Memorial Day

[birdguy 3,943]

This Memorial Day thanks to everyone who served their various countries in military service in far off lands and foreign shores.  Your country's owe you a debt of gratitude. 

Noel

 

 

[John_Cillis 2,406]

1 hour ago, birdguy said:

This Memorial Day thanks to everyone who served their various countries in military service in far off lands and foreign shores.  Your country's owe you a debt of gratitude. 

Noel

 

 

Thank you, although I did not serve my Father and brothers did, when my middle brother passed from natural causes we had a military funeral for him, he was Air Force, and one for my Father, he was Army, served at the close of WWII in the Japan occupation forces, and in the Korean War as a combat photographer and Staff Sergeant.  I was a member of Sons of VFW.  I gave service to the Veterans by singing at the Yountville Veterans home in my school church choir, our voices lifted them to heaven and you could see the joy on their faces.

John

Edited May 28, 2018 by Cactus521

[BillW 210]

Memorial Day is about those that passed in combat.

 

[birdguy 3,943]

I was 7 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

I remember World War 2.  My father and uncle sitting by the radio every evening to glean 5 minutes worth of war news.  I remember my mom counting ration stamps for things like butter and eggs and milk.  Paper and scrap iron drives.  My brother and I would take our wagon around the neighborhood and collect news papers and wrapping paper and tin cans and the like and pull them over to the collection station they had in every neighborhood.

There were bond drives for people to buy war bonds.  As I recall they cost 18.75 and cold be redeemed in 10 years for 25.00.  For my brother and I we had war stamp books and could buy a war stamp for 10 cents.  Fill enough books and turn them in for a war bond.

The point of all this is at that time the country was at war.  All of us.  We knew every minute of every day that the country was at war.  You would walk down a side walk on and see flags with starts on them in the front windows.  The starts indicating how many from that family were actually fighting overseas.  And every once in a while a flag with a gold star.  A family that had lost someone in the fight.

And we dreamed of the end of the war when things would get back to normal.  When mom could buy steak for dinner.  When you could throw away your gas rationing stamps.  When we could buy balsa model airplanes instead of folded paper ones.

It's almost unbelievable now to realize the ground war in Europe, from D-Day to VE-Day lasted less than a year. June of 1944 to May of 1945.

America's involvement in World War 2 lasted just 3 years, 8 months and 22 days.  Hard to believe isn't it? 

The point of all this is how much war has changed.  24 hour news channels bore us now with war news.  In fact few of us know we are at war.  Only those very few families who have sons and daughters and fathers and uncles actually serving in it.

Our wars today last decades and few of us know anybody serving in it.  My grandson served in the Navy for four years.  I know of nobody else.

I think the difference is during the second world war even we at home were involved in it and were anxious to finish it.  Today our wars last so long we forget we are at war.  Worse, few people even care.  They just go on and on like the wars between Oceania, Asia, and Eastasia in Orwell's 1984.

Noel

[Patco Lch 1,463]

I took a three mile walk in the rain today just for a personal memorial. Thought of those who made it possible for me to walk free.

[John_Cillis 2,406]

3 hours ago, birdguy said:

I was 7 years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

I remember World War 2.  My father and uncle sitting by the radio every evening to glean 5 minutes worth of war news.  I remember my mom counting ration stamps for things like butter and eggs and milk.  Paper and scrap iron drives.  My brother and I would take our wagon around the neighborhood and collect news papers and wrapping paper and tin cans and the like and pull them over to the collection station they had in every neighborhood.

There were bond drives for people to buy war bonds.  As I recall they cost 18.75 and cold be redeemed in 10 years for 25.00.  For my brother and I we had war stamp books and could buy a war stamp for 10 cents.  Fill enough books and turn them in for a war bond.

The point of all this is at that time the country was at war.  All of us.  We knew every minute of every day that the country was at war.  You would walk down a side walk on and see flags with starts on them in the front windows.  The starts indicating how many from that family were actually fighting overseas.  And every once in a while a flag with a gold star.  A family that had lost someone in the fight.

And we dreamed of the end of the war when things would get back to normal.  When mom could buy steak for dinner.  When you could throw away your gas rationing stamps.  When we could buy balsa model airplanes instead of folded paper ones.

It's almost unbelievable now to realize the ground war in Europe, from D-Day to VE-Day lasted less than a year. June of 1944 to May of 1945.

America's involvement in World War 2 lasted just 3 years, 8 months and 22 days.  Hard to believe isn't it? 

The point of all this is how much war has changed.  24 hour news channels bore us now with war news.  In fact few of us know we are at war.  Only those very few families who have sons and daughters and fathers and uncles actually serving in it.

Our wars today last decades and few of us know anybody serving in it.  My grandson served in the Navy for four years.  I know of nobody else.

I think the difference is during the second world war even we at home were involved in it and were anxious to finish it.  Today our wars last so long we forget we are at war.  Worse, few people even care.  They just go on and on like the wars between Oceania, Asia, and Eastasia in Orwell's 1984.

Noel

During the war my Uncle was the driver for Gene Autry while he was serving in the Army.  After the war my other Uncle, my Mom's brother, was a paratrooper for the 101st Airborne.  My father, while he was combat photographer in Korea took a picture of Eisenhower and some Korean generals, which I still have all these years later.  It is priceless, I will never sell it.

John

Edited May 29, 2018 by Cactus521

[W2DR 1,859]

I never knew my father. He died on Guadalcanal two months before I was born. Memorial Day is always a special day for me.....