Showing posts with label memorial day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memorial day. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day History Wikipedia Style
Memorial Day is a United States Federal Holiday observed on the last Monday of May (in 2008 on May 26). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who perished while in military service to their country. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War, it was expanded after World War I to include casualties of any war or military action.
link to wikipedia
Memorial Day History
This is my first post in a couple of days, because I purchased a chess game online and downloaded it~~and it took nearly 22 hours to download, and then it did NOT work!! I shall not do that again~~I hope;) !!
Today we mark another Memorial Day, and we shall do posts all day with links to Memorial Day histories, and other pertinent information, as we honor all who have given their lives for our nation. May we have a Somber Day of Remembrance, instead of the way many in our country "celebrate" this day with drunken cookouts!! Thank You, and we begin with History.com:
Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was a time set aside to honor the nation's Civil War dead by decorating their graves. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers. On May 5, 1868, Logan declared in General Order No. 11 that:
The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.
During the first celebration of Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Ceremony, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried in the cemetery.
This 1868 celebration was inspired by local observances of the day in several towns throughout America that had taken place in the three years since the Civil War. In fact, several Northern and Southern cities claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, including Columbus, Miss.; Macon, Ga.; Richmond, Va.; Boalsburg, Pa.; and Carbondale, Ill.
In 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.
By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, observances also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May. (Veteran's Day), a day set aside to honor all veterans, living and dead, is celebrated each year on November 11.)
Today, Memorial Day is celebrated at Arlington National Ceremony with a ceremony in which a small American flag is placed on each grave. Also, it is customary for the president or vice-president to give a speech honoring the contributions of the dead and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. About 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.
Several Southern states continue to set aside a special day for honoring the Confederate dead, which is usually called Confederate Memorial Day.
LINK TO HISTORY.COM
Sunday, May 27, 2007
8 Americans Added To Memorial Day Remembrances
This Memorial Day weekend is seeing the addition of 8 more fallen soldiers to the many being remembered at ceremonies around the nation. The figures will continue to rise as the surge and new strategy of getting out of the protected compounds and taking the fight to the insurgents escalates.
I saw General Petraeus on a news program yesterday and he acknowledged that it could be a bloody summer.
The news report included the following information about troop casualties:
Nearly a 1000 United States troop have been killed since last Memorial Day and in the period from Memorial Day 2006 through Saturday, 980 soldiers and Marines died in Iraq, compared to 807 deaths in the previous year. And with the Baghdad security operation now three and a half months old, even President Bush has predicted a difficult summer for U.S. forces.
As more American soldiers are patrolling the streets and living in isolated outposts across Baghdad, leaving them more vulnerable to attack. The increase in raids on extremist Shiite militiamen had brought a wave of retaliatory attacks.
It was further stated that by the end of Saturday at least 100 American troops had died in the first 26 days of May, an average of 3.85 deaths a day. At that deadly pace, 119 troops will have died by the end of the month, the most since 137 soldiers were killed in November 2004, when U.S. troops were fighting insurgents in Fallujah.
As of Saturday, May 26, 2007, at least 3,451 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,817 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military.
On Monday, Bush will mark his sixth Memorial Day as a wartime president with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. He is to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns to honor those who have died in past and current conflicts.
In his weekly radio address he personalized the death of a young man from Ohio and his desire to not let his sister and brother grow up in fear. The link below will take you to the full story of Bush’s comments.
There are many moving ceremonies taking place to honor the sacrifices of those who paid the price of freedom with their lives. I hope that we demand of our politicians that these men and women did not die in vain.
Bush radio story
I saw General Petraeus on a news program yesterday and he acknowledged that it could be a bloody summer.
The news report included the following information about troop casualties:
Nearly a 1000 United States troop have been killed since last Memorial Day and in the period from Memorial Day 2006 through Saturday, 980 soldiers and Marines died in Iraq, compared to 807 deaths in the previous year. And with the Baghdad security operation now three and a half months old, even President Bush has predicted a difficult summer for U.S. forces.
As more American soldiers are patrolling the streets and living in isolated outposts across Baghdad, leaving them more vulnerable to attack. The increase in raids on extremist Shiite militiamen had brought a wave of retaliatory attacks.
It was further stated that by the end of Saturday at least 100 American troops had died in the first 26 days of May, an average of 3.85 deaths a day. At that deadly pace, 119 troops will have died by the end of the month, the most since 137 soldiers were killed in November 2004, when U.S. troops were fighting insurgents in Fallujah.
As of Saturday, May 26, 2007, at least 3,451 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,817 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military.
On Monday, Bush will mark his sixth Memorial Day as a wartime president with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery. He is to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns to honor those who have died in past and current conflicts.
In his weekly radio address he personalized the death of a young man from Ohio and his desire to not let his sister and brother grow up in fear. The link below will take you to the full story of Bush’s comments.
There are many moving ceremonies taking place to honor the sacrifices of those who paid the price of freedom with their lives. I hope that we demand of our politicians that these men and women did not die in vain.
Bush radio story
Friday, May 25, 2007
University of Iowa's Bells To Toll For Fallen Soldiers
I was just reading a story on the Iowa Press-Citizen.com concerning the University of Iowa’s decision to ring the bell 59 times as a tribute to the number of Iowan’s that have died in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as honoring all who have died in past conflicts.
It will be rung at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, the 30th, which was the traditional Memorial Day from 1868 to 1971, until Congress passed the National Holiday Act, creating a three day weekend for federal holidays.
This decision was made after a Veteran’s group wrote a letter to the University Interim President approved the request and sent a letter to Governor Culver stating it would be an honor to show tribute to these fallen soldiers with the bell tolling.
I think this is wonderful as we owe these fallen heroes much more than a tolling bell, but I was happy to see this touching story. I know that tolling a bell does not take away the sorrow of the friends and family of these soldiers, but it does show that we honor them as well. I hope that the anti-war protestors will allow this to be a peaceful Memorial Day weekend all the way through to the tolling of the bells on wednesday, and allow these soldiers to be honored with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Then Thursday morning you should absolutely get right back to your protesting, for everyday you are trying to end the war before it is over, is another day you put a smile on Osama bin Laden’s face.
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, with Respect and Honor to all who have died for our nation and to all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, who are still in harm’s way throughout the world.
Bells to toll 59 times
It will be rung at 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, the 30th, which was the traditional Memorial Day from 1868 to 1971, until Congress passed the National Holiday Act, creating a three day weekend for federal holidays.
This decision was made after a Veteran’s group wrote a letter to the University Interim President approved the request and sent a letter to Governor Culver stating it would be an honor to show tribute to these fallen soldiers with the bell tolling.
I think this is wonderful as we owe these fallen heroes much more than a tolling bell, but I was happy to see this touching story. I know that tolling a bell does not take away the sorrow of the friends and family of these soldiers, but it does show that we honor them as well. I hope that the anti-war protestors will allow this to be a peaceful Memorial Day weekend all the way through to the tolling of the bells on wednesday, and allow these soldiers to be honored with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Then Thursday morning you should absolutely get right back to your protesting, for everyday you are trying to end the war before it is over, is another day you put a smile on Osama bin Laden’s face.
Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, with Respect and Honor to all who have died for our nation and to all our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, who are still in harm’s way throughout the world.
Bells to toll 59 times
Friday, May 18, 2007
Amnesty, Honor Fallen As Edwards Dishonors Them
Read this and be very afraid, your country is in jeopardy and our politicians are responsible.
Key US legislators clinched a deal with the White House Thursday on a sweeping immigration reform package that would bring 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows and bolster security along the US borders.
The pact, announced by a group of Democratic and Republican senators, would provide a path to permanent residency and citizenship for the vast majority of illegal workers, establish a merit-based points system for future immigrants, and set up a low-wage temporary worker program.
The bill would also provide 18,000 more Border Patrol agents, and scores of radar and camera towers on the US border with Mexico.
The measure, which emerged from exhaustive round-the-clock talks, is aimed at defusing a fiercely polarizing issue and fast-tracking reform before US political life is consumed by the 2008 congressional and presidential campaign cycle.
The bill still needs to be approved by the entire Senate, where debate is to begin Monday, and the House of Representatives. Approval in either chamber is still uncertain, though it has strong support from President George W. Bush.
Here we go again, another amnesty program and more supposed law enforcement that will come about. We have been fooled and lied to by politicians who see all these illegals as new voters for their parties and not as the criminals which they are. The Ridiculously Honored former President Ronald Reagan was easily led into giving amnesty to illegals on the promise that no more would come here. That really worked didn’t it.
We have 12 to 20 million illegals in this country and once they get the Z card; wow that is scary, now they have used up all the letters of the alphabet, so of course this will be the bill that will end any further illegal immigration and everyone else will respect the borders of our country. This Z card should have been named the Omega card for it will be the end of our country as the America that we know it. We shall see the end of Caucasians as the majority race and the illegals will become the controlling force in America.
I can understand why Senators like Reid and Kennedy would be for the bill, but why would Senators like Kyle of Arizona, say this is the best they can do. Well fine, if this is the best you can do, then do nothing. At least then you will not be taking a serious and deadly issue and making it worse, which is what you will be doing if you pass this legislation. I even understand President Bush’s support as he has always been weak on border enforcement, because his wife is a latino, but we should not allow him to give illegals, even those such as the men who were going to attack Fort Dix a pathway to citizenship.
What’s next, do we really get a card of options about which laws we can obey and which we can ignore, because I am sure there are a lot of real Americans who have laws which they don’t like and we could have blanket amnesty for them as well.
They could even have a “deadline” to break those laws before they receive amnesty, and if there are too many still breaking those laws, they could pass another scary bill with which to fix the defects in the previous bill. After all that is what they are trying to do right now.
Contact your Representatives and Senators and tell them to vote against this amnesty bill. We may not get a second chance to save our nation as our politicians, mostly Democrats, but also many Republicans are hell bent on destroying this nation and it is up to the citizenry to stop them from making it happen.
These are scary times and it should anger all of us that we are going to give law breakers the huge political advantage over us that is being proposed by our “representatives” in the government.
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A story this afternoon related that many of the gravestones of men who fought in earlier wars were being neglected and falling apart.
Thanks to a fundraiser sponsored by the Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County slated for Sunday, James W. Bagley, a 1800’s lawyer and Civil War soldier’s gravestone and others like it may get the restoration they need.
Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County’s president Sandy Harmel, 65, of Bennett, said the process of restoring the gravestones, as well as others in need of work throughout the county, began in 2001.
This is great, and a process for repairing and overseeing the war monuments and the gravestones of these men of past wars and conflicts should be set up all over the country. It is nice that in many areas of the country there are associations such as the Cedar County one, but it should be also be a state and federal responsibility to assist in taking care of these historical reminders of the price that has been paid to preserve and protect this nation.
This is particularly true when we have troops in harms way in many areas of the world. I know this is going to turn into another rant on the failure of certain politicians, ok , you made me say their names, Mullahs Reid and Pelosi, too provide much needed funds for our troops in Iraq and the dishonor they toward the young men and women who have and are dying for our nation. It is people like that who will undoubtedly not support any kind of association which might honor our fallen warriors by providing funds to keep the monuments and gravestones from deteriorating into the ground. They wish to wash our past away and make it out that we are the bad guys and the aggressors in every conflict in which we have participated.
We have Memorial Day fast approaching and it befitting these fallen warriors are appropriately honored.
It has come to my attention from a Fox news report among others that John Edwards, one of the Al-Qaida Democratic Party Presidential candidates, not the psychic from late night t.v., is trying to organize people to demonstrate against the war on Memorial Day. The protestors are told to demonstrate, have their photos taken and send them to Edwards campaign offices where they will be posted on his website.
I was wondering if Senator Edwards could possibly find any other way to dishonor the fallen warriors, but I am sure he will come up with something else in the coming weeks. My god, how can people like Senator Edwards, not have any respect for the families, or friends of these dead men and women, even if they do not have respect for the dead themselves. Everyone knows that your against the war Senator Edwards, so please just give it a rest for one damn day.
Please allow the families, friends and others who want to honor all of the fallen warriors from this and past conflicts one day not without being hated, harassed, shouted at, disrespected, and dishonored.
It has always amazed me that some of the most ferocious, hateful people I have ever seen are so called peace activists. Are you really mad at the people that are fighting and dying to protect your right to be morons or are you just mad that we do not live in a utopia where only your ideas and values exist. Personally I think it is the latter more so than the former. People who think that there can be a world completely at peace are obviously delusional and should be medicated or put away for their own good.
I would like peace too, but reality is that there has been conflict since the beginning of the universe, whether you are an atheist or a believer in a higher power, there has been conflicts, from one on one violence, as people tried to be the master of another, too nation’s, as they tried to rule their neighbors. Utopia is not even a dream, merely an illusion that can cause many more deaths than actually fighting a war, in particular if you are fighting real bad/evil guys such as Al-Qaida and their like minded terrorist buddies.
The Neville Chamberlains of yesterday are the “peace” activists of today and we must protect ourselves as much from them as we do the violent enemies that exist out there, waiting for us to drop our guard. 9/11 was not that long ago and yet we see people from the politicians to the Hollywood elite willing to misrepresent what happened so they can forget and move on. What a deadly thing forgetting may be for us. After all it took two attacks on the World Trade Centers to bring them down and our enemy is not anything if he is not patient and persistent.
May our luck hold, but don’t count on it. Have a nice day!!
Key US legislators clinched a deal with the White House Thursday on a sweeping immigration reform package that would bring 12 million illegal immigrants out of the shadows and bolster security along the US borders.
The pact, announced by a group of Democratic and Republican senators, would provide a path to permanent residency and citizenship for the vast majority of illegal workers, establish a merit-based points system for future immigrants, and set up a low-wage temporary worker program.
The bill would also provide 18,000 more Border Patrol agents, and scores of radar and camera towers on the US border with Mexico.
The measure, which emerged from exhaustive round-the-clock talks, is aimed at defusing a fiercely polarizing issue and fast-tracking reform before US political life is consumed by the 2008 congressional and presidential campaign cycle.
The bill still needs to be approved by the entire Senate, where debate is to begin Monday, and the House of Representatives. Approval in either chamber is still uncertain, though it has strong support from President George W. Bush.
Here we go again, another amnesty program and more supposed law enforcement that will come about. We have been fooled and lied to by politicians who see all these illegals as new voters for their parties and not as the criminals which they are. The Ridiculously Honored former President Ronald Reagan was easily led into giving amnesty to illegals on the promise that no more would come here. That really worked didn’t it.
We have 12 to 20 million illegals in this country and once they get the Z card; wow that is scary, now they have used up all the letters of the alphabet, so of course this will be the bill that will end any further illegal immigration and everyone else will respect the borders of our country. This Z card should have been named the Omega card for it will be the end of our country as the America that we know it. We shall see the end of Caucasians as the majority race and the illegals will become the controlling force in America.
I can understand why Senators like Reid and Kennedy would be for the bill, but why would Senators like Kyle of Arizona, say this is the best they can do. Well fine, if this is the best you can do, then do nothing. At least then you will not be taking a serious and deadly issue and making it worse, which is what you will be doing if you pass this legislation. I even understand President Bush’s support as he has always been weak on border enforcement, because his wife is a latino, but we should not allow him to give illegals, even those such as the men who were going to attack Fort Dix a pathway to citizenship.
What’s next, do we really get a card of options about which laws we can obey and which we can ignore, because I am sure there are a lot of real Americans who have laws which they don’t like and we could have blanket amnesty for them as well.
They could even have a “deadline” to break those laws before they receive amnesty, and if there are too many still breaking those laws, they could pass another scary bill with which to fix the defects in the previous bill. After all that is what they are trying to do right now.
Contact your Representatives and Senators and tell them to vote against this amnesty bill. We may not get a second chance to save our nation as our politicians, mostly Democrats, but also many Republicans are hell bent on destroying this nation and it is up to the citizenry to stop them from making it happen.
These are scary times and it should anger all of us that we are going to give law breakers the huge political advantage over us that is being proposed by our “representatives” in the government.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
A story this afternoon related that many of the gravestones of men who fought in earlier wars were being neglected and falling apart.
Thanks to a fundraiser sponsored by the Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County slated for Sunday, James W. Bagley, a 1800’s lawyer and Civil War soldier’s gravestone and others like it may get the restoration they need.
Soldiers Monument Association of Cedar County’s president Sandy Harmel, 65, of Bennett, said the process of restoring the gravestones, as well as others in need of work throughout the county, began in 2001.
This is great, and a process for repairing and overseeing the war monuments and the gravestones of these men of past wars and conflicts should be set up all over the country. It is nice that in many areas of the country there are associations such as the Cedar County one, but it should be also be a state and federal responsibility to assist in taking care of these historical reminders of the price that has been paid to preserve and protect this nation.
This is particularly true when we have troops in harms way in many areas of the world. I know this is going to turn into another rant on the failure of certain politicians, ok , you made me say their names, Mullahs Reid and Pelosi, too provide much needed funds for our troops in Iraq and the dishonor they toward the young men and women who have and are dying for our nation. It is people like that who will undoubtedly not support any kind of association which might honor our fallen warriors by providing funds to keep the monuments and gravestones from deteriorating into the ground. They wish to wash our past away and make it out that we are the bad guys and the aggressors in every conflict in which we have participated.
We have Memorial Day fast approaching and it befitting these fallen warriors are appropriately honored.
It has come to my attention from a Fox news report among others that John Edwards, one of the Al-Qaida Democratic Party Presidential candidates, not the psychic from late night t.v., is trying to organize people to demonstrate against the war on Memorial Day. The protestors are told to demonstrate, have their photos taken and send them to Edwards campaign offices where they will be posted on his website.
I was wondering if Senator Edwards could possibly find any other way to dishonor the fallen warriors, but I am sure he will come up with something else in the coming weeks. My god, how can people like Senator Edwards, not have any respect for the families, or friends of these dead men and women, even if they do not have respect for the dead themselves. Everyone knows that your against the war Senator Edwards, so please just give it a rest for one damn day.
Please allow the families, friends and others who want to honor all of the fallen warriors from this and past conflicts one day not without being hated, harassed, shouted at, disrespected, and dishonored.
It has always amazed me that some of the most ferocious, hateful people I have ever seen are so called peace activists. Are you really mad at the people that are fighting and dying to protect your right to be morons or are you just mad that we do not live in a utopia where only your ideas and values exist. Personally I think it is the latter more so than the former. People who think that there can be a world completely at peace are obviously delusional and should be medicated or put away for their own good.
I would like peace too, but reality is that there has been conflict since the beginning of the universe, whether you are an atheist or a believer in a higher power, there has been conflicts, from one on one violence, as people tried to be the master of another, too nation’s, as they tried to rule their neighbors. Utopia is not even a dream, merely an illusion that can cause many more deaths than actually fighting a war, in particular if you are fighting real bad/evil guys such as Al-Qaida and their like minded terrorist buddies.
The Neville Chamberlains of yesterday are the “peace” activists of today and we must protect ourselves as much from them as we do the violent enemies that exist out there, waiting for us to drop our guard. 9/11 was not that long ago and yet we see people from the politicians to the Hollywood elite willing to misrepresent what happened so they can forget and move on. What a deadly thing forgetting may be for us. After all it took two attacks on the World Trade Centers to bring them down and our enemy is not anything if he is not patient and persistent.
May our luck hold, but don’t count on it. Have a nice day!!
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