My sincerest thanks to all veterans for your service, dedication and courage.
Freedom is never free and I am forever grateful for the freedoms I enjoy that your sacrifice secures.
Tag: veterans
Big Read Kick Off Snapshots
I attended the Big Read kick off of The Things They Carried by O’Brien yesterday at the Lansing Community Library. Here are a few photos I took with my smartphone (flash turned off):
I have not yet started reading The Things They Carried, but the documentary of interviews with living combat veterans definitely got me thinking. I now wish to write letters to all my living family members who are veterans and ask of them the questions I heard asked by the students in their documentary. Sadly, I desperately wanted to ask them of those who have already left us, namely, my father-in-law, my grandfathers and my great-grandfather.
But that regret just makes me more determined to not waste any more time. My apologies in advance to friends and family whom I will be ‘bothering’ in the near future, once I read The Things They Carried, devise an interview and a plan of action to capture those memories on paper, in audio or video. Whatever they are most comfortable with.
The next event on the schedule is a book discussion lead by Tom Prasch, History Department Chair at Washburn University. Join us on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 at 6:30 p.m. at the Lansing Community Library to share insights from The Things They Carried.
Lincoln’s spare words at Gettysburg inspire 150 years later – KansasCity.com
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/11/18/4632336/lincolns-spare-words-at-gettysburg.html
So concise and powerful that it brought tears to my eyes. I should re-read this every year on Memorial Day, Independence Day and probably Veterans Day.
Posted from WordPress for Android via my Samsung smartphone. Please excuse any misspellings. Ciao, Jon
Thank You Veterans for Your Valor, Courage and Sacrifice
Thank You Veterans
Thank you.
On this day, and every day, thank you.
For your service and your sacrifice.
***
“This year, we marked the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. We began to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. We welcomed our veterans back home from Iraq, and we continued to wind down operations in Afghanistan. These milestones remind us that, though much has changed since Americans first took up arms to advance freedom’s cause, the spirit that moved our forebears is the same spirit that has defined each generation of our service members. Our men and women in uniform have taught us about strength, duty, devotion, resolve — cornerstones of a commitment to protect and defend that has kept our country safe for over 200 years. In war and in peace, their service has been selfless and their accomplishments have been extraordinary.” — President Obama, Veterans Day Proclamation, November 11, 2012
“We are often reminded that, today, less than 1% of Americans wear the uniforms of our Nation. The sum of their service to the country, however, is beyond measure. Our rights and privileges as American citizens have been their gifts to each of us. We must not take those gifts for granted.” — Secretary Shinseki, A Message from the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, November 9, 2012
“Although a soldier by profession, I have never felt any sort of fondness for war, and I have never advocated it, except as a means of peace.” — Ulysses S. Grant
“Better to fight for something than live for nothing.” — George S. Patton
“We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.” — Dwight D. Eisenhower
“A professional soldier understands that war means killing people, war means maiming people, war means families left without fathers and mothers.” — Norman Schwarzkopf
“Any soldier worth his salt should be antiwar. And still there are things worth fighting for.” — Norman Schwarzkopf
“The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.” — Douglas MacArthur
“Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” — Douglas MacArthur
Movie Review: Taking Chance (2009)
Taking Chance (2009)
4 out of 5 stars
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but it is an arrow aimed straight for your heart and cannot be denied or denigrated. Films based on actual events have an allure I can’t seem to resist and Taking Chance caught me with its simplicity and humility.
I am struggling this morning to write this review. I can’t see my screen very well. It keeps blurring out of focus as I continue to tear up. Yes, I’m a sentimental fool, but I’m also a mother. I watched the DVD extras and I’m amazed at the strength of Chance’s mother. From the home videos and family memories related there, I could easily see a reflection of my son Derek, who was born just two years after Chance. They had similar interests, personalities and capabilities. This story could easily have been my story had Derek made different choices.
I would agree with most of what I found under the ‘Critical Reception’ heading at Wikipedia, especially with respect to the ‘apolitical nature’ of the film:
One review from The Baltimore Sun, said that it “… is one of the most eloquent and socially conscious films the premium cable channel has ever presented,” and USA Today, said “A small, almost perfectly realized gem of a movie, Taking Chance is also precisely the kind of movie that TV should be making.” On the other end is Slant Magazine, saying “Instead of well-drawn characters or real human drama, we are presented with a military procedural on burial traditions. The film desperately wants the viewer to shed tears for its fallen hero without giving a single dramatic reason to do so.”
The film was the most-watched HBO original in five years, with over two million viewers on the opening night, and more than 5.5 million on re-airings. Critics often attribute this success to its apolitical nature, not directly depicting nor offering an opinion of the Iraq War.
I found it refreshing to hear the name Phelps and not have to cringe. Imagine my relief when the marine’s funeral proceeded without blemish and no apparent protest from the other Phelps of Westboro fame (or shame).
I also found this film more recommendable and uplifting than a similar ‘based on a true story’ tale I watched about eighteen months ago called The Tillman Story.
I may add this film to my library so that I can watch it each Memorial Day. A reminder of all our soldiers, past and present, who gave the ultimate gift to preserve our freedoms and keep us safe at home.
Semper fidelis.
Seventy Infamous Days
This year, and today specifically, marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. For as long as I have been alive, each December 7th brought me the voice of then President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaiming this day to be “a date which will live in infamy.” And so it has. Even one of my favorite films immortalizes for future generations: Tora! Tora! Tora! (which I consider to be fairly historically accurate). The more dramatic and entertaining Pearl Harbor released in 2001 gets the blood surging, but does not satisfy me need to ‘real life’ accuracy. Contrived romantic entanglements pale before the gritty details and courage our soldiers exhibited under fire.
Yesterday, while waiting for my bagel to toast at the lobby coffee shop, I picked up a free copy of the winter edition of ‘Our Daily Bread.’ Even though I follow them on Twitter, I often miss their daily tweets because they occur so early in the morning or get lost in the other Twitter clutter. Normally, I wouldn’t have bothered beyond reading the entry for yesterday and returning it to the stack for someone else to benefit form its wisdom. But after the discouraging news I received Monday about my husband’s health, I am seeking support and encouragement at every turn. Now, I have a daily reminder on my desk to connect me to hope and to encourage me to live in faith with God’s Will.
Here’s an excerpt from today’s article entitled ‘This Do In Remembrance‘:
When a US Navy vessel arrives or departs from the military bases in Pearl Harbor, the crew of that ship lines up in dress uniform. They stand at attention at arm’s length on the outer edges of the deck, in salute to the soldiers, sailors, and civilians who died on December 7, 1941. It is a stirring sight, and participants often list it among the most memorable moments of their military career.
Even for spectators on shore, the salute triggers an incredible emotional connection, but especially between the servants of today and the servants of yesterday. It grants nobility to the work of today’s sailor, while giving dignity to the sacrifice of those from the past.
And I’ll close with an excerpt from President Barrack Obama’s Proclamation for National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (2011) issued yesterday:
On a serene Sunday morning 70 years ago, the skies above Pearl Harbor were darkened by the bombs of Japanese forces in a surprise attack that tested the resilience of our Armed Forces and the will of our Nation. As explosions sounded and battleships burned, brave service members fought back fiercely with everything they could find. Unbeknownst to these selfless individuals, the sacrifices endured on that infamous day would galvanize America and come to symbolize the mettle of a generation.
In the wake of the bombing of our harbor and the crippling of our Pacific Fleet, there were those who declared the United States had been reduced to a third-class power. But rather than break the spirit of our Nation, the attack brought Americans together and fortified our resolve. Patriots across our country answered the call to defend our way of life at home and abroad. They crossed oceans and stormed beaches, freeing millions from the grip of tyranny and proving that our military is the greatest force for liberty and security the world has ever known. On the home front, dedicated civilians supported the war effort by repairing wrecked battleships, working in factories, and joining civilian defense organizations to help with salvage programs and plant Victory gardens. At this time of great strife, we reminded the world there is no challenge we cannot meet; there is no challenge we cannot overcome.
On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the more than 3,500 Americans killed or wounded during that deadly attack and pay tribute to the heroes whose courage ensured our Nation would recover from this vicious blow. Their tenacity helped define the Greatest Generation and their valor fortified all who served during World War II. As a Nation, we look to December 7, 1941, to draw strength from the example set by these patriots and to honor all who have sacrificed for our freedoms.
To All Veterans: Thank You For Your Service and Courage
I wish to honor and humbly thank all our veterans, past, present and future, for their sacrifice, courage and service in the United States Armed Forces, securing freedom and justice for all.
I find it fitting to publish my eleventh post in my Thirty Days of Thankfulness series at exactly the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the twenty-first century also known as Veterans Day. As noted in an excellent post by a fellow blogger (ProSe), in less than three years we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, misnamed ‘the War to End All Wars.’ If you ever get a chance to visit the Liberty Memorial, a memorial to the fallen soldiers of WWI, in Kansas City, Missouri, I highly recommend you make a visit to the National World War I museum housed beneath the memorial. Our modern day Veterans Day grew out of Armistice Day which commemorated the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany, ending World War I, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.
That Special Veteran in My Life
I am especially thankful for my uncle and his service in the United States Air Force. Thanks to his various deployments around the United States (and the world), I got to see most of the lower forty-eight states before I turned sixteen. Nearly all our family vacations ventured to various Air Force bases in Montana, Arizona, Florida, Virginia and Colorado. I remember when he was deployed to Thailand during the Vietnam War. I caught pneumonia when we visited Ron in Panama City, Florida, because it actually snowed in Florida that year and was warmer back in Kansas and my mom didn’t think we would need any heavy winter clothes. I also remember corresponding electronically with him while at college in 1984 via the university’s Digital Equipment Corporation VAX while he was deployed to Aviano, Italy, years before most of the world even dreamed about the Internet or e-mail or instant messaging or text messaging. I received Christmas cards from all over the world, including Saudi Arabia before the first Gulf War. I worried about him then and during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. I attended his retirement celebration held at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Even though Ron wasn’t a pilot, I grew up wanting to be a jet fighter pilot or an astronaut. I didn’t find out until my teens that women weren’t allowed to do the former (because it involved combat) and the latter involved way more science than I wanted to tackle then, although the math would have appealed.
For the last dozen years, Ron has enjoyed his retirement as a watercolor artist, a writer and a grandfather to five grand children with a sixth on the way (two girls and twin boys recently born to his son Wendell and his wife Kristin; as well as a girl from his son Eric and his wife Cayla, who is expecting their second child early next year). When he’s not painting or writing or bouncing grandchildren on his knee, he reads much more than I do. We discuss and debate shared reads and flip books each other’s way either by media mail postal rate or electronically via our Nook Colors. When we actually get together for a family visit, I love to hear his stories about his father Ralph’s service during WWII and after as well as his own adventures around the world.
Yesterday, in his daily e-mail to family and friends, he remembered how much tougher military personnel have it today than when he was on active duty. Ron did two years of nastiness (amid eleven years of overseas duty) out of his thirty year military career. Soldiers today will spend half of their enlistment or career getting shot at.
Thank You Veterans!
Friday Jeans Day Charity: The VFW Foundation
Happy Friday everyone!
And a special shout out to our combat veterans and their families.
Join me in thanking them by returning the favor and making a donation to the VFW Foundation.
We need them, They need us.
Honoring All Who Served Veteran’s Day 11 November 2010
My family tree is full of veterans who served this great nation of ours. I can’t begin to list all of them, or even get their ranks and service times correct, since I don’t hold those records currently. My father is the genealogical guru at present for the family. Some day, I know, the torch will be passed to me, but I pray not any time soon.
My great-grandfather, Rev. John Hodge, served in the Army at Ft. Leavenworth in the 1920s (and probably the 1930s, but again, I’m not the expert on this information). I remember him as the pastor of the church I grew up in, the Easton United Methodist Church in Easton, Kansas.
Both of my paternal grandfathers served in the military. Daniel Dempsey, my father’s biological father, did, but I don’t remember what branch. I remember him as a bagpipe playing Shriner and all around musician and showman. My dad’s step-father, Ralph Andrea, served in the Army Air Corps during WWII and in the Air Force during the Korean War. He retired either as a Lt. Col. or a Col. I remember him as a fun grandpa hosting us for summer visits to St. Paul, Minnesota where he worked for 3M until he retired yet again.
My uncle (my dad’s brother) is a retired Air Force Colonel. He lives in Virginia, after a long stint in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He dabbles well in watercolors, writing and reading books I mooch, swap, trade and bargain buy for him like mini-Christmas gifts year round. One of his authorial projects include stories his dad told him of his war and military experiences. Someday, I hope to be an alpha reader for that project.
A couple of my mother’s brothers were Marines and one or two of my cousins (from among her five brothers and sisters’ offspring) also joined the military.
For many months I carpooled with a veteran of the Army, whose wife is also a veteran. Many of my fellow church members are either active and/or retired military, veterans one and all.
I even thought of joining the Air Force when I turned eighteen; my dream to be a fighter pilot. Sadly, that was impossible in 1982, since women were forbidden combat. My hat’s off to the women who blazed the trail without me.
My whole heart, my whole being thanks each and every veteran, whether I’ve met them or not. Your service is unequaled, your courage unmatched.