Memorial Day

Rebecca Prominent Member

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#1

For Americans, it is a day to remember those who have died in our nation's service. I found this poem, and it seemed appropriate.

In Flanders Fields
John McCrae, 1915.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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At 3PM, national moment of remembrance.

Rebecca, May 26, 2008 IP

WebdevHowto Peon

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#2

Rebecca said: ↑

For Americans, it is a day to remember our soldiers.
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Thanks for the Poem Rebbeca.

Just a litte note here, "soldiers" refers to those that served in the Army. Marines don't like to be called soldier anymore that a soldier wants to be called a sailor.

Generally:

Army=Soldier
Marines=Marine
Navy=Sailor
AirForce=Airman

WebdevHowto, May 26, 2008 IP

Rebecca Prominent Member

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#3

Thanks for the reminder, I edited it.

WebdevHowto said: ↑

Thanks for the Poem Rebbeca.

Just a litte note here, "soldiers" refers to those that served in the Army. Marines, don't like to be called soldier anymore that a soldier wants to be called a sailor.

Generally:

Army=Soldier
Marines=Marine
Navy=Sailor
AirForce=Airman
Click to expand...

Rebecca, May 26, 2008 IP

Divisive Cottonwood Peon

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#4

Here's another poem, this one's by Rudyard Kipling:

If any question why we died/ Tell them, because our fathers lied
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Divisive Cottonwood, May 26, 2008 IP

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#5

Thank you, Rebecca. With love and respect to our veteran fallen, I'd like to extend these thoughts to all lives lost in war, the march of folly. Memorial day to me is a time of gratitude for those willing to place their lives on the line, and sadness at their loss. I love Wilfred Owen, a bright voice, who died in the trenches of WWI:

Wilfred Owen said:

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?
Only the monstrous anger of the guns.
Only the stuttering rifles' rapid rattle
Can patter out their hasty orisons.
No mockeries now for them; no prayers nor bells;
Nor any voice of mourning save the choirs,
The shrill, demented choirs of wailing shells;
And bugles calling for them from sad shires.

What candles may be held to speed them all?
Not in the hands of boys, but in their eyes
Shall shine the holy glimmers of good-byes.
The pallor of girls' brows shall be their pall;
Their flowers the tenderness of patient minds,
And each slow dusk a drawing-down of blinds.
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To all mothers of veterans, living and falling, I hope today is a day of remembrance and love. I wish I could take away their pain, and end it for good.

northpointaiki, May 26, 2008 IP

guerilla Notable Member

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#6

The Most Unnecessary Job in the World

Garbage collector, septic tank cleaner, janitor â€“ the most necessary jobs are often the least glamorous. Some jobs, however, are not only unglamorous; they are completely unnecessary. Marine Colonel Steve Beck has the most unnecessary job in the world. He is a Casualty Assistance Calls Officer. He is the one who comes knocking with a message that no military family wants to hear.

Colonel Beckâ€™s story is told in a just-released book by journalist Jim Sheeler.

Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives (Penguin Press, 2008) is a continuation of Sheelerâ€™s Pulitzer Prize-winning Rocky Mountain News series written about his experiences in following Beck over the course of a year on his visits to the families of fallen Marines. Sheeler was recently interviewed about his book on NPRâ€™s Fresh Air.

Beck learned each dead Marineâ€™s name and nickname. He embraced their grieving mothers. He attended the funerals. He shed his own tears when he returned to his family. All after unintentionally serving as the death angel. According to Beck, the families always know why he pays them a visit: "The curtains pull away. They come to the door. And they know. They always know."

This is a sad and depressing book. Not just because of the pain it records that was experienced by the wives, parents, and children of dead Marines, but because their pain was so unnecessary. And because the events recounted in the book were so unnecessary, the more I read the angrier I became. Although I never finished the book, and donâ€™t even recommend that anyone read it, I feel compelled to mention it because, if nothing else, it serves to remind us just how unnecessary and senseless this war in Iraq is.

There is absolutely no reason why Steve Beck or anyone else in the military should have to notify the next of kin of a dead soldier that their loved one was killed fighting in Iraq. No American soldier had any business setting foot in Iraq, harming an Iraqi, dropping bombs on Iraq, or supporting in any way the troops that invaded Iraq. There is absolutely no reason why the United States had to invade and destroy Iraq. Not to retaliate for 9/11, not to find weapons of mass destruction, not to defend the United States, not to protect our freedoms, not to fight terrorism, not to destroy al-Qaeda, not to overthrow Saddam Hussein, not to bring democracy to Iraq, not to secure access to oil, not to protect Israel. And since there is absolutely no reason why the United States had to invade and destroy Iraq, there is absolutely no reason why any American soldiers had to die. And since there is absolutely no reason why any American soldier had to die, there is absolutely no reason why Colonel Beck had to deliver the most terrible news the family of someone in the military ever had to hear.

Even worse is the terrible truth that no soldier who died in Iraq died an honorable death and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. They died in vain. They died for a lie. They died while instigating, perpetrating, participating in, or otherwise being a part of war crimes, mass murder, and genocide.

Instead of moving Americans to demand an end to this senseless war and the unnecessary duties of Casualty Assistance Calls Officers, I fear that this book will just make them feel sorry for the families of dead Marines. Look for it to perpetuate the love affair that Americans have with all things military.
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guerilla, May 26, 2008 IP

dfourss Well-Known Member

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#7

Here's a list about the most visited memorials in the US

http://www.travelsnippetsandmore.com/2008/05/memorial-day-in-honor-of-our-fallen.html

dfourss, May 26, 2008 IP

guerilla Notable Member

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#8

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/05/26/9198/

Memorial Day is not actually a day to pray for U.S. troops who died in action but rather a day set aside by Congress to pray for peace. The 1950 Joint Resolution of Congress which created Memorial Day says: â€œRequesting the President to issue a proclamation designating May 30, Memorial Day, as a day for a Nation-wide prayer for peace.â€ (64 Stat.158).

Peace today is a nearly impossible challenge for the United States. The U.S. is far and away the most militarized country in the world and the most aggressive. Unless the U.S. dramatically reduces its emphasis on global military action, there will be many, many more families grieving on future Memorial days.

The U.S. spends over $600 billion annually on our military, more than the rest of the world combined. China, our nearest competitor, spends about one-tenth of what we spend. The U.S. also sells more weapons to other countries than any other nation in the world.
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guerilla, May 28, 2008 IP

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Memorial Day

Rebecca Prominent Member

WebdevHowto Peon

Rebecca Prominent Member

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guerilla Notable Member

dfourss Well-Known Member

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