I attended the funeral last fall of a hometown Marine killed in Iraq. My description and tribute is here.

Also, a list of suggested movies for Memorial Day Weekend is here.

you dishonor those who fought and died in the Mexican
war and expeditions. Over 11,000 US dead. They attacked the US and the nativists fought back.

I'll be posting several items this weekend. The first is called Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

I'll have a post about Amanda Pinson, and an interview with Navy Cross winner Brian Chontosh.

As a retired Soldier, thank you for your support. My tribute to a passing generation is at the link.

"...Word to the Nation: Guard zealously your right to serve in the Armed Forces, for without them, there will be no other rights to guard. - President John F. Kennedy, 1962

"...I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.

Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,

President Abraham Lincoln"

God bless all of our veterans this Memorial Day.

Let us not forget those who have died in the service of their country, but who did so in peacetime. It takes more than the fingers on one hand for me to count the number of people I went to college with who died flying military airplanes -- and not a one of them ever saw combat.

Click here to take another, deeper look at the history behind the Star-Spangled Banner.

I have a brief discussion of Decoration Day and Confederate Memorial day up.

Here is a shout out to my cousin Jack , a WWII veteran who was at Normandy. Jack was a Jewish Austrian National who just made it out if Austria in the nick of time (another story). He enlisted in the US army and was wounded. While he was convalescing he wrote a letter to Stars and Stripes about how he was a man without a country. He was not an American citizen and of course Austria wanted nothing to do with him. Apparently some bigwigs read the letter and the next week a colonel came to visit Jack and the made him a citizen on the spot.

I would also like to give a shout out my late Uncle Al. I'm not quite sure if this story is germane to the topic but I thought I would share. Uncle Al was a partisan fighter in Chezkoslavakia during WWII. During the war he hooked up with the Russian army and by the end of the war he was a Colonel and was put in charge of some town in Chezkoslavakia (I can't recall right now which it was). During this time his younger brother and sister, who had survived Auschwitz, were trying to get their paper work in order to get Visas to come to America. They were facing a lot of bureaucratic hassles when my Uncle Al came to help. He commandeered a Russian tank and persuaded the bureaucrats to help get the necessary paperwork.

Those are my family stories. I would like to thank all the Veterans out there reading this for keeping me and my family free. Thank you and have a happy healthy Memorial Day.

Great post. I'll be checking out the links. I've written a post entitled "Memorial Day Devotions," and the link is here

Here's a tribute poem I wrote last year. I'm no poet, but it's heartfelt, and it does rhyme (albeit with a rather elementary structure).

God Bless our Military, and remember the Fallen who've given us the gift of freedom.

A Warriors Flag

Men of virtue, always true
Resonate in a field of blue
With courage reaching far and wide
Alights from the sky in stars of white
But we know why the stripes are red
As we shed a tear and honor our dead

Made with care and thread and needle
It snaps out to show our people
Echoes of heroes, past and present
There, our proudly waving pennant
Our founding fathers, the men in blue
A greatest generation- born anew

As enemies rise to threaten our peace
We look for someone to face the beast
One band is always sure and steady
They step forward, arms at the ready
Our warriors shall heed the call-
To duty, to honor, to serve for all

And when that flag is folded tight
We know a man has left the fight
That small triangle, a nations sorrow
Has moved us toward a brighter tomorrow
We cannot know the families pain
The sacrifice, the pride, the rain
Of tears, but let us say out loud
Of our fallen, we are most proud.

I have a tribute to my late father-in-law, a Naval Aviator in World War ll.

I put up a tribute today:
http://finedrywit.blogspot.com/
the lyrics to the Statler Brothers song,
"More Than A Name On A Wall".

Hi, Lorie! Still love reading your posts no matter where you are ;) Thanks for the touching tribute to our fallen. Those of us who served (and those who didn't) REALLY appreciate it.

I have posted on Memorial Day regarding both my Father and the USCG.....

Duke DeLand, BC-MSN, USCGA Ret.

Should leave post address, I suppose!
Sorry

Duke DeLand

http://pekinprattles.blogspot.com/2006/05/memorial-day-2006-day-to-remember.html

I posted an e-mail from the father of a soldier who died in Iraq last year.

Mine is @ The Name in the Stone @ AMERICAN DIGEST

Lorie,
Back in 2004, I posted a piece about the National Cemetary at Quantico. Here's the link:

http://rocketjones.mu.nu/archives/008303.html

Thanks.

Project Hero: Lest we forget

http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=3958

I have two posts to Memorial Day, one for Maj. John McCrae ("In Flanders Fields") and one to Alan Seeger ("A Rendezvous with Death").

Also tells of the red poppy that became a symbol of Memorial Day.

http://saberpoint.blogspot.com

Building on your post, we have a link and excerpt list from around the Net In Memory of our Fallen Heroes - Memorial Day Tributes We invite everyone to stop by. Fly your flags and find a Veteran and say "thank you!" Everyone have a great weekend.

The Final Inspection

The soldier stood and faced his God
Which must always come to pass
He hoped his shoes were shining
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you?
Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"

The soldier squared his shoulders and
Said, "No, Lord, I guess I ain't
Because those of us who carry guns
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays
And at times my talk was tough,
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime
When the bills got just too steep,

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear,
And sometimes, God forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place
Among the people here,
They never wanted me around
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand,
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."

There was a silence all around the throne
Where the saints had often trod
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God,

"Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well,
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

I have a story up about Maj. John McCrae and how and why he wrote the famous poem, "In Flanders Fields."

I have a second story up called "Freedom Isn't Free: Memorial Day Meditations" that tells the story of Harvard Grad Alan Seeger and his famous poem, "Rendezvous with Death."

To all who have served, living and decesed, just want to say a few simple words : Thank - You.

God Bless Our Service People/Veterians.

We went out with our Cub Scout Pack to place flags on Vets graves. Here are some photos of our outing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/16734074@N00/sets/72157594148482164/

Honoring the Fallen.

Memorial Day 2006

T