President hopes Americans will remember what Memorial Day truly represents

[thedrifter]

President hopes Americans will remember what Memorial Day truly represents
Submitted by: MCRD Parris Island
Story Identification #: 200452895745
Story by Lance Cpl. Brian Kester



MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C.(May 28, 2004) -- In 1868, Memorial Day was officially proclaimed a day of remembrance in honor of those men and women who had lost their lives in defense of their country. The White House Commission on Remembrance is encouraging Americans to pause for a moment of reflection this Memorial Day, honoring those who have died in service to the United States.

The National Moment of Remembrance will take place Monday at 3 p.m. and last one minute.

All Americans, wherever they are, are encouraged to take that moment and reflect with a moment of silence.

Memorial Day began in honor of those who had fallen in the Civil War, but after World War I, the holiday was changed to honor those who had fallen in any war.
Some feel the day's meaning has been forgotten, and the importance has been lost through the act of family gatherings, barbeques and a day off of work.

"I think the emphasis has definitely been lost," said Lt. Jennifer Howells, clinic manager for the Naval Hospital Beaufort Pediatrics Clinic.

That is why the White House Commission has enacted a moment of remembrance for
all of America to take a minute of their time and pay homage.

"I am all for it," said Sgt. Clayton Smith, primary marksmanship instructor. "It is a time to reflect on the wars from the past and is especially important to me this year because my old unit is over there right now."

The re-emphasis on a day that has been celebrated for more than a century is a welcome patriotic change for some service members.

"With what is going on with current events today, I think it would be wonderful," said Howells, who was born on Memorial Day. "After 9-11 and what is going on in Iraq, it would definitely be a good spark for our country."

The urge to remember the past is ingrained through heritage, tradition and pride within most that serve their country, no matter how long they may have served.

"Fallen troops should all be remembered in one way or another," said Pfc. Chris Delancey, fitness specialist at the Combat Fitness Center. "This is a good way for the entire nation to get together and remember all at once."

Remembering the past, not only reminds service members where they have come from, but where they are going.

"It helps the people that have lost someone to know that people really do care," said Cpl. Gerald Hemry, aviation ordinance Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122.

Everyone has their own way of remembering those who have fallen in military service. Some appreciate the sacrifice more than others, which is only a matter of circumstance.

"Different people have different traditions," said Smith. "In my family, we have always had people in the military for each generation, so that made it important to us. My grandfather was a Marine, and he had three brothers who were Marines. Some families have never had anyone who has been in the military."

According to the White House Commission on Remembrance, as people participate in the moment they are helping reclaim Memorial Day for the noble and sacred reason for which it was intended-to honor those who died in service to our Nation.


http://www.usmc.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/7F270A1E650B867185256EA2004CB300?opendocument


Ellie

[thedrifter]

05-28-2004

From the Editor:

One Memorial Day Was a Tragedy





By Ed Offley



For most Americans who have lost a loved one in the military, Memorial Day is a time to remember and to experience the healing that the ceremonies and commemorations ultimately bring to them. But for one small group American families, Memorial Day itself will forever mark the moment that tragedy forever tore their lives apart.



It was on Memorial Day in 1968 that relatives of the crew of the nuclear attack submarine USS Scorpion stood on the pier in Norfolk, Va., waiting for a submarine that would never come back to its home port.



The sinking of the submarine, in one admiral’s phrase, remains “one of the great sea mysteries of all times.” The loss of the Scorpion has subsequently been linked to the John Walker spy ring, the Soviet KGB, the loss of a Soviet nuclear sub earlier in 1968, and the North Korean seizure of the USS Pueblo and its sensitive crypto gear in February 1968. While the Navy to this day insists it does not know what caused the loss of the sub, many submariners themselves privately believe it was the result of an incident at sea involving a Soviet attack boat.



The depth of the Scorpion mystery is dwarfed by the pain and sorrow borne by the crew’s family members in all the years that followed. Here is their account, based on interviews six years ago in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of the sinking.



High winds and sheets of rain from a spring Nor’easter lashed the Hampton Roads area that fateful Monday morning when several dozen wives and families of the crew of the began gathering at Pier 22 at the Norfolk Naval Station, awaiting the sight of the submarine returning from a three-month deployment to the Mediterranean.



Barbara Foli was one of several dozen Scorpion wives who braved the weather to watch for the submarine bearing her husband, Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Vernon Foli. She vividly recalled the whitecaps on the harbor, and the rain that soaked her clothing and left them shivering with cold under a dark slate sky.



Looming in the foreground was the submarine tender USS Orion, flagship to Submarine Squadron 6 which controlled the Scorpion and 12 other submarines. The only flash of color came from a bright red flotation boom alongside the Orion where the Scorpion would tie up, and a small number of balloons and hand-painted signs from the families to welcome their sailors home from sea.



It was a day that started in anticipation and hope but would plummet into shock and despair, leaving the families of the crew searching for healing and reconciliation. Unbeknownst to them, the 251-foot long submarine had exploded and sunk with the loss of all 99 crewmen aboard five days earlier.



The Scorpion crew and their families were a true cross-section of American culture, Navy service and seniority. The men came from 33 states and U.S. territories and three foreign countries. Of the 99-man roster, 65 were married with a total of 85 children, at least three of whom were born after their fathers’ deaths.



The oldest was Steward 1st Class Joseph Cross (also the only black sailor in the crew), a Louisiana native and decorated World War II submariner who at the age of 47 had spent 26 years in the Navy. The youngest was 19-year-old Seaman Ronald Williams, who had enlisted just 13 months ago after graduating from high school in Hartford, Conn.



Torpedoman Chief Walter Bishop, the “Chief of the Boat,” had spent the longest period of time on the Scorpion, joining the pre-commissioning crew for the submarine in March 1959. Nine other sailors had joined the Scorpion in the six weeks immediately before it left on its ill-fated deployment on Feb. 15, 1968.



The families had expected the Scorpion to return on May 24-25, but the arrival date had slipped to May 27 in a last-minute notice to the families, several relatives said. At mid-day on May 27, 1968, no one on the rain-swept pier had an inkling a major crisis had already erupted over the fate of the submarine.



Theresa Bishop, the wife of Chief Walter Bishop, went down to the pier with her close friend Pat Smith, whose husband, Electronics Technician Chief George Smith, was another senior Scorpion enlisted man. Bishop later said apart from the weather the arrival seemed imminent.



Julie Smith could not be at the submarine piers, but was just as excited in anticipation of seeing her 22-year-old husband, Machinists Mate 2nd Class Robert Smith. She sat with her sister in a lounge at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital 10 miles away, cradling their newborn daughter, Sarah, who had arrived on May 25. They expected Robert to come straight from the base to pick them up.



Sonar Technician 1st Class Bill Elrod was on the Orion, keeping himself busy at the squadron office to block out the searing pain in his heart. Elrod, a Scorpion crewman, had left the submarine in Rota, Spain, 11 days earlier upon receiving the devastating news that he and his wife, Julianne, had lost their infant son shortly after birth on May 16. Several days earlier, he had buried Gordon Elrod in the “Babyland” section of Norfolk’s Maplewood Cemetery, and he and his wife were atempting to pick up the pieces of their lives.



Elrod said he had no idea the Navy had already been looking for the submarine since May 23 in a highly classified search that was withheld from all but a small handful of senior Navy officials, and which the Navy still refuses to confirm ever occurred.



But on the Orion, the ship’s commanding officer, Capt. James Bellah, was worried. Serving as acting squadron commander that day, he had expected to receive a routine message from the Scorpion that morning as it surfaced off the Virginia coastline. But nothing had come in.



By noon, Bellah recalled, he had called Atlantic Submarine Force headquarters to see if they had heard from the Scorpion. “We got no indications there was a problem with that submarine at all,” Bellah said. He sent an aide down to the pier to invite family members to come out of the rain, and a handful did so. The rest, including Foli and Bishop, went home.



Julie Smith and her sister gave up waiting at the hospital at 3 p.m. and decided to go home, passing by the submarine piers on the way, she recalled. Telephoning other Scorpion wives, including Jann Christiansen, the wife of Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class Mark Christiansen, Julie Smith said the word was the submarine would not now arrive until 8 p.m. She settled in to feed her newborn.



Elrod returned to his apartment where he told his wife there was no word from the sub. He said most people felt the severe weather had hampered radio communications and the submarine would either check in or merely show up anytime soon.



By then the Navy chain of command knew otherwise. Concern over the errant submarine was now crackling up and down the circuits. At 3:15 p.m., the official message went out from the Atlantic Submarine Force declaring the “Missing Submarine” alert that would make banner headlines the following morning.



The families learned about this the worst possible way, Navy officials agree: Rather than being called of informed face-to-face by shipmates, they heard of the search when a Norfolk TV station broke with a bulletin shortly after six p.m.



“I will never forget that,” said Julie Smith Ballew. “I had just sat down to feed Sarah and turned on the news. The first words out of the commentator’s mouth were, ‘Submarine Scorpion missing.’ ” I was in shock.”



Theresa Bishop was washing dishes at home when her 9-year-old son, John, came to the door and said, “There’s something about the Scorpion missing.”



“I knew what the words meant,” John Bishop recalled three decades later.



Throughout the country, Scorpion family members were jolted by the news broadcasts or telephone calls from friends who had seen the bulletin.



In Bellmore, N.Y., Adrian Christiansen, Mark’s mother, answered the phone to hear the Scorpion was overdue from daughter-in-law Jann Christiansen.



continued.

[thedrifter]

Vernon and Sybil Stone, parents of Machinist’s Mate 2nd Class David Stone, were eating dinner in their Ames, Iowa, home, when his brother called from New Jersey with the hear-stopping news of the Scorpion alert. They called an emergency Navy number where someone confirmed the emergency.



Pat Smith, Chief George Smith’s widow, had stayed briefly on the Orion until Capt. Bellah told the small group they were having radio problems with the submarine. She recalled a sudden knock on her door from a neighbor who had seen the TV bulletin.



Throughout the night the news spread, as the Navy community in Hampton Roads and other areas rushed ships, submarines and aircraft out into the Atlantic on what would be a fruitless search for signs of the Scorpion.



On June 4, the Navy formally declared the Scorpion and its crew lost at sea. A memorial service for the crew in Norfolk attracted hundreds of family members and fellow submariners, who heard the Navy’s senior chaplain console them. “For the ninety and nine whom we mourn today, there has been no deliverance from the deep,” said Rear Adm. James Kelly. “The separation of deployment has lengthened into the separation of death.”



As the Navy searched for the Scorpion wreckage and formally investigated its disappearance throughout the summer of 1969, most of the Scorpion families quietly packed their belongings and left.



Years later, several Scorpion widows observed the Navy had encouraged them to leave. “I couldn’t believe how quickly they wanted me out of there,” Barbara Foli Lake said. “In one way it felt like the Navy was caring for its families, but in other ways it felt like they were just putting sacks over our heads.”



Most family members interviewed say they were generally satisfied with the way Navy officials kept them informed as an official Court of Inquiry held its hearings and issued a synopsis of its findings. The Scorpion’s squadron in 1969 published a slender but eloquent memorial book to the crew with short biographies and photos of all 99 men.



More than 35 years after the tragedy, many family members – even those who understand the secrets inherent in the submarine force and its Cold War operations -- still want to know the full story of the Scorpion incident. Others prefer to let the matter rest.



John Bishop, who was nine years old in 1968, later joined the Navy and served a career in the submarine force like his father, Chief Walter Bishop. “I've given nearly 20 years of my life to the submarine service - blood and bone marrow,” he said shortly before a memorial service for the submarine in 1988. “I want to know what happened to my father, I want closure.”



This Memorial Day, take time to read the names of the 99 American sailors who are still on “eternal patrol,” then say a prayer of gratitude for them and their families.



Ed Offley is Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at dweditor@yahoo.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com. © 2004 Ed Offley.

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Ellie

[thedrifter]

05-28-2004

A Day to Contemplate the Lessons of War







By Ralf W. Zimmermann



When you ask Americans what Memorial Day means to them, it often appears that the day to remember our fallen takes on a different significance. For many, Memorial Day weekend mainly marks the first long vacation weekend of the year and another mega sales opportunity.



Quite possibly the recent controversy over publicly showing pictures of flag-draped cases of American war casualties of the Iraq War could have sensitized the national conscience in a very timely manner. Like it or not, coffins, white crosses and gravestones are sober reminders of what Memorial Day and war are all about – to remember and honor those who’ve died for America!



Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, then national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868. On that day, in remembrance of all fallen soldiers of the Civil War, flowers were placed on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery.



On Memorial Day 2004, on countless cemeteries across the nation and across the seas, Americans and friends of America will honor fallen comrades and loved ones. These fallen made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, their families, their God, various personal beliefs, and trusting that their cause was just.



As a combat veteran, Memorial Day and Veterans Day have always been sacred days for me. They are days on which I quietly open a few history books and reflect on the purpose of war and its terrible consequences.



When reading first-hand accounts of combat and reflecting on my own soldier experiences, I quickly realize once again that war isn’t an exciting adventure. No, war isn’t only about heroism and glory but mainly about suffering, hardships and ultimately death – civilian and military. Nonetheless, war remains a part of human intercourse, even in our civilized 21st century. Yes, although despicable, war is sometimes a necessary evil to spur human evolution.



As a combat veteran of the airborne and armored forces and the son of a World War II German Panzer soldier, I often try to understand war and its consequences from both sides of the spectrum. From that perspective, I believe it essential to recognize that the ultimate sacrifice by so many can only be worth it, if war ends with a just peace and the willingness to overcome hatred with lasting cooperation and ultimately – friendship.



America’s soldiers and especially the World War II generation have demonstrated that it was possible to accomplish just that – to conclude a major war with a balanced peace and successful reconstruction. For their accomplishments in war and the creation of a lasting peace, that generation has been rightfully recognized with a splendid memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. that will be dedicated on Saturday, May 29.



But while focusing on honoring the fallen and the accomplishments of our World War II generation, we cannot forget the men and women who have willingly carried on in the tradition of their fathers and mothers since then. That includes those who joined America’s ideals from other lands, to earn the right to become fellow citizens. They too gave it their all, believing we committed them for just causes in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Desert Storm, the Balkans, Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq.



As we commemorate the sacrifice of all fallen Americans, I sense that their crosses and markers remind us that besides caring for their graves, we have other, unfulfilled responsibilities. These include caring for the sick, wounded, and needy veterans, while they still have a life to live.



The crosses and grave markers furthermore alert us that veterans and patriotic citizens must unite and take political responsibility on issues with impact on our society and the world, such as war, peace, health care, national values, and eroding job benefits.



The dead silently prod us to alert us to our citizen duty to remind our political and military leaders what consequences their decisions could have on our children and us, especially since it is usually our young who fight and sacrifice in war. More political awareness and involvement can only help to find more visionary policy choices for our nation and hopefully reduce war to a last-resort option.



On Memorial Day 2004, I will stand with you to salute all warriors who have given their lives, believing that our nation sent them to fight for a righteous cause. Let their sacrifice not have been in vain, but help create a better and more peaceful world for future generations.



And may the graves of our fallen remind us of the sacred and constitutional responsibility to send fellow Americans to fight and die, only when the nation is sure of the just cause for war!



DefenseWatch Senior Military Correspondent Lt. Col. Ralf W. Zimmermann, USA (Ret.) is a decorated Desert Storm veteran and former tank battalion commander. His recent novel, “Brotherhood of Iron,” deals with the German soldier in World War II. It is directly available from www.iUniverse.com and through most major book dealers. Zimm can be reached at r6zimm@earthlink.net or via his website at www.home.earthlink.net/~r6zimm. © 2004 LandserUSA. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

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Ellie

[thedrifter]

05-28-2004

More Than Just A Barbecue



By Ray Starmann



This weekend, millions of Americans will flock to summer homes, ballgames, lakes and the Indy 500. They’ll visit discount stores and car dealers, while looking for the best bargains. We will gather in their backyards to sip cool beers and barbecue steaks.



In every crowd, there will be veterans of our past conflicts from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and the War on Terror. For these individuals, the day means something quite more than a plate of ribs or a boat trip. It’s a time to remember old comrades, those who died for everything we believe in, those who still haunt Fiddler’s Green.



In the era of the volunteer military, many civilians who never served regard military heroes as alien characters from a Star Wars movie. But to veterans, they are figures fixed forever in memory. I’d like to mention a few veterans, living and dead, who forever remain in my mind.



My Uncle George joined the Navy Frogmen in World War II. He was as blind as a bat, but nevertheless managed to memorize the Navy eye chart for his physical. He was speeded through the process with apparent 20/20 vision. Before dawn on D-Day at Normandy, Uncle George and his fellow frogmen disabled German mines and obstacles off of Omaha Beach. Strangely, George was the only guy wearing glasses strapped to his head.



Several hours later, our cousin, also named George, landed on Omaha Beach with the V Corps Engineers. During family parties he was often prodded for information. With misty eyes he spoke in hushed tones about what he called the greatest day of the 20th century.



Then there was Mr. Grove, a teacher at the Jesuit prep school I attended. Grove was a medic in the 99th Infantry Division. As a young man, he arrived in the snowy hills of the Ardennes just in time for the Battle of the Bulge. He was wounded three times during the Bulge and his stories of that ferocious battle still seem larger than life. He was a quiet, unassuming man who hated violence, but he also knew that freedom was worth dying for.



On Memorial Day, I often think of a man I never knew. His name is 2nd Lt. James Taylor. Taylor was an army aviator who disappeared in Laos in 1971. His name is inscribed on the silver MIA bracelet I still wear in his remembrance. There were many heroes in that conflict, soldiers like Chief Warrant Officer Johnny Mac Browne. My father spoke often of Mac Browne, who had years before been awarded the Silver Star for his actions on Porkchop Hill in Korea. During the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam, Mac Browne saved my father’s life on several occasions during violent fighting in Saigon. My father considered him a legend in the annals of war.



I also remember two of my comrades killed in Operation Desert Storm. While serving with me in the 4th Squadron, 7th Cavalry, Sgt. Edwin Kutz and Sgt. Kenneth Gentry were killed in action while fighting the Iraqi Republican Guard on February 26, 1991, during the Battle of Phase Line Bullet.



Mortally wounded, lying on the desert battlefield, Kutz’s last sight was that of Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Sneed, who dodged enemy tank fire to get to him. Sneed attempted to save Kutz’s life, but to no avail. Sneed knew war better than any man in 4-7 CAV. He had done five tours in Vietnam with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and had won enough Silver Stars and Bronze Stars for a whole battalion. I still believe he’s one of the bravest men I will ever know.



And, finally, there’s Capt. Sam Rhea and CWO Hans Gukeisen. Both men were veterans of 4-7 CAV who made the ultimate sacrifice. A friend of mine, Sam was killed in a plane crash in 1997 while serving with Special Forces. CWO Hans Gukeisen was an army aviator who was recently killed in action in Iraq.



I would like to see Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s 1962 speech to the cadets at West Point be made required reading for every American on Memorial Day. For MacArthur so eloquently eulogized the sacrifices of the American serviceman. (Both a text file and audio recording of MacArthur’s speech is accessible online.) At one point, MacArthur said:



“My estimate of him was formed on the battlefield many, many years ago, and has never changed. I regarded him then, as I regard him now, as one of the world’s noblest figures; not only as one of the finest military characters, but also as one of the most stainless. His name and fame are the birthright of every American citizen. In his youth and strength, his love and loyalty, he gave all that mortality can give. But when I think of his patience in adversity of his courage under fire and of his modesty in victory, I am filled with an emotion of admiration I cannot put into words. He belongs to history as furnishing one of the greatest examples of successful patriotism. He belongs to posterity as the instructor of future generations in the principles of liberty and freedom. He belongs to the present, to us, by his virtues and by his achievements. In 20 campaigns, on a hundred battlefields, around a thousand camp fires, I have witnessed that enduring fortitude, that patriotic self-abnegation, and that invincible determination which have carved his statue in the hearts of his people. From one end of the world to the other, he has drained deep the chalice of courage.”



On this Memorial Day, like others, I will again see the immortal faces of Kutz, Gentry, Gukeisen and Sam Rhea as their ghostlike figures pass by me in the twilight, muttering the rallying cry of the 7th Cavalry, “Garry Owen.”



Yes, America, it’s more than just a barbecue.



Ray Starmann is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at saber2bravo@earthlink.net. Send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.


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Ellie

[radio relay]

It is absolutely more than just a day for a BBQ!

It is a day to honor, and remember all who have given their lives fighting to protect our nation, our freedom, and our way of life.

Thank You Dad, Sergeant Major Bert H. Boyd, US Army, WWII, Korea, Vietnam.

Thank You, all Veterans who have passed to a greater reward!

SF:marine:

[USMCWifeNMom]

I second radio relays thanks ...

"Thank You" to all of our Veterans for your service to our beloved Country. God bless you one and all.

Sincerely,
Margot Shinn
PROUD Wife of SgtMaj Charles Shinn - 4th LAAD Bn SgtMaj
PROUD Mom of Cpl Sarah Lane - HMH 769
PROUD Mom-in-Law of Sgt Owen Lane - HMM 764 (DEPLOYED OIF II)
PROUD Mom-in-Law of LCpl "Drew" Andrews - 1st MAR Reg (DEPLOYED OIF II)
PROUD Aunt of LCpl Tim Collins - 1/1 "C" Co (DEPLOYED OIF II)

[thedrifter]

A Different View from Iraq



By Donald R. Sawyer



One of the things to become more important to me since I joined the armed forces is Memorial Day. Those of us in the U.S. military, especially here in Iraq, know the real stories that are taking place here, not just what the media covers. I wanted to send this letter back to my friends and family in Minden, to give everyone there a little first hand coverage from here, deep within Iraq.



Things are fairly routine here now. The days seldom change from one to the next. Lots of good things are happening in Iraq. I have spent some time over the last few months with the new Iraqi Army (not to be confused with the police). There are about 250 of us (U.S. military, all branches) at the Noncommissioned Officer Academy (basically the New Iraqi Army boot camp) here in Kir Kush (not to be confused with the Kurdish city of Kir Kuk in the north), co-located with Camp Caldwell, home of the 2/30th (Big Red One) and several MP companies, who provide base security. Luckily, the NCOA area has security provided by U.S. Marines.



I have met hundreds of new recruits from all over Iraq. When they first arrive, the racism is quite evident. The Kurds, who are not ethnic Arabs and speak their own Kurdish language, hate the Arabs from the south.They view the Arabs as the “enablers” of Saddam’s Army, who they had been fighting against, alongside American Special Forces, for years.



The Kurds love Americans, but hate their Arab countrymen to the south. The Shias see themselves as superior to everyone in Iraq and hated too. The Ba’athists, embittered by their loss of power, are especially angry. The Sunnis are different and they have their own prejudices. The Yazitis, a strange religious sect, are also in the mix, offering a little more grist to the racist mill.



There have been fights, near-riots and lots of problems. But, over the months of training and common hardship, these groups all came together and became a team. It has been a privilege to watch. And it gives us all hope that what is happening on a small scale in their Army, just might happen in the country as a whole. (Oh, and don't be confused about the early desertions of the First Battalion – that was strictly a low-pay matter. It has been fixed now, by the way, and is no longer an issue.)



The first class we taught had 441 of 680 graduate. Our last class had 661 of 700 graduate. The instructors, along with the recruits, are getting better at what they do.



I have also met many Iraqi workers at Kir Kush. The place was an abandoned, half-built post for the old Iraqi Army, when the U.S. first arrived. The buildings were mere shells, with no windows, doors, power, plumbing or dining facilities. Over several months, hundreds of workers were brought in and things got much better.



Initially, some of the U.S. military held reservations about having locals working within our compound and security perimeters. Command Sergeant-Major Jose Rangel from the US Army NCO Academy in Hawaii, was steadfast in his desire to keep the local Iraqi workers. Once our initial fears were gone, most of us have come to know the locals on a more personal basis.



The local Iraqi workers reveled in their new jobs, their freedom to travel and speak freely for a change and spoke proudly of their happiness at finally being able to provide for their families. A guy here was able to buy a family car, a guy there bought his family a TV, another started feeling good because he could pay back all the debt he had incurred. During the poverty years under Saddam, while Saddam built palaces for himself with alabaster halls, gold bathroom fixtures and teak walls, the people suffered horribly. Those days are finally over.



I have gained special insight from some of the Interpreter-Translators (ITs) here. One is a highly motivated, intelligent and talented young man, a recent graduate from Baghdad University with a degree in English Literature – and a rare Catholic in Iraq.



He told me how the Iraqi people were tremendously thankful to America for freeing them from Saddam. He told me of Uday and Qusay’s thugs openly abducting coeds from Baghdad University in broad daylight, never to be seen again. (The resort “play” area they were brought to – the torture and rape rooms – is now the headquarters of the Australian Coalition Forces.)



I talked to ex-Iraqi Army soldiers who deserted when we invaded, unwilling to risk their lives for Saddam. I don't think I have met a single Iraqi who had not lost a family member to Saddam’s murderers. They weren’t even upset at America for civilians who were killed by American weapons; they blamed the whole affair on Saddam. Now, several months later, I am still greeted and thanked by Iraqis who like the U.S. military and are offering assistance.



We are in an isolated area. It is about a four hour drive to the nearest large U.S. base. Over the months, that four hours has become two hours, as the doctrinally correct 30-mph convoy speed turned into 70-mph for common sense safety. The convoys have to drive through Ba’aquba, a place you may have heard of in the news. It is a town hostile to Americans.



Just recently, they are letting some of us make a rare trip to get to a PX or have some amenities like a dip in the pool or eat some fresh lettuce or drink fresh milk. Saddam had kept the people in such poverty that the drive was strewn with mud huts, falling-apart roads and hungry people everywhere. Now, things are starting to look up. New cars, new gas stations, people in bright new clothes and small shops are popping up all along the drive.



Smiles have replaced the old drawn, resigned looks we first met. To be sure, the desperate Ba’athists keep the drive less than safe, but their violence is desperation of the few. It is in no way indicative of 25 million Iraqis making progress daily in their goals to have family, a home and a few nice things in their lives.



Most Iraqis are too preoccupied with providing dinner for their families to worry about political concerns. Worrying about politics is the purview of people who can afford the time, like the old rich Ba’athists who had the money. It’s kind of like Americans who take dinner for granted too.



Things continue to get better every day. I talk daily via the internet to my family and friends in the United States. The electrical grid is coming back online throughout the country, clean water is available more and more everyday and now even the telephone system is starting to work. Of course, here there is no telephone service, only a rare satellite phone that cost $2 per minute. The satellite internet service I have set up into an “internet café” is our only link to family and friends.



I recently talked with some of the locals we have hired as translators. As we talked, I told them that I knew they were all risking their lives to support American efforts and their own freedom. They knew about the American who was recently beheaded here in Iraq. They did not know I had seen the video, but they knew it was on my mind.



I asked them why the thugs in Ba’aquba were allowed to roam free. Why weren’t they turned in? The answer came as they all stared at their feet. It dawned on me then, that they were afraid. One went so far as to tell me they were ashamed that Americans were willing to die for Iraqi freedom, but few of their own countrymen seemed willing to do so for their own freedom.



One of the ITs is a voracious reader and has been reading up on American history. He chimed in, “All our heroes are ancient. Our proud history is old. We have nothing like your astronauts, Daniel Boone, George Washington or Lincoln to draw upon. George Bush and you soldiers are the only modern heroes we know.”



So the bottom line is, things get better every day here in Iraq. I know that little or nothing has been heard stateside about out work here at Kir Kush. More media attention has been focused on the Police and Civil Defense training.



I want to note that according to the Commanding General over here, ours is the only training program in Iraq that is exceeding the goals and standards set when we first started to rebuild a New Iraq. I will bring home some new Iraqi Dinars and a new feeling of hope for the New Iraq and its people. There is no doubt that Iraq is on the move to a positive future.



For me, a sailor, this has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. One of the things that is helping me get through this, is the support and prayers of my family and friends back home.



I wish all the people who think we should have never invaded this country, and liberated these people, could see some of the things I have seen and talk to some of the Iraqi people I have talked to. Lots of us here are single, but just as many are married with families, and we all feel the same way.



We feel that we are doing the right thing by being here. Although I have witnessed some horrible things, and been nearly killed, all in all, this has been a positive, uplifting experience and one I will never forget. Once again, thanks for your support and prayers. I hope to see you all soon.



Donald R. Sawyer is an Electronics Technician 1 Class (Surface Warfare) in the Navy serving as an instructor at Camp Caldwell, Iraq. This column originally appeared as a letter to the editor of his hometown newspaper, and has been lightly edited for grammar. Caldwell can be reached at LaFarmBoy@msn.com. Send Feedback responses to dweditor@yahoo.com.

http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=505&rnd=183.27788749892605


Ellie

[thedrifter]

05-28-2004

We Need to Revive Memorial Day



By William F. Sauerwein



This coming weekend Americans will celebrate the Memorial Day Holiday in a variety of ways. Memorial Day symbolizes the traditional beginning of summer, a time of barbeques and opening of swimming pools. Observed on the last Monday of May it represents for most Americans a three-day weekend, normally involving some travel. However, the real purpose Memorial Day, and its solemn remembrance, often gets lost amid the gaiety.



We Americans enjoy our leisure time, and summertime is typically associated with leisure activities. The school year has ended enabling working parents to plan for family vacations. One of the biggest worries for most Americans is that the high volume of traffic increases the risk for auto accidents. Those not willing to undergo the risk, or the hassle, simple enjoy the sales offered at the local shopping malls.



Forgotten are the risks undertaken by those whose sacrifice has given them the option of how to enjoy this holiday. Generations of young Americans sacrificed the rest of their lives for the freedoms and privileges we take for granted. Yet most Americans do not take a few minutes from their long weekends to pay homage to that sacrifice.



The true origin of Memorial Day is in dispute, but the custom originated following the Civil War. One claim is that the custom of honoring the war dead began in Boalsburg, Pa., with no further explanation. Another claim is that Southern women began the custom by decorating the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers with flowers. Yet another story states the first Memorial Day service occurred in a military cemetery for Union soldiers near Richmond, Va.



Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by former Union General John Logan. He was the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a veteran’s organization for Union soldiers. The first observance occurred on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the military graves at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1966, the U.S. government proclaimed Waterloo, N.Y., as the birthplace of Memorial Day.



Immediately following the Civil War, most Americans felt the need to honor the war dead. Over 600,000 Americans had lost their lives, making this the bloodiest war in our history. Every community suffered heavy losses in this four-year war of “brother against brother.” My rural Midwestern county lost about 200, a few of them from my own family tree. The South, with a lower population base from which to recruit, suffered even more disproportionate losses.



It was easily the most divisive period in our history, and that divisiveness still exists today. If you doubt me, I ask my “Yankee” brethren to ask their “Rebel” comrades what they learned of this period in school. Indeed most Southern states observed a separate day until after World War I, when Memorial Day was changed to honoring all war dead. Many still observe another day for honoring their Confederate ancestors in addition to Memorial Day.



As a young boy I remember Memorial Day as big event in my hometown, beginning with the traditional ceremony. Most of our fathers were World War II veterans, and many of their younger brothers served during the Korean War. The Vietnam War was in its early stages, and many sons and daughters were serving there and elsewhere during the Cold War. All were deeply involved with the local veterans’ organizations, which ran the ceremony, and the entire community was involved.



All veterans and civic groups participated in the parade and the parade route was lined with spectators. When “Old Glory” passed everyone stood proudly and rendered the proper respect. Everyone cheered the World War I veterans, who rode on a special float because they were too old to march. The parade ended at the local cemetery where a ceremony, attended by hundreds, was conducted at the GAR monument.



We learned the importance of Memorial Day in our public school system, and honored those who made the supreme sacrifice. The schools also taught that without that sacrifice our freedoms could not be guaranteed. Furthermore, the sacrifice of Americans had brought peace, security and freedom to parts of the world unaccustomed to these ideals.



Upon graduation from high school, I enlisted in the U.S. Army, because I learned that each generation had a duty to preserve that freedom. Like most combat veterans, I lost friends in battle, and their memories will stay with me forever. Many of us owe our lives to the selfless heroism in which our comrades lost their lives.



During my military career, I participated in Memorial Day activities in many parts of the world. Several of my peacetime assignments took me to places where previous generations of Americans had purchased our freedom. The significance of this hallowed ground was not lost on me, and must not be lost on future generations.



Unfortunately, today Memorial Day ceremonies receive little notice in most news stories, normally only a few minutes. Most coverage goes to family barbeques, fun at the local swimming pool and sales at the mall. The most somber news coverage relates to the tragic losses caused by holiday traffic accidents.



Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of Memorial Day is the apathy being demonstrated by many veterans’ organizations. Locally, the various veterans groups have difficulty even providing enough members for their color guards. Little effort is put into organizing and rehearsing the events, or informing the public through the media.



Participation among other civic groups, and the community as a whole, is minimal. Only a few dozen people watch the parade, and fewer still observe the ceremony. The parade route was shortened so the city could lower its overtime pay for police conducting traffic control. It seems no one wants to put forward any effort for honoring those who gave their all.



With our sons and daughters engaged in combat today, we as a nation must revive the real meaning of Memorial Day. First, to my fellow veterans I say get involved with your local veterans’ organizations, especially the young veterans. Younger veterans represent the future of these organizations, and keeping the spirit of America alive. Furthermore, they must participate in the color guards and firing squads as the rest of us are becoming too old.



For my fellow “older” veterans, if you cannot march, there are other ways you can participate. Drive the vehicle that pulls the trailer so the other “old guys” can ride in the parade. Help with the many administrative and logistical tasks that make these events run smoothly.



One of the biggest obstacles is getting the public involved, and letting them know how participating is important to them. Most civic groups enjoy their freedom of association because of the sacrifice of fallen veterans. The Chamber of Commerce enjoys our free enterprise system because it was defended by veterans. Labor unions have the right of collective bargaining because of the blood spilled by our veterans. Faculty and students enjoy their academic freedoms because young Americans have pledged their lives to defend it.



Finally, every American has the option of how he or she will celebrate Memorial Day, without fear of a government reprisal. This freedom was not granted in the nations we fought, nor in those we stand ready to fight today. Surely that right alone is worth the small sacrifice of some of your time, before enjoying the remainder of the weekend as you please.



William F. Sauerwein is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mono@gtec.com. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

http://www.sftt.org/cgi-bin/csNews/csNews.cgi?database=DefenseWatch.db&command=viewone&op=t&id=502&rnd=37.96087597960246


Ellie

[thedrifter]

http://www.byjoy.com/MemorialDayLove.html


http://www.tarasfunpages.com/tapsksd.html



Ellie

[HardJedi]

" a people who do not study and known their history have no past, and no future. "

Memorial day is the ONLY holiday of the year that I celebrate, and has been so since I was 17.