasn’t true, to insinuate racism was enough.

I was disturbed by this report so I wrote to twenty-five newspaper editors in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I asked them to investigate racism claims and the supposed attempts of Democrats to sway votes by making false claims. I never heard a word back from any of them.

Then again we heard racism claims in the 2004 and 2008 elections. Although Obama’s race worked well for him in the 2008 elections, now the party thinks we are ignorant enough to believe race is the reason people disagree with him now.

Since when is it racism to disagree with a sitting President of the U.S.? The answer is, since Obama became President; even though race is what elected him. This just proves that race is used as a tool to persuade people or inflame situations.

Racism is unacceptable from any group of people, especially from politicians. It is an evil that only we can stop! Politicians using it as a tool make it much harder for the nation to get past injustices of the past. This is what makes these actions so despicable.

President Obama being black is NOT what has people upset with him today. They are angry about what he is doing to the country in only sixteen months and about being “hell bent” on fulfilling his vision for America–even though it is against the “Will of The People”. Also, they are angry because Democrat Representatives and the President have stopped listening to constituents.

The way to turn things around is to become informed citizens. Well-informed citizens know the truth and recognize when politicians use “spin” to cover up their deeds or to change the focus; in other words, they play the shell game.

The shell game is used to misdirect the observation of participants and fool them into believing the object (a pea, walnut, or acorn) is in one place when it is some place else. Being well-informed is the only way to prevent playing the shell game, reverse the situation, and change the direction of our nation.

It could very well be that false racism accusations can actually bring people together and bind us as a well-knit nation. Once people understand that race is NOT the real issue and that it is being used to divide us, they will see the immorality of such efforts. Recognizing this fact will hopefully be the demise of Liberal/Progressive Democrat’s reign and allow “Blue Dog” Democrats to surface again.

This is not suggesting that Republicans are the answer to current problems, they contributed a great deal to the situation, or that the TEA Party is an alternative to a two-party system. It means we need to pay closer attention to politics and become more involved, perhaps more than in the past, even when it may not be comfortable for us to do so.

We reached this point because too many of us have been complacent about our responsibilities or have turned our votes into a popularity contest. This type of irresponsibility has to stop! We need to be accountable and do the right thing now to change the situation we’ve created.

One way to be more accountable is to take a stand on protecting the values and principles on which the “Founding Fathers” established this nation. It will help if we remember that General Washington, who became President, said he accomplished what he did through the intervention of a supreme power. It is this same power that we need to intervene now.

Obviously, our nation has gone off track. We need to get back to our roots and adhere to past standards that made us a great and admirable nation. In addition, integrity in politics needs to be restored and choose representatives that hold firmly to core standards that represent a healthy society.

Drawing the line on how far politicians can go will stop the practice of hitting below the belt to win elections and tell past offenders that such actions in the future will be unacceptable.

The Democrat Party being desperate now is a good sign. It shows that they are vulnerable and that they recognize it…not that knowing this will change their bad behavior into good.

The bottom line here is that WE AS A UNITED FRONT must accept our own responsibility and, to the best of our abilities, help ourselves out of the hole we’ve dug before we are buried by the consequences. We owe that much to God, to those who died to give us the freedom we enjoy today, to those who are dieing now, and to future generations.

Remember these things in November when you make your decision to vote, and recognize that how you vote will impact the nation as a whole.

May God bless America, may it continue to be the Land of The Free and Home of The Brave.

May we have the courage to vote according to our conscience instead of by popularity or to grant selfish desires.

May we be given power of discernment so we see through the ploys of politicians and recognize their true intentions of the heart.

I pray that we may have the desire to change and that we will have the insight needed to make the changes that need to be made.

Congress And Their Devious Plan

Kerr County Republican Party If this is the mindset of one of the most powerful people in government, we need to get on our knees and pray for a clean sweep of the House in the November elections. After praying we then need to step forward and do our part to make sure it happens.

CNSNews.com – Pelosi: It’s Cheaper to Treat Teens for Drug Use Than Interdict Drugs at Border www.cnsnews.com – While pointing out that it is the responsibility of the federal government to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) said Thursday it is cheaper to treat teens for drug …

I just don’t get it! These people in Washington have lost their common sense and so have we if we don’t see it. If we don’t do something about getting these people out of office then there is something wrong with our own thinking as well. I believe we are allowing political ideology to override our ability to think clearly right now.

It’s time to get back sanity in Washington. It may not be the Republican Party that will get it back, but if we don’t put Republicans in there and take back the House, then we shoot ourselves in the foot. Also, if we vote for an independent, then we each give a vote to Democrats like we did with Ross Perot. We cannot afford to give away our votes, especially when a vote counts so much right now.

The Democrats are working hard behind the scenes to stack the deck with democrat votes. They have plans to make Washington D.C. a state, which was emphatically barred by the Founding Fathers, because that will give them one more Democrat Senator and 6 Representative.

In addition to Washington D.C. Statehood, they are working right now to make Puerto Rico our 51st state, which will bring in about 4 million new voters who are known for voting Democrat. They also want to give convicted felons the right to vote so there is approximately another 4 million new votes who are known for voting Democrat. With close to 20 million illegal aliens in the United States right now, who are likely to vote Democrat, you can see why Politicians are bending over backwards to cater to that force of potential voters. All in all, their plans will bring in enough power to stay in office for the next twenty years.

The only thing that can stop these plans is for us to wake up and start telling Washington that we do not support their goals and that we will do everything in our power to thwart their plans.

Please start opening your mouth and tell people what you know about the Democratic Party’s plans and voice your opinion about it. We are all that stands between them and the security of this nation and protecting our families from drugs.