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Memorial Day

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the Gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the mornings hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight,
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die.

- Mary Frye*

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  • Display: Sort:
    And for those who did die (5.00 / 3) (#1)
    by Cream City on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:10:07 PM EST
    in Vietnam, where 10 percent of my generation served, this lovely ode, Names on a Wall, put to music.  hank you for the poetry above, BTD.  I had forgotten that one -- a favorite of my father's, a WWII vet.

    To fallen brothers and sisters (5.00 / 4) (#4)
    by RalphB on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:16:12 PM EST
    That poem about where "poppies blow"
    And, "the crosses, row on row"
    Still rings true, these ninety years
    After written, still brings tears.

    We still have Dead, "amid the guns"
    And lose our young and our loved ones
    Those who lived, "short days ago"
    Who, "felt dawn, saw sunset glow".

    In Flanders Fields, "the poppy red"
    Still grow near where the blood was bled
    They, "Take up our quarrel with the foe"
    And still die for Freedoms that we know.

    They pass, "The torch" to, "hold it high"
    And not, "break the faith with us who die"
    For they, "shall not sleep, though poppies grow"
    Beneath all those, "crosses, row on row"
    In Flanders Fields.

    Del "Abe" Jones

    Semper Fi

    I asked a friend who is (none / 0) (#38)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:53:36 PM EST
    62 years old if she memorized In Flanders Fields in school.  She sd. no.  She attended a private girls' school in the Bay Area of CA.  

    Parent
    Maybe one of the reasons we keep (none / 0) (#48)
    by RalphB on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:59:40 PM EST
    making the same mistakes over and over with respect to war, is that we don't embrace our errors and own them.  Then again there was quite a long period when patriotism was out of favor.


    Parent
    I'm (none / 0) (#55)
    by cal1942 on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:12:51 PM EST
    over 60, went to public schools.  Eighth grade US History teacher read Flanders Field to the class.

    At the time I knew a nice older woman whose brother had been seriously wounded at Chateau-Thierry.

    Scores of World War I veterans marched in the Veterans Day Parade.  World War II veterans (my father included) were still young men at the time.

    A long time ago, in a different world.

    Parent

    ::sigh:: (5.00 / 4) (#7)
    by kredwyn on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:20:10 PM EST
    ..

    (moment of silence for many as well as a kid I know who is now a paratrooper in Airborne)

    My favorite (5.00 / 3) (#14)
    by dianem on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:37:40 PM EST
    A child said, What is the grass? fetching it to me with full hands;
    How could I answer the child?. . . .I do not know what it is any more than he.
    I guess it must be the flag of my disposition, out of hopeful green stuff woven.
    Or I guess it is the handkerchief of the Lord,
    A scented gift and remembrancer designedly dropped, Bearing the owner's name someway in the corners, that we may see and remark, and say Whose?

    Or I guess the grass is itself a child. . . .the produced babe of the vegetation.
    Or I guess it is a uniform hieroglyphic,
    And it means, Sprouting alike in broad zones and narrow zones, Growing among black folks as among white, Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, I receive them the same.

    And now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.

    ...

    Turning to poetry this weekend (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by oldpro on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:09:12 PM EST
    "Fancy that" as my father used to say...

    I posted this yesterday in an open thread...do I need permission to repost?  Hope not...so timely...it's about Michigan, and more...

    ...went to a memorial/celebration of life for a friend who died recently...finished decorating 7 graves and one monument and then sat down to catch up on reading some New Yorker mags (which always pile up).
    Then...came across a marvelous poem in the May 19 issue by Bob Hicok.  It is called

                      A Primer

    I remember Michigan fondly as the place I go
    to be in Michigan.  The right hand of America
    waving from maps or the left
    pressing into clay a mold to take home
    from kindergaretn to Mother.  I lived in Michigan
    forty-three years.  The state bird
    is a chained factory gate.  The state flower
    is Lake Superior, which sounds egotistical
    though it is merely cold and deep as truth.
    A Midwesterner can use the word "truth,"
    can sincerely use the word "sincere."
    In truth the midwest is not mid or west.
    When I go back to Michigan I drive through Ohio.
    There is off I-75 in Ohio a mosque, so life
    goes corn corn corn mosque, I wave at Islam,
    which we're not getting along with
    on account of the Towers as I pass.
    Then Ohio goes corn corn corn
    billboard, goodbye, Islam.  You never forget
    how to be from Michigan when you're from Michigan.
    It's like riding a bike of ice and fly fishing.
    The Upper Peninsula is a spare state
    in case Michigan goes flat.  I live now
    in Virginia, which has no backup plan
    but is named the same as my mother,
    I live in my mother again, which is creepy
    but so is what the skin under my chin is doing,
    suddenly there's a pouch like marsupials
    are needed.  The state joy is spring.
    "Osiris, we beseech thee, rise and give us baseball"
    is how we might sound if we were Egyptian in April,
    when February hasn't ended.  February
    is thirteen months long in Michigan.
    We are a people who by February
    want to kill the sky for being so gray
    and angry at us.  "What did we do?"
    is the state motto.  There's a day in May
    when we're all tumblers, gymnastics
    is everywhere, and daffodils are asked
    by young men to be their wives.  When a man elopes
    with a daffodil, you know where he's from.
    In this way I have given you a primer.
    Let us all be from somewhere.
    Let us tell each other everything we can.

    (I love this poem.  And I remember Michigan from my childhood...two years in Battle Creek - Army brat.  My mother nearly died of the winters but we kids loved it...as I recall).

    Here's my favorite lines: (5.00 / 1) (#43)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:32:03 PM EST
    The Upper Peninsula is a spare state
    in case Michigan goes flat.  

    The state joy is spring.
    "Osiris, we beseech thee, rise and give us baseball"
    is how we might sound if we were Egyptian in April,
    when February hasn't ended.  February
    is thirteen months long in Michigan.
    We are a people who by February
    want to kill the sky for being so gray
    and angry at us.  "What did we do?"
    is the state motto.  

    I spent over 10 years in Ann Arbor.  


    Parent

    A2 (none / 0) (#45)
    by Spike on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:44:35 PM EST
    I lived there my first 18 years.

    Parent
    Yes. Splendid! (none / 0) (#60)
    by oldpro on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:26:48 PM EST
    but how's about these:

    ...The state bird
    is a chained factory gate.  The state flower
    is Lake Superior, which sounds egotistical
    though it is merely cold and deep as truth.
    A Midwesterner can use the word "truth,"
    can sincerely use the word "sincere."

    And ohmigawd...this...
    There is off I-75 in Ohio a mosque, so life
    goes corn corn corn mosque, I wave at Islam,
    which we're not getting along with
    on account of the Towers as I pass.
    Then Ohio goes corn corn corn
    billboard, goodbye, Islam.

    and...I live now
    in Virginia, which has no backup plan
    but is named the same as my mother,
    I live in my mother again, which is creepy

    and... When a man elopes
    with a daffodil, you know where he's from.

    Parent

    The daffodil phrase made me (none / 0) (#61)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:30:47 PM EST
    immed. remember entering the Women's Hospital in A squared with the crocus emerging outside.  When I left with my newborn, born April 20, the crocus were buried in snow.  

    Parent
    Thanks! (none / 0) (#33)
    by cmugirl on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:35:32 PM EST
    As another transplanted Michigander living in Virgina - I really appreciated that!

    Parent
    Me Too! (none / 0) (#44)
    by Spike on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:43:08 PM EST
    As a transplanted Michigander living in DC, I enjoyed it too...

    Parent
    A Michigander (none / 0) (#64)
    by cal1942 on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:54:16 PM EST
    all my life.  I've turned down more money to move, maybe because in Michigan every spring is like being born all over again. Truly wonderful.


    Parent
    I never thought I would feel this way (5.00 / 1) (#27)
    by Militarytracy on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:23:22 PM EST
    again about Memorial Day but today I'm okay.  I've had a few Memorial Days where I have been really depressed. We don't belong in Iraq and never did but we've hung our soldiers out to dry on it and those who stay on do so out of principles larger than Iraq.  My soldier is giving an extra three years in uniform if they will allow our family to reside here and our disabled son to have some roots here.  Looks like DOD is going to agree to it and then instead of giving 20 he will be giving 23 yrs.  He has already been offered two civilian jobs upon retirement but we are so short active duty soldiers and our readiness is in trouble right now.  I'm very proud of him and if he were killed I would not stand at his grave and weep because the essence of who he is would not be there.

    You are truly amazing woman. (5.00 / 1) (#36)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:50:11 PM EST
    Thanks (5.00 / 1) (#57)
    by mrjerbub on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:14:47 PM EST
    to the both of you. I gave it 5 years after being drafted in 1968. Drafted for 2, re-enlisted for 4 but only lasted for 3 of them. My mom said I came back from Viet Nam a little "different". I remember resenting the heck out of that. It wasn't until the Clinton Admin. that they finally said PTSD. I guess that's why I'm bitter and I cling.

    Parent
    Thank you for service (none / 0) (#63)
    by Militarytracy on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:50:18 PM EST
    It was sort of funny the other day, I was watching the latest Winter Soldier testimony and my husband came bopping through the room and asked me what a "Winter Soldier" is.  Good Lord dude, he is and you are.  I remember back at the start of all this Iraq business, various commanders talking all brass balls and glory.  I used to just shake my head....mortals in denial.  And when things didn't go so well the "Sunshine Soldiers" walked off into the fading season.  I think some of them may have actually been running.

    Parent
    I'm not sure how.. (none / 0) (#67)
    by mrjerbub on Mon May 26, 2008 at 06:24:19 PM EST
    many "rodeos" you've been to, but you sure seem to have a grip on what this is all about. God bless you and yours.

    Parent
    I think blogging about it has helped me a lot (none / 0) (#74)
    by Militarytracy on Tue May 27, 2008 at 07:10:40 AM EST
    So much has happened.  It has been very roller coasterish.  Blogging has helped me to resolve a lot of the things that have happened within a framework of people who could listen.  I'm not going to have such good luck attempting such things right now in the middle of a family readiness group because those families have been trying to roll with the punches too and there is a backlog of unresolved emotions and issues for all of them.  This blog helps too.  Jeralyn and BTD work hard sticking to the facts of issues.  This place has good boundaries and it has actually helped me a lot in gaining a steadier footing for myself as a military spouse.

    Parent
    Why Not Write a Book (none / 0) (#81)
    by squeaky on Tue May 27, 2008 at 03:30:13 PM EST
    Since you are obviously such a talented writer. Many americans would love to hear your story as a military spouse. Apart from that you life as a northerner transplanted to the south, gardner, cook, and all the other tidbits you have written here about would make for an instant best seller.

    Go for it.

    Parent

    Posting my picture again (5.00 / 2) (#31)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:31:28 PM EST
    This is Tahoma National Cemetary in Kent/Covington, WA.

    It is a beautiful, yet solemn place, makes me cry whenever I see it.  Each marker represents a truly brave, honorable soul.  I hope the families of the lost lives are somewhat comforted by the beauty of the place.

    (Note majestic Mt. Rainier in the background.  Of course, the pic doesn't do it all justice.).

    Link

    Another memorable place (none / 0) (#40)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:09:10 PM EST
    is the Vietnam Veterans National Memorial near Angel Fire, NM.  Built by the father of a young man whose family spent their last vacation time together at this site:

    [ANGEL FIRE:/www.angelfirememorial.com]

    Parent

    And the first and oldest soldiers' home (none / 0) (#46)
    by Cream City on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:51:23 PM EST
    in the country, close to me in Milwaukee -- built because of the women of Milwaukee who cared for more than 32,000 soldiers throughout the Civil War as well as widows and war orphans, and then women raised the massive funds to buy the land turned over to the government to build the first federal "old soldiers' home" and hospital.  

    And it's also in Wisconsin because of the "Angel of Mercy," as the soldiers called her -- Cordelia Perrine Harvey (of Kenosha, Marge and Rick here!), Civil War nurse and widow of our governor killed when reviewing conditions in the South for our troops.  She carried forward with his work, even going to the White House and sitting there for days, waiting to see Lincoln, when she convinced him of the need for Northern men to come home to heal.

    Lincoln was wary of the idea, as he thought that Northern men once healed would not go back to the horrors of the battlefields.  The "Angel of Mercy" told him to have more faith in his people -- a message worth remembering today, too.  I soon will be driving west, past the acres and acres of white crosses here on graves of soldiers since the Civil War.  And there are many more soldiers there in the hospital still, from many wars since.

    Parent

    As a corollary to this poem, my dad's advice (5.00 / 1) (#37)
    by jerry on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:51:27 PM EST
    Don't bring flowers to graves, bring flowers to people when they are alive.

    Half right, your dad... (none / 0) (#39)
    by oldpro on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:02:17 PM EST
    yes, absolutely bring flowers to people when they are alive.

    Flowers for graves are not really for 'the dead.'

    They are for us...to re turn our attention to the cost and the price that was paid by others in other days and times...to remind (re mind) us and make us think again before we leap into the unknown.

    It doesn't seem to work very well...but still...

    Parent

    I never thought I would weep reading TL. (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by leis on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:29:17 PM EST
    But, I thank you.

    Thank you, BTD! (none / 0) (#2)
    by madamab on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:10:17 PM EST
    That was beautiful.

    mary frye (none / 0) (#3)
    by isaac on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:15:54 PM EST


    IS tha tthe author? (none / 0) (#5)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:17:50 PM EST
    thanks.

    Parent
    Wikipedia says it's suspected (none / 0) (#6)
    by andgarden on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:19:33 PM EST
    but there's no citation.

    Parent
    I just added (5.00 / 1) (#9)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:20:30 PM EST
    an asterisk explaining there is a controversy over authorship.

    Parent
    Anyway (none / 0) (#8)
    by andgarden on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:20:29 PM EST
    Very Nice (none / 0) (#13)
    by talex on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:35:03 PM EST
    Very Appropriate.

    Parent
    As Opposed To (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by talex on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:45:38 PM EST
    what Matt at OpenLeft wrote:

    Today is Memorial day, a holiday when we honor those in public service.

    To which I responded:

    No It Is Not
    in recognition of "public service".

    Via wikipedia:

    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.

    I had friends that died in Vietnam and an uncle that died in the Korean War. I had a grandfather who risked his life in WWI and a father who did the same in WWII.

    Memorial Day is about The Military and not about "Public Service". Even Progressive blogs should not downplay that.

    No one likes war. And I understand that some people are total doves like Matt. But it is ridiculous for people like Matt to pretend that war is just not sometimes a fact of life. And to try to downplay those who have died in wars, right or wrong, by saying that Memorial Day is for those in "Public Service' is a dishonor to those who have not only died, but also to those who survived in the past and those who serve and survive today.

    Today I not only honor the fallen soldiers of the past - I also honor those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan who came home maimed and broken, particularity those who came home with PSTD. I pray and wish for their recovery.

    Parent

    Yes, agreed (5.00 / 2) (#34)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:42:48 PM EST
    Matt would be better not mentioning the day at all.

    Nobody likes war and unjust war makes fair-minded people furious.  However, it is WRONG to ignore the sacrifices that soldiers make, no matter how good or bad the justification for the war.  The soldiers don't necessarily have a choice.  It is WRONG to deny them (or misrepresent) their day.

    Parent

    What a fool he is. And on Labor Day (5.00 / 1) (#47)
    by Cream City on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:57:14 PM EST
    will he have an ode to management and megacorporations?

    Thank you, on behalf of those in my family serving now, my ex and my cousins and classmates who are Viet vets -- or are in graves -- and my father and five uncles who were WWII vets, too.  That's as far back as my clan goes, that I know -- but thank you also on behalf of my children's ancestors all the way back to veterans of the Revolutionary War.

    (I still grapple with the concept that my daughter, with me from the famine Irish who came on coffin ships and from the French Canadians who took them in, both so dissed when they came here by the Yankee elites . . . that my daughter could belong to the DAR!)

    Parent

    Must be the new (5.00 / 2) (#49)
    by RalphB on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:04:36 PM EST
    "Creative Class" Memorial Day.  Wonder about the celebration ceremonies though?  

    Parent
    I am a public employee, but it (none / 0) (#50)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:07:16 PM EST
    really has nothing to do with me.  This is a day dedicated to honoring veterans.  

    Parent
    Dept of Motor Vehicles? (none / 0) (#53)
    by Kathy on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:09:22 PM EST
    Ha!  I kid!  It must be something related to the MLA style manual...

    Parent
    Ha. But CA has its (it's?) very own (none / 0) (#56)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:13:25 PM EST
    style manual, not to be confused w/the Harvard Blue Book.  

    Parent
    its (it's = it is) (none / 0) (#59)
    by Kathy on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:21:42 PM EST
    but you forgot Robert's Rules of Order!

    Parent
    Lovely n/t (none / 0) (#10)
    by Valhalla on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:26:29 PM EST


    Nice One (none / 0) (#11)
    by squeaky on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:27:37 PM EST
    Thanks, BTD.

    When I was a kid in the 1970s (none / 0) (#12)
    by txpolitico67 on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:34:45 PM EST
    there was this senior citizen, a woman, (who made the local news) that would go to the cemetary where her husband was buried and put not only a little American flag on his grave, but she would take dozens and plant them on graves indicating the dead was a veteran on Memorial Day.

    I think about her at this time every year.  

    In so many ways Americans "do" their part.

    BTD, are you going to post (none / 0) (#15)
    by masslib on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:38:45 PM EST
    an open thread?  I'd like your opinion on something.

    "but it was a great victory" (none / 0) (#17)
    by hellothere on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:50:38 PM EST
    that is a favorite of mine due to the irony of two young children finding the bones of the fallen years later after the reason for the great victory has all been forgotten.

    Today (none / 0) (#18)
    by cmugirl on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:51:02 PM EST
    I am at work.  However, since I work literally feet from the Navy Memorial in DC, I took a little break just now and went upstairs on this glorious day and listened to the US Navy Band and watched all the people in the plaza and once again realized just how lucky we truly are to live in this country.

    Is that the Indian Prayer? (none / 0) (#19)
    by fly on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:56:28 PM EST
    I believe that is the Indian Prayer..i could be wrong but it sounds like the Indian Prayer that we had the grandkids read at their American Indian Grandma's memorial service.

    It is beautiful..

    a Heartful Thank You to all our Vets and active military.. you are always in my thoughts and Memory for all you gave this nation, for all of us!

    fly

    Indian Prayer authorship? (none / 0) (#20)
    by Saul on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:56:36 PM EST
    I was always told that that was an American Indian prayer.  Don't know for sure. But I have always liked it.

    The fallen (none / 0) (#21)
    by Stellaaa on Mon May 26, 2008 at 12:59:23 PM EST
    Look at this and other wars, it is about class.  The working and low income classes pay a higher price.

    When I think how this war has accentuated the class differences in America it makes me cringe.   Many of us can turn it on and off, but working and lower income people have fathers, sons, husband, brothers and they are there in danger.  For what?  What did we really do to stop it?  That is what I remember.  

    I feel shame for not being able to stop the war.  This is not just Bush/Chenney war, it's all of ours.  We all own it through the many weaknesses of our democracy.  

    Civil War (none / 0) (#51)
    by Kathy on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:08:11 PM EST
    Wealthy Union soldiers paid foreigners to fight in their stead. Then, they took immigrants right off the boats and put rifles in their hands.  

    Confederate soldiers from the aristocracy led the charges.  Something like 98% of all wealthy Southern families (granted, a small slice of the population) lost a son to war.

    Lots of people forget this, but John McCain's son is serving in Iraq.  I think he's on his third rotation.  My nephew says the guy doesn't ride a desk--he's really out there in the middle of it.

    My cousin wasn't going to re-enlist, but the army told him if he didn't, he'd have to pay them back the money he owed them for college.  I offered to pay it off, but he wouldn't take the money.  He has a three month old son and his father is very sickly with cancer.

    Parent

    A bit irritating and slanted (none / 0) (#65)
    by cal1942 on Mon May 26, 2008 at 04:43:18 PM EST
    "Wealthy Union soldiers paid foreigners to fight in their stead."

    Or paid less well off locals.

    Although recruiters greeted immigrant ships, no one forced rifles into their hands. As a nation, throughout our history, immigrants have fought in our wars and do to this day.

    I'm from Michigan.  Michigan had various all volunteer infantry, artillery and cavalry units that fought with matchless bravery in the Civil War.  They were NOT "foreigners." They were America's native sons.  The sons of farmers, merchants, professionals, tradesmen and mechanics.

    As for the sacrifices of the planter class, it was THEIR war fought for THEIR financial benefit.

    It should be remembered that holders of more than 20 slaves were exempt from military service, prompting that bluntly truthful expression owed to brave southern soldiers:

    'Rich man's war poor man's fight.'

    What is it about southerners who denigrate northern fighting men and the northern war effort.

    Parent

    Lots of sad stories on NPR this morning, (none / 0) (#22)
    by zyx on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:07:25 PM EST
    I recently read that at Normandy that soldiers are actually buried in mass graves.  (Sorry if this upsets people, and it may not be true of all soldiers!)  Anyway, it IS lovely how respectful the French are of our fallen soldiers there, isn't it?  Wouldn't it be a very solemn thing if we had thousands of foreign soldiers buried here who had defended us?  I think that really, Europeans will always have some reverence for Americans, even though some of us picture them having nothing but contempt for us.  That is not true.

    I have a Belgian friend--granted, she is my age, 50-ish--who said they are taught in school about the Marshall Plan, how the Americans helped get Europe on its feet after the war.  And there are people in Europe who remember how impoverished they were.  I forgot recently and asked a Scot about something equivalent to the US GI Bill, and he said no, unfortunately, they had not the resources, their economy was too shattered.

    Sorry to go on so, but history is one of my things...

    My paper prints the name, age, rank and hometown (none / 0) (#23)
    by suisser on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:09:12 PM EST
    of every US casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have made it a ritual to read them aloud to myself each morning.  Just the simple act of calling aloud, "John, 21, Knoxville TN, has given me a small glimpse of the magnitude of the waste and grief this war has wrought.  IMO the ban on images of the returning war dead is one of the cruelest  acts a president could impose on our nation's military families.  

    LA Times on line has photos and (none / 0) (#52)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:09:04 PM EST
    information about each U.S. military person killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.  Broweseable (sp) by various criteria.  

    Parent
    Remember when the news (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by Kathy on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:11:22 PM EST
    used to do that--memorialize the fallen?  Was it Rather?  Then, Rove and co said it was 'too political.'

    Disgusting.  This bogus war should mark the time in our history when the media turned into absolute runny sh!t.  No spines to speak of, no honor, no respect for the truth.  Money, money, money...the blood is on their hands just as it is in Bush's.

    Parent

    Powerful Words (none / 0) (#25)
    by JimWash08 on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:13:43 PM EST
    Thanks for sharing them, BTD.

    I live in Washington, D.C., not too far away from the National Mall and the war memorials. I took a walk with my girlfriend early this morning, and the area was already filling up with lots of veterans and serving- men and women in uniform. We both agreed how proud we were to be citizens of this great country, and how indebted we were to these people for the comforts and peace that we are fortunate to have.

    We like to think that no matter what happens in our presidential election -- if in case our preferred candidate doesn't make it all the way to the White House -- that either of the other two loves this country as much as we do, to do what is right and not repeat the mistakes of the past.

    And if anyone is reading this, who is currently serving in the armed forces; has served; has a loved one or lost a loved one in combat, THANK YOU for your sacrifice.

    Interesting sites to visit on Memorial Day (none / 0) (#28)
    by cmugirl on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:23:34 PM EST
    A link to another sequence of prayers. (none / 0) (#29)
    by wurman on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:27:45 PM EST
    With many relatives who served in the US Marine Corps (and as a former Marine, myself), the Navy Hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," has been part of my life for about 60 years.  It may be familiar to many people as the musical theme for Pres. John F. Kennedy's funeral rites.  It has been important to all members of the sea services.

    I choose not to post it here for it may offend some, so here's a link to the US Navy historical website.

    Well, (none / 0) (#30)
    by suki on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:29:11 PM EST
    I'm bawling now. That was what I read when my Dad passed away. Man, I miss him. He was by far the funniest person I've ever known.

    How to fix it so it can never happens again? (none / 0) (#35)
    by Saul on Mon May 26, 2008 at 01:44:30 PM EST
    As a Vietnam veteran, I will say that Vietnam and this war were useless wars and both should have never happen.  All those lives, wounded, and hurt families.  

    Both of these wars existed because of manufactured reasons and rationales on why we should get involve.

    Nixon lost the election because the war was so unpopular, and Bush, if he could run again would probably loose for the same reason.  So why do we let those in charge get us into these wars when deep down inside and very early on we know they are wrong. I had thought that the only  good that would have come out of Vietnam was that we had learn our lesson never to get involved in unpopular wars, especially those not supported by 80 % of the American people. I was wrong.

    I never took 911 as an attack by another country on us. To me it was just a bunch of angry extremist  individuals from a country that conspired the attack on 911.  It wasn't like the country of Arabia and it's government decided to attack us.  To me the revenge of 911  should have been handled like police action rather than a military action. A crime was committed.    Just like the Oklahoma bombing was.  What if the suspects of 911 had been Mexican extremist or Canadian extremist?  Would we have waged a war against those countries?  I doubt it very seriously.  And what did Iraq had to do with 911? Nothing. Nothing at all.

    What can be done by the next congress and president so as it will be almost virtually impossible for the decision to enter into these silly wars to be implemented.  

    We need to have very strict thresholds that must be met before a decision to go to war will go into effect.

    I be interested on some of your suggestions  that could be implemented by the next congress and president to make sure  that this never happens again.  

    God bless all our soldiers, past and present and their families wherever they might be today.

    I find myself being unexpectedly (none / 0) (#41)
    by Anne on Mon May 26, 2008 at 02:10:25 PM EST
    emotional reading that poem, BTD, and I think it comes not just from the sentiments expressed, or because it makes me think of all the loved ones who are no longer in my life, but from realizing that, on a day when the paper has pictures of all the Marylanders who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan, how important my country really is to me, how dear I hold its freedoms, and how grateful I am to those who sacrificed so much for it and for us.

    In the last eight years, we have seen such an erosion of democracy - the thing so many have died trying to preserve - and the rise of so much disregard for the least among us.  It just appalls me how cavalier people can be about those who cannot help themselves - like children - and how willing people are to have other people's sons and daughters make sacrifices they are not willing to make themselves.

    I can still remember the first time I visited the Vietnam Memorial; never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to be so affected by something so simple and beautiful.  The pictures and remembrances along the wall, the people with tears running down their faces; it was like an emotional punch in the gut.

    If there was one thing I would wish for today, it is not just the obvious - that no more have to die in senseless wars - but the not-so-obvious: that those who wish to lead our nation into the future would strive to put country before party.

    So, today I say my own prayer - not a selfish one that wants one candidate to triumph over another, but one that asks that each be able to find within themselves the strength and wisdom and vision to work for and fight for the things that will ensure that we endure for generations to come.


    I have just come home (none / 0) (#58)
    by camellia on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:15:59 PM EST
    from my little suburban town's celebration of Memorial Day, and I find all these memories and comments incredibly moving.  My husband is a WWII vet--drafted in 1943 at age 18, served in Europe at the Battle of the Bulge--and he has never forgotten his experiences.  We lived in Belgium for many years in the 60s and 70s, and the Belgians do indeed remember what the US did for them, and are mindful and grateful.  The little town where we live in northern Virginia begins Memorial Day with a solemn service at the War Memorial with speeches, Taps, and honours for veterans, follows that up with a street fair, and ends with a parade.   There is something incredibly satisfying about the progression from solemnity to silliness--"in the midst of death, we are in life" ... I know that's a horrible distortion of the quotation, but it fits today.  

    The parade too reminds us all of the richness of life   -- the Lacrosse Team!!  The Shriners in their silly little red cars!!  Fraternidad Folklorico Boliviano--incipient heart attacks there, after dancing the mile-long route in their spangled costumes, panting dogs with long lolling tongues following The Library Ladies rolling their book carts  along, the Obama for President campaign (no, we didn't boo!), the School Crossing Guards!!  

    When I was growing up in Iowa, our (none / 0) (#62)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 03:33:49 PM EST
    city of 30,000 supported a Municipal Band, in which I played the flute.  Memorial Day concert was held in the beautiful city park on the bluffs above the Mississippi River.  Always a large turn out for that concert.  

    Parent
    When Tomorrow Starts without me (none / 0) (#66)
    by Boo Radly on Mon May 26, 2008 at 05:58:30 PM EST
    The above caption is the name of a poem by David M. Romano.

    http://www.appleseeds.org/tomorrow.htm

    Mary Fryes' poem was selected by my son for his funeral. I still have not come as far as others have here - I don't know if I ever will.

    From Monday's NYT: (none / 0) (#68)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 07:00:18 PM EST
    The war in Iraq has already exceeded the length of World War II and is the nation's longest conflict fought with an all-volunteer military since the Revolutionary War.


    NYT! (none / 0) (#70)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Mon May 26, 2008 at 07:17:20 PM EST

    Apparently the NYT can not measure time accurately, or does not know when WWII started ot ended.  

    WWII is generally recognized as starting in September 1939.  It ended on September 2, 1945.  That is a few days short of six years.

    Some mark the start of WWII in 1937.

    Parent

    Assuming te paragraph refers (none / 0) (#71)
    by oculus on Mon May 26, 2008 at 07:47:49 PM EST
    to active duty U.S. military involvement in World War II, it appears to be correct.

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    WWII (none / 0) (#72)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Mon May 26, 2008 at 08:39:00 PM EST
    The war in Iraq has already exceeded the length of World War II and is the nation's longest conflict fought with an all-volunteer military since the Revolutionary War.

    The quote is for WWII not US involvement in WWII.  

    BTW, the first US warship sunk in WWII was sunk by the Germans.

    Parent

    Then (none / 0) (#75)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Tue May 27, 2008 at 08:13:19 AM EST
    If what you say is true, then it is poorly written.  It means what each reader considers the start of US involvement in WWII is the starting point.  While most might consider that to be Pearl Harbor, others might consider that to be the sinking of the USS Reuben James, or the attack on the USS Greer, or the passage of the Lend Lease act.  Whatever else you care to call them, each of those are certainly instances of US involvement in WWII.

    From Wikipedia re the Greer:

    When news of the attack against an American ship reached the United States, public feeling ran high. President Franklin D. Roosevelt seized this occasion to make another of his famed "fireside chats", one in which he brought America nearer to outright involvement in the European war. Declaring that Germany had been guilty of an act of piracy, President Roosevelt in effect unleashed American ships and planes for offensive action as he stated "in the waters which we deem necessary for our defense, American naval vessels and American planes will no longer wait until Axis submarines lurking under the water, or Axis raiders on the surface of the sea, strike their deadly blow--first." With this "shoot on sight order", the period of "undeclared war" in the Atlantic began.

    Sounds like involvement to me.

    Parent

    Another poem that Memorial Day brings to mind (none / 0) (#69)
    by Abdul Abulbul Amir on Mon May 26, 2008 at 07:05:18 PM EST
    Tommy

     

    Thanks BTD. (none / 0) (#77)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue May 27, 2008 at 11:44:46 AM EST
    Each year our local Scout Troops place flags in front of each interment in the Los Angeles National Cemetery. That's over 85,000 flags. Photo.

    My niece's Girl Scout Troop... (none / 0) (#78)
    by kdog on Tue May 27, 2008 at 12:22:59 PM EST
    does the same at Calverton National.  It's awe-inspiring to see all those flags.

    My favorite fallen soldier song/poem is "Some Mother's Son" by the Kinks.

    Some mothers son lies in a field
    Someone has killed some mothers son today
    Head blown up by some soldiers gun
    While all the mothers stand and wait
    Some mothers son aint coming home today
    Some mothers son aint got no grave

    Two soldiers fighting in a trench
    One soldier glances up to see the sun
    And dreams of games he played when he was young
    And then his friend calls out his name
    It stops his dream and as he turns his head
    A second later he is dead

    Some mothers son lies in a field
    Back home they put his picture in a frame
    But all dead soldiers look the same
    While all the parents stand and wait
    To meet their children coming home from school
    Some mothers son is lying dead

    Somewhere someone is crying
    Someone is trying to be so brave
    But still the world keeps turning
    Though all the children have gone away

    Some mothers son lies in a field
    But in his mothers eyes he looks the same
    As on the day he went away

    They put his picture on the wall
    They put flowers in the picture frame
    Some mothers memory remains




    Parent
    Just listened to it on (none / 0) (#79)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue May 27, 2008 at 02:04:48 PM EST
    youtube, very nice.

    fwiw, the memorial on the beach about 1/2 way through the video is next to the Pier in Santa Barbara.

    Parent

    No audio here.... (none / 0) (#80)
    by kdog on Tue May 27, 2008 at 02:11:19 PM EST
    I'll check it out later.

    Good looks my brother.

    Parent

    Moving.... (none / 0) (#82)
    by kdog on Tue May 27, 2008 at 06:04:46 PM EST
    some great pictures.

    But there is something about the way Ray Davies sings it...sends chills up my spine.

    Parent