Memorial Day

[garyde]

I want to say 'Thank you' to all of the Veterans we have here on POG. Here's hoping everyone enjoys the holiday with their loved ones. Keep our men and women in the Armed Service in your prayers.

[merle&louise]

I would also like to mention a big "Thank You" to all veterans in POG also. Enjoy the holiday and may God bless this wonderful country that we live in. I for one am very thankful for all that we are blessed with.

[rfoster]

Gary: Well said --and I will Second the Motion.

[GSwaim]

As a retire service member of the US Navy, I think you are right on the mark with this thread.

As we all know but sometimes take for granted, the freedoms we enjoy aren't free. Someone has to pick up a rifle and go into harms way to preserve our most cherished right. I've been there and it ain't fun!

God Bless our American fighting force and may they come home alive and well recieved.

Gary Swaim
USN, retired

[ajducote]

Thanks for everyones thoughts about our service members. The men and women currently serving deserve our thanks and respect for the incredibly difficult job that have in today's environment.
For all those who have come before them and especially all those who did not return, I know the country recognizes and appreciates what we all have today due to the sacrifices of ALL our service members.

I served for 20 years in the Air Force and I feel like that was easy compared to what today's military has to deal with.
I hope they all come home safe.

Andre
USAF MSgt (RET)

[LarryB]

God Bless our Military--they are doing a great job inspite of the current political climate. Thanks to those that have served---your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[Sid Tuls]

May God continue to Bless the USA even if some of the people have asked Him to leave. This Great Nation was still built on our belief in Him. God Bless our troops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sawdust_128]

Thank God we have fellow countrymen who have made this observation possible. They are the folks who "go somewhither as hard as ever you (they) can". May they all stay safe and thank you to all.



Excerpt from
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
"In Our Youth Our Hearts Were Touched With Fire"


"So to the indifferent inquirer who asks why Memorial Day is still kept up we may answer, it celebrates and solemnly reaffirms from year to year a national act of enthusiasm and faith. It embodies in the most impressive form our belief that to act with enthusiam and faith is the condition of acting greatly. To fight out a war, you must believe something and want something with all your might. So must you do to carry anything else to an end worth reaching. More than that, you must be willing to commit yourself to a course, perhpas a long and hard one, without being able to foresee exactly where you will come out. All that is required of you is that you should go somewhither as hard as ever you can. The rest belongs to fate. One may fall-at the beginning of the charge or at the top of the earthworks; but in no other way can he reach the rewards of victory."

[phorner]

Very, very nice Memorial Day service this morning at the UDT Seal Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. This facility is on it's way to becoming the National Seal Museum. If you have the opportunity to visit this museum, it is well worth the stop.

May God bless our troops.

[rmboies]

This is a good opportunity to remind everyone of the various programs out there that offer a way for soldiers to keep in touch with those of us back home. I "adopted" a soldier from the "My Soldier" program three years ago and when Paul returned, he and his family, along with their dog, came and stayed with us on the farm for 5 days. He brought me a flag that he flew in Bagdad on their compound on 9-11....it has a place of honor in our house and we are forever grateful to the men and women who serve our country. Another friend of mine sent me this today as well, lest we forget that many branches of the service which includes the Military Working Dogs....

"A noble Doberman pinscher represents hundreds of heroic war dogs that served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Although most were Doberman pinschers, German shepherds, Labrador retrievers and occasionally, a collie served during the war as sentries, messengers, and scouts. But they also served other roles to the Marines who served with them...devoted friend, confidant, trusted companion.
The War Dog Memorial, an exact replica of the official memorial in Guam, was donated to the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine by Dr. Maurice Acree July 17, 1998. It honors not only the war dogs, but symbolizes the special connection people share with dogs."

[parksincpp]

Thank you for your service all POG vets. God bless the USA.

[Joe Camper]

To all current and old soldiers have a great Veterans Day.

Put your feet up and have an extra piece of pie.

Never forget those who went never to come back.

Happy birthday USMC Semper Fi

[Gil_J]

Thanks Joe! I may have to pass on the extra pie.

Let's never forget those that never returned. I was fortunate enough to have served one of the longest combat-free eras in US history. Diplomacy and the fear that the two world superpowers should never engage one another kept peace, at least for the US.

Air Force 1975 - 1995

[GoneCrazy]

Thank You to all who have served and all who are currently in service.

[Pete]

May God Bless those lives lost and their families. I was fortunate to see many of the U. S. cemeteries in Europe, and they are breathtaking. It is hard to understand just how many heroes we lost when you are standing at the entrance looking over one of these cemeteries with the vast number of grave markers. The one in Carthage, North Africa, in the middle of the desert, stands out in my mind. The green grass was beautifully maintained and there were a sea of headstones marking the graves of our soldiers who paid the ultimate price. May God bless the USA and those who serve in our military.