Have A Safe and Thougtful Memorial Day!

Honor those you gave there all for us. Honor the ones who are serving. Honor our great country and be proud.
All have a safe and blessed Memorial Day.

David
 
Thank you, but I hate to rain on your parade, but, a lot of this is BS, sorry I must tell the truth, about 90% of the we must honor the veterans is just that, BS. I honor the veterans that came before me, and especially the folks that gave it all, I went to the veterans cemetery today, and I prayed, I remembered my fallen comrades, but the average American could really care less, sorry it is just reality. Too proof my point, every where I went today..Walmart, Gas station, even the PX on base, I made a point of telling people I was a retire Navy veteran, nothing, not one person..thank you for your service, thank you for serving, nothing...I guess on Memorial day if your not dead, it just don't count, so my take away, folks love to say the politically correct thing, but when faced with a honest to goodness real life veteran, they could care less, they do nothing, just another old guy in there way, excuse me your in the way of me honoring the dead, so disheartening...you know just because a veteran didn't dye, doesn't mean he/she didn't give it their all, they deserve some attention too, and I think folks forget that...please don't bombard me with thanks you's that is not what this post is about, it is just a reminder, that the living need to be honored too...do some thing for a veteran today..please...I hate to be blunt, but there are a lot of veterans who carry survivors guilt, and today is the day it peaks...the living deserve to be praised every bit as must as the dead....I re-read this several times now, and I really thought hard about if I need to post this, if it pisses folks off so be it, but I stand by my comments, sorry, but it needs to be said...talk is cheap, action speaks volumes ...
 
Mark, thank you for your service but that is something I am daily thankful for and it also has its own holiday. Veteran's Day is the day set aside to honor those who serve and have served. It should be on the lips of every person that sees you and other veterans - Anyone in uniform or wearing a cap signifying their service, etc. receives that thanks from me and my immense respect and I wish more people would take the time to do so.

Memorial day started as Decoration Day to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers of the Civil war. It was never about living veterans and still isn't. You are correct, on Memorial Day if you are not dead it does not count.

You bring up an extremely valuable point and that is of survivor guilt and as such you won't hear me saying Happy Memorial day but instead as Dave did when he started this thread so well with have a thoughtful day. Many combat veterans have a difficult time today wondering why they came home and their friends did not. God bless them all.

So - to all veterans I say thank you for your service not because today is Memorial Day but because I appreciate you from the bottom of my heart and today in honor of Memorial Day today I pause to remember those that didn't make it while fighting for their countrymen.

If you would like to read further about the history of the two holidays there is some good information here:
http://www.npr.org/2017/05/28/530504781/words-youll-hear-memorial-day-dos-and-donts
 
Mark if I were to think of how others think I feel I wpuld be disrespectful to all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I've only missed a few rolling Thunders of the 30. And I've talked to hundreds of that who have nothing but respect for all those who have served and have died. Many of which who choose to remain solemn on this day. I choose to stand in support and talk with those who also stand. There is nothing more greater than to remember and honor those who have died.
 
Mark, I'm not sure just what to tell you. All I know is that folks here thank the veteran's retired or not all the time. I don't wear anything saying USMC or Marines and folks ask me all the time if I was a Marine. I tell them yes, for 26 years, and they thank me. Maybe I look like a Marine, I don't know. Texas puts a lot of money into the veteran's, whether it's the VA or other programs. I am sure it's the same with other states, but not all. I know a guy who moved to Colorado and said the VA care there was nothing like in Texas. Not bragging, just stating what was told to me by others. Yes, folks thank me quite often and I tell them thank you. But, I don't run around expecting them to do that either. The Marines was my career for most of my adult life. It was that because of the choices I made, no one else. So, seeing it was technically a job and I was paid for doing that job, I don't expect praise from the public. There were times the job was bad but that's what we were paid for. When we would go into a firefight, we commonly used the term "Let's Get To Work". It was our job. War was our job when the time called for war. Peace was our job when the time called for peace. Period. That is what the American Fighting Man is about. Think whatever your want to think. You are free to do so because of folks who did for a living what you and I did.
 
Just my two cents...

I'm too young to have served in Vietnam and too old to have gone to the desert. I'm just some long-haired hippie-looking guy. Despite my appearance, I make it a point to thank veterans quite often. But Robert is right...Memorial Day is geared more toward honoring those who've passed, not those who remain. (In my humble opinion, we shouldn't need a special day to do that. It should happen all the time.)

That said, I think it's sad that Memorial Day has become more of a time for partying, vacations, and retail sales than it is to honor veterans, living or dead.
 
I'd suggest if any of you have not visited the wall or the other memorials on the eve of Memorial day you may someday do so. It's a humbling experience.

I've gone to the Liberty Memorial (WW1 memorial/musuem) in years past here in KC. Veterans from that war have all past, but the event is still is a moving sight to see of those that are honoring/remembering them. I hope to get up to see the memorials in DC some day soon.
 
Vaughn, you are so right. It is sad. Some mental midgets will use anything as an excuse to party and pop fireworks. And to me that's what they are; mental midgets. Their brain housing groups are not fully engaged. I do really hate fireworks on any occasion. Makes me mad, scares my two rescued dogs out of their minds, and upsets the wildlife that I try hard to take care of. The deer are the ones that get really upset. Anyway, time for me to drink some hard stuff. Dr. Pepper, on ice. Not shaken or stirred.
 
OK. Me calm. Guess it's sorta related to PTSD. I've caught two bullets and one was a head shot, so I guess loud crap bothers me. But, I do like thunderstorms. Those for some reason calm me. Guess I have some weirdness about me on that.
 
I guess I'm different on this subject... I am a veteran also, although only a 4 year vet between wars just before Vietnam ... I joined right out of high school ... I wanted to choose how I served plus the draft was going strong and if you couldn't get a college deferment, draft was certain. I was vacillating between the marines and navy and the navy recruiter showed up first... actually came to my house and gave me my recruitment exam in my living room.

I observe both Memorial Day and Veterans Day for what they are, but don't get uptight if no one acknowledges my service.. Much like my role as a father, it was my duty and was what needed to be done, I was only doing what was needed of me.

I do hate that it has been turned in a marketing ploy and most people now think of most holidays in terms of shopping and/or partying, but it is what it is, so no need for me to get stressed about it.
 
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