|
|
Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Just do it. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | I would like to honor my Grandfather Irving J. Bergeron, who lied about his age to enter WWI in the Army and returned in WWII to the Navy. He played the only three songs he knew on his banjo every time he visited.
Also my Father and those that served ahead of his enlistment. He served occupational Japan. Had we not dropped the unthinkable weapons he would have been in the innevitable assualt waves that would have followed.
Many more who gave what they were called to. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 71
Location: Charlotte NC | Today in our church service, before the start, our Pastor asked all the veterans to come to the front of the sanctuary. As the bass player, I am usually hidden at the back of the stage behind the choir, but I got to come forward too. This is a small church so there were only about 20 of us. To my left was a man in his 80's who served in WWII, to my right was a kid in his early 20's, home on leave. We all held hands as the choir sang "God Bless America". When they finished, we got a standing ovation. There was not a dry eye in the house, including my own.
Thank you all my fellow veterans and families of for your sacrifices. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | For my Dad.
Mechanic for B-24 Liberators in Europe. He wanted to fly and fight. They said no because he was so good taking care of the guns. Gunners wanted him to work on their guns because, "Steve's guns don't jam". He would sit by the runway all night waiting for those that would return.
Brad |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | funny thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago.
My sister called me and asked if I would help my nephew write an essay, that would be entered in a contest. The essay was about your family member involved in WWII.
My sister did not seem to remember all my dad's stories and even though I tried to forget them ,I was the best resource. Ultimately, my sister's goal was to give my mephew some insight about his grandfather, that was dead at least 5 years prior to his birth.
My nephew came over and we dug out a couple of pictures and my dad's discharge papers and we wrote the essay. We both thought it turned out well and it did make me kinda sorta miss the old man despite out differences.
A few days later., Timmy called me to tell me that he won the contest, He would get a savings bond, have the essay published in the local paper, along with a copy being placed in the local historical society's archieves and newsletter. He then has to read the essay at ceremonies on July 3rd and again on July 20th.
He went to his next door neighbor, another WWII veteran and showed him the essay. His neighbor determined that my dad was eligible for some more medals and is helping Tim gather the paperwork and fill out the proper forms. When he is out of school I promised that if he made the appointment, we would go and get those medals for his grandfather. Of course, I intend to give him those medals so he will have something from his grandfather.
Well the whole experience threw me for a loop. My sister was right in trying to have my nephew make a connection with his grand dad and he did in a big way. And for me, It brought back a bunch of memories, both good and bad. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
November 2002
Posts: 266
Location: Tampa, Florida | I am honoring all those who are so valiant this Memorial Day. I served 9 years in the USAF during peacetime, I was ready to go. I feel like a 2nd class vet for good reason-there were those who laid their lives down on the battleground so my daughter can go to the playground. Don't forget-FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!!!! |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Al, its amazing how that shit sneaks up on ya outta the blue. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Great story Al
I lost a favorite cousin at the Chosin Reservoir who used to come and visit us when I was a kid. I bought the book "Breakout" about that campaign and have almost memorized it as it was part of "my" war, although I did not take part in it.
In WWII, we had a neighbor, Capt. Sam McGill that captured a large German unit because he got out ahead of his outfit in a jeep and drove into their area. He fooled them into thinking he was the advance for a giant American attack, and they surrendered, his biggest problem was marching them back to his small outfit without laughing and giving away the farm.
My Mother's brother was a Marine officer on Guadalcanal, and he never told us what he did.
My Dad's cousin was an Admiral in the Pacific who Captained the Lexington and was the Admiral of Taffy II at Leyte backing Admiral Sprague's Taffy III, and went on to become Commander in Chief Pacific the same year I became a private, July 1953, the end of the Korean conflict as they called the truce.
My memory of WWII was my dad working 7 days a week in aircraft factories in Cleveland, and it didn't matter about the money, there was very little that we could buy, We lived in Willoughby on 5 acres and had a cow and chickens and a garden and my mother made soap. Us kids saw very few candy bars, which may have led to indulgence later in life. My favorite Christmas present was a soldier's uniform that I could dress in and be part of the "war" as we all were.
Bailey |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | some say I am full of great stories, others say I am full of sssssshhhhhhhhhhh........ |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2004
Posts: 648
Location: Florida | Ya know Mr Pepiak, it is possible to be a good story teller AND be full of BS at the same time. Some might say the BEST story tellers are full of the most eloquent BS (psst, BS is not Best-Story...) |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Thinking today of all those who serve and have served, especially those who made the highest sacrifice, so that we may enjoy freedom.
From Bunker Hill to Baghdad, our country is built on this dedication.....
Roger |
|
| |
|
Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 23
Location: Perth Amboy, NJ | To my Dad, Eugene Beinert. He's 81 and though he's slowing down, he's still with us. He was a morse code radio man on an aircraft carrier battling the Japanese in WWII. It was sunk. He received a purple heart. To my grandfather, Eugene Beinert, a merchant marine in WWI, who drank wine in Paris and celebrated the defeat of the Kaiser. To Grandpa, and Dad, To all those who fought and gave of themselves so we could sit home safe and secure. We salute you!
God Bless America. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 280
Location: Waterloo, IL | Today I think about my uncle that served in WW II, he passed away two years ago. I have several cousins that fought in Viet Nam. My Dad joined the Navy during Korea, served for 4 years. Six of his brothers served, only one did not. I have nearly 21 years in the Navy, and am on leave now awaiting the first day in July to be a civilian once again. My oldest son joined the Navy, and graduated from Boot Camp this past Friday.
Ihave been in harm's way many times. However, many have paid the ultimate price to protect the freedom we have earned in this country. I do not regret the years I have served, although my family has paid a heavy price for me being gone so much. Even so, they know I would do it all over again to protect this country and the freedom we have. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Chuck and Eugene Beinert and Irving J. Bergeron and all those who went to a war
Thanks to guys like you and them, we are fighting the baddies in the mideast and not in our back yards.
Thanks and we all appreciate what you and all your buddies have done for us.
Every day in the obits another WWII vet is listed as passing on.
I think this should be said every day, not just on Memorial Day.
Bailey |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | By Jonathan Evans
There are no reporters on the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base. The public is
not allowed to witness the military tradition of "receiving the remains".
Instead, there are soldiers, roused at dark hours to stand in the confines
of what seems like a secret as the dead are brought home. I am one of the
soldiers. Nearly every day we learn of another death in Iraq. In our
collective consciousness, we tally the statistics of dead and wounded. The
number is over 500 now. But none of our conjurings are as real and tangible
as the Stars and Stripes folded perfectly over a coffin cradling one of
those statistics on his or her way home. It does not matter where somebody
stands politically on the war, but I believe that all who have an opinion
should know the cost of that opinion. When a soldier dies in a foreign land,
his or her remains are returned to the United States for their final rest.
The remains arrive in Dover, Del., without fanfare.
No family member is present. There are no young children to feel sad or
confused. Just a small group of soldiers waiting to do their duty and honor
the fallen.
"Dover flights" are met by soldiers from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry
Regiment, the storied Old Guard. They are true soldiers, assigned to an
esteemed regiment, but it is a unit defined by polish, not mud. It seems
that they quietly long to be tested with their comrades "over there. "But it
is clear to me as I watch them that they find immense pride in honoring
their country this way. Silence.
I am a helicopter pilot in the U.S. Army, and it is my job to have the
honor guard at Dover at whatever hour a flight arrives. In military-speak,
the plane's grim contents are referred to as "HRs"-"human remains. "
Once the plane arrives, conversation ends. The soldiers form a squad of two
even ranks and march out to the tarmac. A general follows, flanked by a
chaplain and the ranking representative from the service in which the fallen
soldier served. The plane's cargo door opens slowly revealing a cavernous
space. The honor guard steps onto a mobile platform that is raised to the
cargo bay. The soldiers enter in lock-step formation and place themselves
on both sides of the casket.
The squad lifts, the soldiers buckling slightly under the weight. The
remains have been packed on ice into metal containers that can easily exceed
500 pounds. The squad moves slowly back onto the elevated platform and
deposits the casket with a care that evokes an image of fraternal empathy.
It is the only emotion they betray, but their gentleness is unmistakable and
compelling. The process continues until the last casket is removed from the
plane. On bad nights, this can take over an hour. The few of us observing
say nothing, the silence absolute, underscored by something sacred. There is
no rule or order that dictates it, but the silence is maintained with a
discipline that needs no command.
The caskets are lowered together to the earth, where the soldiers lift
them into a van, one by one. The doors close, and the squad moves out.
Just before the van rounds the corner, someone speaks in a voice just above
a whisper. We snap to and extend a sharp salute. There are those who would
politicize this scene, making it the device of an argument over the freedom
of the press. But if this scene were ever to be exploited by the lights and
cameras of our "infotainment" industry, it would be offensive.
Still, the story must be told. A democracy's lifeblood, after all, is an
informed citizenry, and this image is nowhere in the public mind. The men
and women arriving in flag-draped caskets do not deserve the disrespect of
arriving in the dark confines of secrecy. But it is a soldier's story, and
it must be told through a soldier's eyes. In the military, we seldom discuss
whether we are for or against the war.
Instead, we know intimately its cost. For those of us standing on the
tarmac at Dover in those still and inky nights, our feelings have nothing to
do with politics. They are feelings of sadness, of empathy.
And there is nothing abstract about them. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2003
Posts: 127
Location: Corvallis, OR | It's good that someone took the opportunity to "go off topic" with a Memorial Day reminder, because unfortunately, a whole generation of people have grown up, lacking the appreciation and understanding for the sacrifices made for all of us.
Once a year, we should recall the ultimate sacrifice of fallen soldiers, and we should remind those who don't recall or care. But of course, is is MORE important that we display and USE the benifits of their sacrifice in our daily lives, as an even more efficient reminder to those who have forgotten. That is, we should stand up and salute the flag when the National Anthem is played at games, even tho people around us ignore or smirk at us. We whould vote even if it is raining, and we whould thoughfully raise issues in the workplace, and in all ways , live freedom all year 'round and reflect on why we have this gift, and who paid for it. And we should hold all true patriots in our daily payers.
And we should remember that a politician who hi-jakcs a valid issue for his own agenda, is not a true patriot or a friend of freedom.
Felix Ovation models 1614, 1624, and 6774 |
|
| |
|
Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 3005
Location: Las Cruces, NM | Felix
Very good, and what a coincidence, I mentioned my Dad's cousin as being involved in most of the Pacific WWII campaigns as a Captain and an Admiral, and went on to become Commander in Chief Pacific. He was a graduate of Annapolis in the early part of the century and a pioneer in Naval aviation. His name, and this is unusual for a West Virginia family, was FELIX B. Stump. Strange coincidence.
Bailey (I'm cutting back on my postings as I seem to have irritated the guys with my rambling) |
|
| |
Please remember those who paid the ultimate price on this Memorial Day
