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Subscribe to RSSI have veterans in my family, do you? How do they feel about the holiday?
Amy Sancetta / AP
The sun rises behind a statue posed in salute at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery in Rittman, Ohio on Nov. 10.
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So proud of the Marines and even prouder because my son is graduating from Parris Island on Friday! ooh! rah!!
I "Honor you" for such a magnificent Photo for we Veterans. Thanks, that helped my Veterans Day ;)
Everyone serving in the military wears "hero" to me.
as a veteran myself, I think it's fantastic!
A soldier next to a chapel saluting a new day . What a special moment. For the bird on the other side of the pond, it is just another day.This photo says so much.
Don't forget to thank every veteran you meet tomorrow. They deserve our respect!!
From a Veteran, thank you all for your support. Specially those of you that go to the airports and recieve our Service Members while on R&R.
This Soldier, Mine
He stands tall and at attention,
He salutes the flag with pride.
In youth he marches off to war,
His conscience is his guide;
This soldier, mine.
He wraps and binds the wounded
Of the war so unforgiving.
He drags his buddies from the fields
Amid the blazing heavens,
This soldier, mine.
He runs against the battle
Midst the danger and the din,
He finds the torn and bleeding
Making sure they're all brought in;
This soldier, mine.
He comes home to men now living
In a world full of contempt
Toward the war that he had fought in,
Where in danger he had slept;
This soldier, mine.
Again, he strove to conquer,
To perfect what he'd begun.
He rose above the average,
Now shows others how it's done;
This soldier, mine.
Through midlife he raised his children
Boldly sending them to school,
Buried his life's helper,
Her memory his jewel,
This soldier, mine.
He's conquered hurt and sorrow,
Lived his life among the hills
Of West Virginia's country
Where I found him. My heart thrills;
This soldier, mine.
He holds me close beside him.
The parade will soon pass by.
The veterans are marching,
The raised flag is flying nigh
This soldier, mine.
The two of us are standing
Near the curb along the street.
He salutes in rapt attention
Squeezing tears to be discreet;
This soldier, mine.
Then, people all start standing
Hands on hearts, in full salute.
Again, he's served his country
By example so astute-
This soldier, mine.
copyright Mavis Holt
As a veteran myself thank you all God Bless. Your all heros and have my respect!
God bless all who serve. The ability to serve is a mark of honor in itself. Thank you.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVELY POEM! I hope you don't mind, but I sent it to all my veterans & their families on my email list.
And I might also add that not only is the ability to serve an honor in itself, but also a mark of character!
We glorify war too much and send too many of our young to the cemeteries.
If I had my way, the old men who start the wars would be the first to go, followed by their families.
I think Jimmy Stewart summed it all up in 'Shenandoah' - - "It's like all wars, I guess. The undertakers are winning. And the politicians who talk about the glory of it. And the old men who talk about the need of it. And the soldiers, well, they just wanna go home."
I don't think any war demonstrates the utter stupidy and waste than Viet-Nam did. In 1965, while there were only half a thousand American dead... President Johnson spoke of the vital need to stay the course in Viet-Nam... To leave would be to invite aggression elsewhere. So... we stayed and the casualty lists grew to half a hundred thousand and more.
Today, American Presidents pose to have their picture taken under the watchful gaze of Uncle Ho and American corporations build factories in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese naval officers are wined and dined aboard American naval vessels and we look to enlist Viet-Nam as our "ally" against their former "ally"... red china. And in a thousand quiet cemeteries... sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and widows of the American ded in the Viet-Nam War gaze at the marble headstones and dare not ask themselves... "Why?"
"We should never go to war unless to defend our homes or the Bill of Rights. Anything else is a racket." - Marine General Smedley Butler (Holder of two Congressional Medals of Honor)
General,
Your words are insightful. From one vet to another, thank you for sharing. Hopefully our successors will view things as you do.
I served in Viet Nam and I am not proud to be a veteran of that very stupid war which left 60,000 American soldiers (mostly draftees) dead. The obective (yes this war did have an objective where I still don't know what the objective is on the 2 wars the U.S. is currently wagering) was to keep the communist Viet Cong from invading the south. Well we all know what happened in July 1975..What a waste of life.
Thank You anyway, John55fan; it was MY war too!
Thank you not only for your truth, but for your eloquence in saying it. That quote brought tears to my eyes; it was the 1st. movie my husband & I ever saw together- during the summer of '65 at college. It holds a revered place in our household & we've always felt that it was grossly overlooked as one of Stewart's best. Little did we & a gang of friends who also went with us know then how drastically our lives would be changed so soon.
P.S. Liked the "blessing" he gave also. More TRUTH!
#1 Sharon: I also am so proud of your son. OOH Rah! On that day, you will become a "Marine Mom." And like the Marines themselves, it will change your life & the life of your son! I hope you wrote him lots of letters in Basic; I wrote 90 letters in 90 days & even though I knew he's catch "something" for it ( It's a D.I.'s Duty to Nail them on whatever they can-lol), he told me it made a BIG difference.
Your support will not be only of your son, but of our beloved country. May our Flag ALWAYS wave as proudly as WE know it MUST!
CHEERS!
"FORMER MARINE MOM"
P.S. AND NEVER FORGET THAT YOU ARE never AN "EX" MARINE MOM; YOU, LIKE ME, WILL BECOME A "FORMER MARINE MOM."
As someone who has had a family member or 2 or more, in every war for America, and many abroad, veterans day is important. I was disturbed by the absence of the comander in chief at the laying of the wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier for the second time. As an eqaul rights activist, I cried when a black man was elected president . I am becoming disappointed,and disillusioned. God bless America.
It is sad to me to think that only a few days each year, people take the time to remember veterans, when everyday of our lives is because of them! Veterans have all sarcificed their lives, their families, their dreams to make sure that mine and yours can come true. They have suffered pain and losses in order for Americans to be able to go to McDonalds and be safe. How selfish and disrespectful Americans can be especially when they didnt fight for their freedom! Thank you to every single veteran for making my life and billions of others so special and free! I hope that everyday, a veteran is thanked and that we all take time to remember!