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MillRatUSMC
11-11-04, 12:32 AM
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/11/print/20041109-5.html

To many it will be just another day, some will be off today because it's a federal holiday.
Much has been written about this day known here as Veterans Day in Canada it's known as Rememberance Day.
I wish instead of a day, they would take better care of the veterans of past wars and those coming from this war on terrorism.
That would be the greatest gift, this Nation could give to the veterans...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

thedrifter
11-11-04, 12:53 AM
In appreciation of all servicemen and women, past and present.

In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day in the eleventh
month,
the world rejoiced and celebrated. After four years of bitter war, the
Allied powers a signed a cease-fire agreement (an armistice) with
Germany at Rethondes, France on November 11, 1918, bringing World War I
to a close. On June 1, 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day to
honor all U.S. veterans.






THE SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER

I am a whisper on the wind, of times past, of places long forgotten, Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Bataan, Pearl Harbor, Normandy, Seoul, Laos, Saigon, Cambodia, Kuwait. I am the heart of countless numbers of scarred and maimed American veterans, and the soul of the buried unknowns,

I am an integral part of each white cross in Flanders Field, and I am sealed within each name on 'The Wall'. I am part of each and every headstone of every American soldier in every cemetery around the world.

I am deeply enmeshed in each tiny undiscovered bone fragment of American soldiers, left behind on foreign soil. I am the unseen shadows, the unheard voices in those many empty cells that once held my brothers in unspeakable torture.

I am the unbearable pain in the hearts of every mother, father, wife, husband, brother sister, and child, of missing American soldiers from all wars. I am within each and every teardrop shed by these family members for their unaccounted for loved ones.

I am the essence of each and every drop of blood shed in the past or in the future, by an American soldier in the name of freedom. I am the lifeblood of the colors of the American flag, blue for my loyalty and unwavering dedication, white for my steadfastness, and red for my pride and love of country.

I am the spirit of those names on the black Granite Wall, of all those
unaccounted for in every war, of those who went away to war as gallant young men and came back, older than time...OR NOT AT ALL.

I AM...THE SPIRIT OF THE AMERICAN SOLDIER!


"God, hold our troops in your loving hands.
Protect them as they protect us.
Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they
perform for us in our time of need."


Ellie

MillRatUSMC
11-11-04, 01:16 AM
http://www.geocities.com/~worldwar1/default-poppies.html

In Flanders Fields...
The war to end all wars...
What happen?
7 December 1941...World War II
1950 The Korean War
1965 The Tokin Resolution...Vietnam
1991 Desert Storm
2001 Attack on us by terrorists...Enduring Freedom...Iraqi Freedom

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead, Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In remembrance of 1st. Lt. Frank S.Reasoner USMC, L/CPL Randall Kenneth Campbell USMC, PFC Carl Richard Wenzel USMC...till we meet again "In Flanders Fields...row on row...rank by rank...

Sremper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

thedrifter
11-11-04, 02:07 AM
2004 Veterans Day Message from the Secretary of Defense
American Forces Press Service

In 1834, the American patriot, Daniel Webster, told the United States Senate: "God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it."

Fortunately for America, for more than 200 years our nation always has been blessed with patriots who believed as Webster did, and who have proudly stepped forward -- ready to fight and, if necessary, to die to ensure that liberty is defended.

We have a name for these patriots -- we call them veterans. And, in their honor, America has set aside a special day each year – a day to recognize their courage and their commitment to our country, and to tell them once again of our deep appreciation for their dedicated service.

Through every conflict, in every era, they have battled tyrannies of every kind. While the names of those tyrannies have changed – from fascism to Nazism to communism -- the nature of dangers they posed to peace and freedom have all been serious.

Today freedom is again threatened -- this time by a new tyranny, the tyranny of extremism – of terrorism. And, again, patriots have stepped forward. They are there -- in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and wherever our liberty is at risk -- guarding freedom, and bringing hope to millions who once lived in fear.

To those on guard today, and to the veterans of every war on whose shoulders they stand -- the living, the departed, and the missing -- you have our deepest gratitude for your service and your sacrifice.

May God bless you all. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.

Donald H. Rumsfeld Secretary of Defense



Ellie

thedrifter
11-11-04, 02:11 AM
Happy Veterans Day

THANK YOU!

Ellie


http://home.insightbb.com/~armedforcestribute/

thedrifter
11-11-04, 02:21 AM
ON WAR AND PEACE

"It is sweet and honorable to die for your country." --Horace {} "We make war that we may live in peace." --Aristotle {} "To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." --George Washington {} "If ever there was a holy war, it was that which saved our liberties and gave us independence." --Thomas Jefferson {} "War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse." --John Stuart Mill {} "The patriot volunteer, fighting for country and his rights, makes the most reliable soldier on earth." --Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson {} "A really great people, proud and high-spirited, would face all the disasters of war rather than purchase that base prosperity which is bought at the price of national honor." --Theodore Roosevelt {} "No man can sit down and withhold his hands from the warfare against wrong and get peace from his acquiescence." --Woodrow Wilson {} "No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave." --Calvin Coolidge {} "Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of the men who follow and of the man who leads that gains the victory." --George Patton {} "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." --Sir Winston Churchill {} "[L]et us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain." --Dwight Eisenhower {} "The soldier, above all other people, prays for peace, for he must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war."

--Douglas MacArthur

Ellie

thedrifter
11-11-04, 02:21 AM
THE GIPPER

"It's been my responsibility, my duty and very much my honor to serve as Commander in Chief of this nation's Armed Forces these past eight years. That is the most sacred, most important ask of the Presidency. Since our nation's founding, the primary obligation of the national government has been the common defense of these United States. But as I have sought to perform this sacred task as best I could, I have done so with the knowledge that my role in this day-to-day-to-day effort, from sunrise to sunrise, every moment of every hour of every day of every year, is a glancing one compared to yours. ... But it's not just your fellow Americans who owe you a debt. No, I believe many more do, for I believe that military service in the Armed Forces of the United States is a profound form of service to all humankind. You stand engaged in an effort to keep America safe at home, to protect our allies and interests abroad, to keep the seas and the skies free of threat. Just as America stands as an example to the world of the inestimable benefits of freedom and democracy, so too an America with the capacity to project her power for the purpose of protecting and expanding freedom and democracy abroad benefits the suffering people of the world."

--Ronald Reagan, 1989
Ellie

thedrifter
11-11-04, 02:25 AM
HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY


Official recognition of the end of the first modern global conflict -- World War I - - was made in a concurrent resolution (44 Stat. 1982) enacted by Congress on June 4, 1926, with these words:



WHEREAS the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most

destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the

resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with

other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and



WHEREAS it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should

be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to

perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between

nations; and



WHEREAS the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already

declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by

the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That the President of the

United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to

display the flag of the United States on all Government

buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to

observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with

appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.



An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, and

the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday - - a day to be

dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be hereafter celebrated and

known as "Armistice Day. "



Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World

War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest

mobilization of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen in the Nation's

history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd

Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended

the Act of 1938 by striking out the word "Armistice" and inserting in

lieu thereof the word "Veterans. " With the approval of this legislation

(Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor

American veterans of all wars.



Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower

issued the first "Veterans Day Proclamation " which stated:



"In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this

anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire

citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this

end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as

Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include

such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will

coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the

observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and

agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the

National Committee in every way possible."



A letter from the President to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley,

Administrator of Veterans' Affairs, was sent on the same date designating

him to serve as Chairman. In 1958, the White House advised the VA's

General Counsel that there was no need for another letter of appointment

for each new Administrator, as the original proclamation in 1954

established the Committee with the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs as

Chairman.



The Uniforms Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on

June 28, 1968, and was intended to insure three-day weekends for Federal

employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays- -

Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It

was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel,

recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and

commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and

continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates. The first

Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on

October 25, 1971.







It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of

historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens,

and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public

Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of

Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978.

This action supported the express will of the overwhelming majority of

the State legislatures, all major service organizations and the American

people.



The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only

preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the

important purpose of Veterans Day: a celebration to honor America's veterans

for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for

the common good.


For P. M. Release October 8, 1954
Murray Snyder, Assistant Press Secretary To The President

THE WHITE HOUSE OFFICE

Lowery Air Force Base
Denver



In connection with the signing of the proclamation on Veterans

Day, the President today sent the following letter to the Honorable

Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans' Affairs:



Dear Mr. Higley:

I have today sighed a proclamation calling upon all of our citizens to

observe Thursday, November 11, 1954 as Veterans Day. It is my earnest

hope that all veterans, their organizations, and the entire citizenry

will join hands to insure proper and widespread observance of this day.

With the thought that it will be most helpful to coordinate the planning,

I am suggesting the formation of a Veterans Day National Committee. In

view of your great personal interest as well as your official

responsibilities, I have designated you to serve as Chairman. You may

include in the Committee membership such other persons as you desire to

select and I am requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of

the Executive branch to assist the Committee in its work in every way

possible.



I have every confidence that our Nation will respond wholeheartedly in

the appropriate observance of Veterans Day, 1954.



Sincerely,



DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER




Veterans Day, 1954

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

3071



Whereas it has long been our customs to commemorate November 11,

the anniversary of the ending of World War I, by paying tribute to the

heroes of that tragic struggle and by rededicating ourselves to the cause

of peace; and



Whereas in the intervening years the United States has been

involved in two other great military conflicts, which have added millions

of veterans living and dead to the honor rolls of this Nation; and



Whereas the Congress passed a concurrent resolution on June 4,

1926 (44 Stat. 1982), calling for the observance of November 11 with

appropriate ceremonies, and later provided in an act approved May 13,

1938 (52 Stat. 351) , that the eleventh of November should be a legal

holiday and should be known as Armistice Day; and



Whereas, in order to expand the significance of that

commemoration and in order that a grateful Nation might pay appropriate

homage to the veterans of all its wars who have contributed so much to

the preservation of this Nation, the Congress, by an act approved

June 1, 1954 (68 Stat. 168), changed the name of the holiday to Veterans

Day:



Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the

United States of America, do hereby call upon all of our citizens to

observe Thursday, November 11, 1954, as Veterans Day. On that day let

us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly,

on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage

of freedom, and let us reconsecrate ourselves to the task of promoting

an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.

I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange

for the display of the flag of the United States on all public buildings

on Veterans Day.



In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this

anniversary, all veterans, all veterans' organizations, and the entire

citizenry will wish to wish to join hands in the common purpose.

Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs

as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include

such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate

at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also

requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive

branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way

possible.



IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the

al of the United States of America to be affixed.



Done at the City of Washington this eighth day of October in the

Year of our Lord nineteen

hundred and fifty-four, and

of the Independence of the

(SEAL) United States of America the

one hundred and seventy-ninth.



DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER



By the President:



JOHN FOSTER DULLES
Secretary of States.


Ellie

DSchmitke
11-11-04, 05:03 AM
Happy Veterans Day Everyone.......

thedrifter
11-11-04, 06:31 AM
Golden Corral's Fourth Annual


2004 Military Appreciation Monday

Free dinner to our nation's military, past and present
To show our thanks
Monday Night November 15, 2004 from 5-9PM

Veterans' Day honors our military personnel, past and present, for their
willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good. All 400+ Golden
Corral restaurants spanning 39 states join together once again to offer
these patriots a Free "Thank-you" Dinner Buffet on Monday Night November
15th from 5-9PM.

The offer is based on the honor system, no ID required; members of U.S.
Reserves and National Guard are included in this special recognition
offer.

Once again the Disabled American Veterans Organization with 2.3 million
disabled veterans, their families and survivors, will have members in
the restaurants to distribute literature, sign up new members and
volunteers, and accept donations in support of the DAV.

An estimated 252,000 veterans attended last year helping this event
raise over $241,000 for the DAV.

http://goldencorral.com/PromoSpec.htm

--


Ellie

thedrifter
11-11-04, 07:50 AM
Generations of Heroes


Marshall Manson
November 10, 2004

In every generation, America has been graced with heroes who have gone to war to protect our freedom and defend our ideals. These heroes have worn all colors of uniforms - Army green, Marine Corps khaki, Air Force and Navy blue. But no matter the color of their uniform or the manner of their service, they've always been there, under the Stars and Stripes, fighting America's battles.

On Veterans Day, we celebrate our generations of military heroes.

In a perfect world, Veterans Day would be one of our most important holidays, and we would use it to build and expand a profound understanding of what our heroes have done for us and our nation while expressing our infinite gratitude for their sacrifice.

Make no mistake. They all sacrificed. Whether it was extended separation from loved ones and home or surviving combat or surrendering their very lives, they all gave of themselves for the rest of us.

Renowned war correspondent Joe Galloway - who has spent more time in combat than most generals - captures our heroes' sacrifice in his description of the troops who survived a two-day battle in the Ia Drang Valley of Vietnam in 1965:

"Our young-old faces, chiseled and gaunt from the fever and the heat and the sleepless nights, now stare back at us, lost and damned strangers, frozen in yellowing snapshots packed away in cardboard boxes with medals and ribbons."

Yet sadly, in some ways, Veterans Day has become a second-rate holiday. Most of us don't have the occasion thrust under our noses by virtue of a day off. And, even if we did, taking the time to remember and honor our veterans isn't the way most of us would choose to spend our leisure time. That's unfortunate, and we need to do better.

How can we honor our generations of heroes? First, we can listen, and we can learn. Seek out a veteran. Take time. Sit still. Open your ears, your heart and your mind. Say, "thank you."

If you can't find a veteran, open a book. Though you can't succeed, do your best to understand. Let their experiences seep into you. Even a small step toward understanding will make it impossible to discount their sacrifice or forget what they have done.

Make sure our children understand why our veterans are also our heroes. And help the children learn to value the nation and the ideals that so many have given their lives to protect.

Historian Stephen Ambrose captured all of this in his account of World War II combat in Western Europe:

"At the core, the American citizen soldiers knew the difference between right and wrong, and they didn't want to live in a world in which wrong prevailed. So they fought, and won, and we all of us, living and yet to be born, must be forever profoundly grateful."

Now more than ever, at a time when our nation is locked in a new battle between right and wrong, between freedom and terror, it is incumbent on those of us who have not marched into battle to do our part - to celebrate our heroes, and the generations of heroes that have come before.

Veterans Day provides the perfect opportunity.

Marshal Manson is the Vice President of Public Affairs at the Center for Individual Freedom. Contact him at mmanson@cfif.org.


Ellie

MillRatUSMC
11-11-04, 07:51 AM
http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=2550550

Some won't be airing or honoring the veterans or World War II by not airing "Saving PVT Ryan" because of the violence and language.
Steven Speiberg won't allow for changes in content of the movie.
The graphical content is what gives meaning to the movie.
Do we now want everything to be PC.
As for the lanuage, that what men at war use and have done so for as long as there's been humans.
Speilberg shows both sides of humanity, which are present in every war.
It's a sad day in 2004, but the FCC stands on it's morals standards because of events in the past.
We hold to standards, where some have no standards and I would tell the FCC that many young people old enough to go to school have heard worst lanuage...

Semper Fidelis/Semper Fi
Ricardo

OLE SARG
11-11-04, 09:29 AM
Everyone have a wonderful Veterans Day!!!!!!!!!

God Bless all our military (past and present)]

SEMPER FI

OLE SARG

tatted1
11-11-04, 10:08 AM
Happy Veterans Day everyone.

gwladgarwr
11-11-04, 10:53 AM
To: 'netaudr@abc.com'; 'tomhanks00@yahoo.com'; 'webmaster@vhf.org' (The Shoah Foundation): <br />
<br />
In response to the Iowa ABC affiliate's preempting of the screening of Saving Private Ryan on November 11...

thedrifter
11-11-04, 03:16 PM
Where Do We Find Such Men?



Mackubin Thomas Owens
National Review Online
Nov. 11, 2004

It is fitting that, as Marines and soldiers are currently locked in a death struggle with terrorists in Fallujah, we should reflect on the meaning of two dates in November. November 10, 2004, was the 229 birthday of the United States Marine Corps. And November 11, 2004, is Veterans Day. During the recent presidential campaign, John Kerry spoke often of his "band of brothers." When they heard this reference, most Americans probably thought Kerry had taken it from the Stephen Ambrose book and HBO TV series, Band of Brothers. But Ambrose himself took it from the Saint Crispin's Day speech of Shakespeare's Henry V.

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

In his birthday message to Marines this year, the Commandant, Gen. Mike Hagee, related a story about a Marine who had been wounded in Iraq earlier this year. A squad leader, he refused evacuation until he finally passed out from a loss of blood. When he woke up in an Army hospital in Germany, he talked the staff into releasing him. He borrowed some utilities from a Navy corpsman and then talked his way aboard an Air Force transport that was flying back to Iraq. But before boarding the plane, he called his wife to tell her that he was O.K. but that he wouldn't be home because the Marines in his squad needed him. As the old question goes, where do we find such men?

The truth is that we find them all the time. My father was a Marine who fought and was wounded in the Pacific during World War II. Marine Sgt. John Basilone, a contemporary of my dad, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on Guadalcanal. Though he was not obligated to do so, he insisted on returning to combat and was killed on the first day of the struggle for Iwo Jima. Where do we find such men?

The struggle for Fallujah puts me in mind of my own band of brothers: the Marine rifle platoon that I led in Vietnam from September 1968 until May 1969. The men of that platoon would all have preferred to be somewhere other than Vietnam's northern Quang Tri Province, but they were doing their duty as the understood it. In those days, men built their lives around their military obligation, and if a war happened on their watch, fighting was part of the obligation. But there is one Marine who stands out in my memory: Corporal Larry Boyer.

The fact is that Corporal Boyer went far beyond the call of duty. At a time when college enrollment was a sure way to avoid military service and a tour in Vietnam, Corporal Boyer, despite excellent grades, quit, enlisted in the Marines, and volunteered to go to Vietnam as an infantryman. Because of his high aptitude-test scores, the Marine Corps sent him to communications-electronics school instead. But Corporal Boyer kept "requesting mast," insisting that he had joined the Marines to fight in Vietnam. He got his wish, and on May 29, 1969, while serving as one of my squad leaders, he gave the "last full measure of devotion" to his country and comrades. Where do we fid such men?

Larry Boyer was an only child. I corresponded with his mother for some time after his death. Her inconsolable pain and grief put me in mind of Rudyard Kipling's poem, Epitaphs of the War, verse IV, "An Only Son:" "I have slain none but my mother, She (Blessing her slayer) died of grief for me." Kipling too, lost his only son in World War I.

Unfortunately, Larry Boyer did not get to enjoy the fruits of being a veteran as described by another Marine with whom I had the pleasure to serve. Master Gunnery Sergeant Rogers was one of the most remarkable Marines I ever knew. He was a "Montford Point Marine," named after the base in North Carolina where African-Americans who enlisted during World War II and served in all-black units in the segregated Marine Corps of the era, mostly in combat-service support jobs, were trained. One of his first assignments was to help transport the bodies of dead Marines back across the beaches of Okinawa during the ferocious battle for that island in 1945. As distasteful as his early experiences may have been, he persevered; the Marines were the first service to integrate in the early 1950s, and Master Gunny Rogers had a long and distinguished career in the Marine Corps, lasting well into the 1970s.

If Master Gunny Rogers was bitter about his early years in the Corps, he never said so. What he did say is pertinent to the observation of Veterans Day: "There is nothing sweeter than to be an old man who has fought for his country."

So pray for our servicemen in Fallujah today and for the souls of those who have given the last full measure. May they rest in peace. Happy birthday, Marines. Semper fi. And to all veterans, God bless you and thank you for your service. And may you live long, sweet lives.

Mackubin Thomas Owens is an associate dean of academics and professor of national-security affairs at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.


Ellie

thedrifter
11-12-04, 07:17 AM
11-11-2004

Some Veterans I Have Known



By Ray Starmann



Their Names Liveth For Evermore – Rudyard Kipling



They are around us everyday. We may not know who they are, or what they did, or when they did it. Nevertheless, they are with us in body and in spirit. They are the old man with a cane who struggles to cross a street, but who once stormed the ash-laden hills of Iwo Jima. They are the janitor with a distant stare who won a Bronze Star at a place called Hue. They are the mailman who fought the Republican Guard and the salesman who raced to the gates of Baghdad.



They are heroes, all of them. They are our veterans. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much their actions have influenced all of us. They are larger than life figures, even though, none of them ever wanted to be anything more than a regular guy.



These are some of the vets I’ve had the honor of knowing:



When I was a young boy, my father and I would go flying with a man named Brock. In 1975, Brock flew a Cessna, but thirty years before, he had been at the controls of a Marine Corps F4U Corsair. On our weekend flights over Northern Illinois, Brock, a normally talkative man, would grow silent as his plane traced the shoreline of Lake Michigan. He seemed to be lost in times past. For him, the great lake was now the Solomon Sea and the forests of Lake County were the dense jungles of Rabaul. He was always scanning the sky, perhaps for a ghostlike Zero fighter.



Another friend was a man called Chick. I always thought Chick was a little quirky. He had a nervous tick and he would sometimes mumble to himself. My father explained to me that Chick had been shot down over Germany and he had never completely recovered from his three years in a POW camp. Chick always knew he was a little strange, but to me he was a real-life Steve McQueen, who related countless tales of escape attempts from the goons.



I still have a gold Omega watch that was given to me by a family friend, Ernie.

Ernie was a thin, ramrod straight man who had been an aide to Admiral Raymond Spruance during the Battle of Midway. He had a natural story-telling ability and as a young boy listening to him, I felt like I was at Midway myself.



Then there was Father John Beall. Beall taught Latin at the Jesuit high school I attended. Nicknamed “John Wayne” by students a generation before, Beall was six feet four inches and 200 pounds of sheer terror. I once saw him knock a student unconscious during a cafeteria food fight. Before his teaching days, Beall had been a Marine and had participated in the island-hopping campaign across the South Pacific. As a young student I once asked him why he chose the priesthood. His response, “Because I killed too many Japs in the Big One.”



The complete and utter opposite of John Beall was a grocery clerk named Peter.

Peter was a quiet, fastidious, almost timid man who wore a black glove over his artificial hand. The neighborhood kids thought this made him some type of circus freak and would sometimes mock him in the store. Peter would just stare at them and smile. I later learned that Peter was no ordinary bagboy. As a young man in World War II, Peter had been one of the first U.S. soldiers to liberate the German concentration camp, Dachau. He had also lost his hand during fighting several days later.



My Uncle Dick, a Special Forces officer served with the original Project Delta in 1969. I still have a letter he sent me from Vietnam. Writing to a four-year-old, he described his time there as a combination of Indiana Jones and Hatari. In actuality, he had one of the most dangerous jobs of the war. Today, he speaks in hushed tones or not all about his service. This silent hero left Southeast Asia with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.



And, finally, there is Otto. Otto was an honorable man on the wrong side, the father of my German landlord who spent his retirement years in a tidy basement apartment. In 1941, he had been a machine gunner with the Wehrmacht’s 26th Infantry Division in Russia. His stories of that terrible winter of 1941 still send shivers through me. When asked how he survived the Russian Front, Otto’s eyes would grow misty. Wounded in Russia, Otto later fought in the Battle of the Bulge, where he was captured by American troops near Bastogne. Before we departed for the Persian Gulf in December of 1990, Otto lectured my friends and me on the art of staying alive in combat. How ironic it was. Our former enemy, worried about our survival.



Most of these men are now dead. But, like all vets, their names liveth for evermore.



Ray Starmann is a Contributing Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at thrillerwriter39@verizon.net. Send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

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Ellie

thedrifter
11-12-04, 07:17 AM
11-11-2004

Veterans Day 2004





By Ralf W. Zimmermann



With Veterans Day upon us, I have been contemplating the stakes in the war in Iraq.



The reality is that over 1,100 troops have been killed, while the wounded range somewhere between 5,000 and 15,000. To disguise the casualty truth, the government bureaucrats count their numbers separately for Afghanistan, Iraq, the Army and the Marines. Right or wrong figures, you instinctively know that things aren’t going well when you have a news blackout on flag-draped coffins and the VA is frightened about the influx of more casualties.



Iraqi hatred against Americans is still on the rise, even before the ongoing assault on Fallujah. It’s driven by high numbers of innocent civilian casualties from enemy car bombs and overwhelming U.S. firepower in response to increasing guerilla activity. Face it – a 500- pound bomb isn’t really a precision or surgical weapon when dropped on a house inside a city block.



I’ve been a soldier who wanted to come home in one piece. You’re quick on the trigger – you have to be. But when you’re looking for the black pajama guerilla, you don’t want to become a recruiter for Al Zarqawi and company by default. Every time you bust open the wrong doors and violate innocent families, Zarqawi and other radical freaks score new signups for their suicide bomber academies.



The pool of America’s enemies is bigger than just Zarqawi and Al Sadr. Inside Iraq, you still have large numbers of desperate foremr regime troops. Sure, we forced Saddam’s army to disband, but we blatantly failed to isolate the hardcore fanatics and we didn’t immediately enlist screened anti-Saddam troops to police their own people under supervision.



Bringing these disillusioned troops into the democratic fold to support a weak U.S. puppet government is now a mighty big challenge. It’s no wonder that many Iraqi National Guard troops we thought were our buddies have already deserted. Our troops can’t trust them! They like the paycheck but despise America and Iraq’s ruling puppet elite.



Additional enemies are still infiltrating the borders of Syria, Iran and Jordan. The battlefield isn’t as isolated as the official briefings tell us. A while ago, it stunned me to hear American commanders complain about terrorists coming in from everywhere, while at the same time we turned the Iran border over to the Iraqis. How is that keeping bad guys out?



Yet, our overstretched grunts aren’t failing. They are doing the best they can, given a mission that is open-ended – for up to fifteen years. And the mission remains as hazardous as on day one. But truthfully, even newsworthy counteroffensives against fanatical strongholds and painting a few schools have not changed the Iraqi political climate – or won the peace.



The dilemma: Iraq has become a test of our national pride and international credibility. We can’t just pack up and leave.



The fact is that Iraq will never be regarded as a victory unless we make it fully functional again. That requires more human sacrifice and substantial long-term expenditures, including providing all the gear to protect our troops’ lives and limbs.



As we seek a political solution and the fight continues, Americans mustn’t ignore our returning vets. They are soldiers and fellow citizens and probably have left a piece of themselves on a foreign battlefield, like generations before them.



Today, on Veterans Day 2004, we should remind us that war isn’t a football game. Wars are fought with real people! They bleed, die and often need society’s help to cope with life after combat.



So, if you go to a parade, don’t just utter empty patriotic slogans. Go, meet a vet in person – shake his or her hand. Talk and listen to them, maybe even over a beer or lunch. It’s the best acknowledgement that you care.



On Veterans Day, I fully embrace true warriors of all nations. Many probably believed that they sacrificed for a worthy cause, while becoming the pawns of governments that wouldn’t find a political solution or give peace just one more chance.



I wish and pray that America remains better than that!



DefenseWatch contributor 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
11-12-04, 07:18 AM
11-11-2004

Veterans Day Spelled Out





By Matthew Dodd



Inspired by current national and international events, and by a reader’s recent e-mail, I decided to share with you my reflections on what this Veterans Day means to me.



VERY LUCKY: Our great country is very lucky to have such a large and proud veterans community. Many veterans will tell you that they are very lucky to be alive after experiencing first-hand the horrors of war. Our current generation of warriors is very lucky to have had veterans “show them the way” and very lucky to have the veterans’ prayers and support as they go into harm’s way to make the world a better place and to help make our great country safer.



EXTREMELY LOYAL: Veterans and their families are national treasures. We must always honor their service and their sacrifices. Be extremely loyal to our veterans and their families in the same ways that they have been extremely loyal to our country and our way of life.



TRUSTWORTHY: Veterans have proven they are worthy of our trust, often under the harshest of conditions. I pray that our citizens and our national leaders will continue to be worthy of our veterans’ trust.



ENDURING FREEDOM: Besides being the codename for our initial operations in the global war on terrorism following the 9/11 attacks on our country, enduring freedom is the gift we, as Americans, enjoy every day because of the priceless efforts of our veterans.



REMEMBER: Not just on Veterans Day, but each and every day, remember to say prayers for the countless families who cannot forget their loved ones who served their country and never got to experience Veterans Day as a veteran.



ANOTHER HOLIDAY: How sad, and truly tragic it would be if we ever let this special day, Veterans Day – a day to honor and remember those brave and selfless men and women who have done so much for us – become just another holiday on the calendar. The day we forget our past is the day we give up our future.



NOTHING BUT THE BEST: I bet most veterans would be content with “nothing special.” After all, I bet most would tell you that they were just doing their jobs, just like everyone else. Many are probably a bit uncomfortable having any extra attention placed on them on any day. The veterans I have known and still know are almost humble to a fault. To me, they deserve nothing but the very best we have to offer them in our thoughts, words, and deeds.



SEMPER FIDELIS: With Marines fighting hard in Fallujah, Iraq to help bring freedom to millions of oppressed people, and with the 229th birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps a day before Veterans Day, I am reminded of the U.S. Marine Corps motto, “Semper Fidelis,” which is latin for “always faithful.” May the citizens of this great land be semper fidelis to our past, current, and future veterans.



Now you know what Veterans Day 2004 means to me. Happy Veterans Day, America!



Lt. Col. Matthew Dodd USMC is a Senior Editor of DefenseWatch. He can be reached at mattdodd1775@hotmail.com.

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Ellie