"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
John F. Kennedy
"And they who for their country die
shall fill an honored grave,
for glory lights the soldier's tomb,
and beauty weeps the brave."
Joseph Drake
"And each man stand with his face in the light of his own drawn sword.
Ready to do what a hero can."
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"It doesn't take a hero to order men into battle.
It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle."
Norman Schwarzkopf
Norman Schwarzkopf
"We must be prepared to make heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace
that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war."
Albert Einstein
"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them,
glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it."
Thucydides
Thucydides
Thank you to all who have served and to those who sacrificed for the sake of our freedom.
My husband sent me a link to an email that included photos of every US military cemetery in Europe, many, totaling well over 100,000 of our service men who died in Europe.These cemeteries are absolutely gorgeous, so well-kept in reverance.
ReplyDeleteA quote from Charles DeGalle to Gen. Eisenhower:Take your men and leave our country. Eisenhower...yes, it will take some time, but we will leave. But remember, because of the US military, you can continue to speak French instead of German.
I love that.
Such arrogance on the part of the French. They have never been grateful.
Remember? Memorial Day used to be called Decoration Day. People decorated graves of fallen servicement with flowers, etc. And we bought the red paper poppy for a dime to wear in honor of those who died.
Thanks, Rebecca. We all have memories.
Celia, you are so right about the French. My husband said when he was in the Navy that they were known as the "whore of the world" because they just jump in on whoever's side is winning. No loyalty and NO appreciation. When I worked at the museum, after a while, you get to where you can tell where a person is from just by their attitude, 9 times out of 10. We could always pick out the French and Germans when they walked in the door. But luckily, one of the other guys I worked with was married to a German woman and spoke fluent German, so we always pointed them in his direction. LOL (He loved it.) The French? What can I say but, "MON DIEU!" LOL
DeleteMy mom used to call it Decoration Day. My grandmother's sister who was crippled by polio, sold those poppies every year (she worked for an insurance company and everyone knew her--I bet she sold a ton of those!) and I remember my mom bending down and pinning one onto my shirt when I was about 5 or so. Someone said they still sell them, but I don't know where.
Rebecca, thanks so much for this post to remind us all what Memorial Day is truly all about! My husband is a Viet Nam vet and I have an uncle who fought in Korea. He is in his mid-80's now and his memory is fading but he always talked about how the Korean War vets were forgotten. Seems these days, our country treats our veterans so shamefully--closing vet centers and getting some of the worst care out there for the ones that are still open. It is a disgrace.
ReplyDeleteCheryl