Veterans Day

On November 11th, 1921, an unknown American soldier from World War I was buried in Arlington National Cemetery, in recognition of WWI veterans and in conjunction with the timing of cessation of hostilities at 11 a.m., November 11, 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). President Warren Harding requested that: "All...citizens...indulge in a period of silent thanks to God for these... valorous lives and of supplication for His Divine mercy...on our beloved country." Inscribed on the Tomb are the words: "Here lies in honored glory an American soldier know but to God." The day became known as "Armistice Day." In 1954, Congress, wanting to recognize the sacrifice of veterans since WWI, proposed to change Armistice Day to Veterans Day in their honor. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Supreme Commander in WWII, signed the legislation.

To honor those veterans who sacrificed all, an Army honor guard from the 3d U.S. Infantry (The Old Guard) keeps day and night vigil at Arlington. At 11 a.m. tomorrow, a combined color guard representing all military service branches executes "Present Arms" at the tomb for the laying of a wreath by the president. This is followed by "Taps."

The Defense Department has totaled one measure of the price of liberty -- almost 1.2 million members of our fighting forces have died while in service to our country since the American Revolution; 1.4 million have been wounded. The numbers, of course, offer no reckoning of the inestimable value of these individual citizens' lives, and the sacrifices borne by their families. But we do know their sacrifices defended a precious gift handed down to us -- the liberties we cherish. Every day -- but today especially -- let us always hold our veterans and their families in our hearts.

 

Thanks GT.

To all our courageous troops who have passed and also to those who are still alive, Thank you and we love you.

To the Marines - Semper Fi.

I hope you come home soon.

 

There were a lot of people who didn't think their vote was worth the effort Tuesday. I wonder if any of them will take the time to remember the ones who did.

 

I hope they do. There really are some people out there, myself included, who find it worth our very lives to die for liberty and freedom. (Remember that guy way back, Nathan Hale, I think his name was: "Give me liberty, or give me death". )

Contrary to popular thought, death is not the worst evil known to mankind. The worst thing, I suppose, would be a life lived to it's full length, but wasted. A life with no freedom. A life with no ambition. A life lived merely to put food in it's mouth. And some of us, while we believe that Life is the most precious gift, also realize that Life is about more than just breathing. Life is about believing in something, and standing up for those beliefs, even if it means to the death. I would fight, and die, if it meant my wife and two kids could live in a peaceful place, have their needs met, and could grow strong in mind, body and spirit. The alternative would be to put up my hands, surrender, and say to the enemy, "Sure, we'll be your slave, you can split up our family, rap3 the women, tear down our morale, and torture us for your pleasure, as long as we get to continue breathing."

I've made my choice, and I appreciate the men in the above picture who made theirs.

Thank you soldiers. Thank you for casting the Ultimate Vote.

Eric

 

"In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori."



We shall remember them..

 

Thank you GT. The tomb of The Unknown Soldier..along with Arlington as a whole is a humbling experience. I'll never forget my visit there...the changing of the guard ceremony (I cried)...everything I felt that day is indescribable. I wish I could say more...but I just don't have the words except to say thank you to all the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.

One of the pics I took while there...

 

Wow Abby, that is beautiful. Someday I will visit it and silently give my thanks.

 

didn't they find out through DNA who the "unknown soldier" was
and the family wanted him back?


just last year or so in the town I grew up in(a little one) they put up their own little vet wall(all local vets) thought that was kinda neat

 

That was the Viet Nam war unknown soldier.