To my fellow veterans ... thank you for your service and sacrifice.
To the families of my fellow veterans ... thank you for your service and sacrifice as well.
Even though they can't hear this I wish to say 'thank you especially to the 'greatest generation' who served in World War II' - both the soldiers and
the families. What you faced on the battlefield and on the home front was unbelievable. I can't imagine it. Thank you for stepping up.
My time in the service was very quiet in comparison to those in WWII. It was spent in the US Army as a Chaplain Assistant. This was from 1981 -
1986. My duty stations were Fort Hood Texas and Camp Zama Japan. At that time I had requested to go Airborne, but was turned down because I was a
female (a 19 year old 105 pound female who could barely stand with the parachute pack let alone the rest of the gear ... so you can see why). I was
a lousy shot with the M16, but was pretty good with a grenade. The M60? I couldn't hold it straight ... I didn't have the weight to be able to keep
it steady ... when I would pull the trigger, the force of the bullets coming out flung me everywhere in the foxholes. My one service injury ... just
a bit of frostbite on the grenade range at Fort Dix during basic training ... so no injuries to speak of. I have been asked ... why did you
volunteer to serve in the US Army? My answer - my intent was to serve my country and to help keep us safe. Our intent to serve America has been
abused by the politicians in power through the years, but that doesn't change the fact that the intent of those of us who volunteer is service and
safety for America.
I signed up over thirty years ago. When I was in service in the 1980s - it was a different time period than it is now. Would I volunteer now? I
honestly don't know. Being in the service in 1981, I felt like I was helping keep America safe. I can't help but think that enlisting now could be
like jumping into a meat grinder. The intent would be service and safety for America ... but what the politicians do with that intent is something
I really don't trust anymore. The mission is still what it used to be ... but politicians aren't fulfilling the
REAL mission of our military.
Lives are being wasted. Instead of using our military solely to protect America, politicians are
MISUSING the good intent of our volunteers.
And that is sad. That is criminal.
Side note - and I should add that how the VA is being run is inexcusable.
Again the term 'meat grinder' comes to mind.
In reference to Memorial Day itself - some Memorial Day observances happened before the actual official day was declared. On May 1, 1865 in
Charleston, South Carolina freed slaves honored 257 Union soldier war dead. The soldiers died at a prison camp and were buried in a mass grave. The
freed slaves reburied the soldiers with honor. It took them two weeks to properly bury them.
'Decoration Day was established on May 5, 1868 by the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). It was
declared as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that May 30 should be
Decoration Day because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.
Waterloo New York claims to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. May 5, 1866 was the first day of Memorial Day observances in town. Parades were held
and the graves of the dead were decorated. The memorial celebrations continued yearly after this with other towns joining in. It was on May 26,
1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed a Presidential Proclamation recognizing Waterloo as the Birthplace of Memorial Day even though the
Charleston, South Carolina celebrations predate Waterloos..
The former Confederate states have some Confederate Memorial Day observances. I lived in Alabama through the 1990s and saw this. I don't gt it, but
they feel it's important so I thought I should mention it.
Memorial Day became a federal holiday in 1971 via the Uniform Holiday Act.
I know there are those out there at ATS who will flame away and say US soldiers are evil, blah blah blah ... to them I say, I'm glad you still have
freedom of speech to be able to say that. Thank a vet for that freedom. And to the posters who have actually said 'there is nothing special about
service members' (yes, I actually read a comment like that this past week) ... I say to you ... lucky you that you get to live in America and be so
spoiled.
People who volunteer to do this to help keep you safe ARE special.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY ATS. WHILE EATING HOT DOGS FROM THE GRILL; OR WHILE PLAYING IN THE SURF AT THE BEACH; OR WHILE SITTING ON THE COMPUTER AT
ATS COMPLAINING ABOUT POLITICIANS; DON'T FORGET TO BE THANKFUL THAT YOU HAVE THE FREEDOM TO DO SO BECAUSE PEOPLE VOLUNTEERED AND PUT THEIR VERY LIVES
AT RISK TO HELP MAKE SURE YOU ARE SAFE AND FREE **.
** safe and free to do so for now. Clouds of change are on the horizon.
edit on 5/25/2014 by FlyersFan because: (no reason given)