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Post by nikeajax on Nov 11, 2014 8:35:21 GMT -8
Armistice Day as it used to be called here is a day to remember those who gave in, AHEM, "The War to end all WARS..." but now we call it Veterans Day, because people never remember the actual cost of belligerence toward others. It used to be a tradition to plant blood red poppies to symbolize the spilled blood... It's still called Armistice Day in other parts of the world... Jaybird
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 11, 2014 9:55:06 GMT -8
I've always liked these lyrics from a song by Big Country:
"Where The Rose Is Sown"
We're at war, All the papers say We will win, I read today We are strong, It wasn't us We are right, Who started this? Leave your work, I just left school Leave your home, I am no fool Take up arms, It left me strong Sound alarms, The school bell rings
Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever
Join up here, I wave goodbye We need you, Oh my breast sighs Have no fear now, I must try God will be with braver men Take the vow, I know its right Praise the flag The good fight We're at war, I'm on my way We will win, Why do I pray?
Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever
I wait here in this hole Playing poker with my soul I hold the rifle close to me It lights the way to keep me free If I die in a combat zone Box me up and ship me home If I die and still come home Lay me where the rose is sown
Sons of men who stand like gods We give life to feed the cause And run to ground our heathen foe Our name will never die This time will be forever
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 11, 2014 10:18:00 GMT -8
Here's a wonderful old cartoon, keep watching, it's pretty dark with a timeless message!
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Post by sitkadiver on Nov 11, 2014 10:34:59 GMT -8
This summer marked the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI. My inlaws were in Belgium and in England touring many of the sights. My mother-in-law(step M n Law) is British and several of her family members served in both great wars. Her Nephew is currently a member of the Scots Guard, so they are back in England to mark the aniversary of the Armistice. Have you seen the poppies at the Tour of London? Beautiful way to remember. Here is an article from the UK: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2716373/The-sea-red-poppies-honour-Glorious-Dead-William-Kate-Harry-add-888-246-ceramic-flowers-planted-Tower-London-remember-British-life-lost-Great-War.htmlFinally, I'll add a bit of revisionst history for you all. 'In Flanders Flieds' was written by a Canadian Physican named McCrae. He did not survive the war, but dies of Pneumonia and cerebral meningitis. The Spanish Flu, aka Swine flu was an epidemic of severe proportions in 1918 and it is estimateed that the flu killed 30 - 50 million people world wide in 1918. In her book "Flu", Gina Kolata surmises that Col. McCrae likely died of influenza and it's complications. If anyone is interested in reading Flander's Field, here is the Wikipedia article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields
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Post by sitkadiver on Nov 11, 2014 10:36:12 GMT -8
In Flanders fields the poppies grow, 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.
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Post by SeaRat on Nov 11, 2014 10:56:41 GMT -8
Jaybird and Sitkadiver, Thank you for the above entries. I slept in this morning, which is a clear and windy day. I will probably get on my recumbent bicycle, which I have named "Silent Wind," and bicycle up to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial near Portland. But to read these entries while eating breakfast was a great way to start the day, and the cartoon carried an impressive message. A few years ago, I wrote a poem titled "A Tribute to Al Avery." It was in response to the discovery of the remains of the crew of Jolly 67, which was lost during the Vietnam War just after I left DaNang, Vietnam and was in school at Oregon State University. I remembered my feelings that day, when Jolly 67 was lost, and then my feelings about the findings in 1997 of the remains of this crew. Here is that poem: The black border carries the words to the Pararescue Running Song: Rescue, Rescue Is our Cry, Save that man Or he may die. Huskie, Huskie Hover low, So I can save Ol' GI Joe. I don't give a damn So drop me down, In that jungle On the ground. G.I. Joe He ain't a feelin' well So I pick him up And I run like hell. I put him on That Rescue Sling, And I'm in low Where the bullets sing. It's on that sling And up I go, Leave the enemy Down below. On our way Back to our base, I look my G.I. In the Face. I hand him A smoke, And he shakes My hand. And I'm So glad I'm a Rescue Man! Rescue, Rescue Is our Cry, Save that man Or he may die. HH-43B "Huskie" rescue helicopter; this photo is of a Local Base Rescue Huskie in Udorn, Thailand, 1970. HH-53C Super Jolly Green Giant rescue helicopter, 37th Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Squadron, after a rescue in Laos. This is the same type of helicopter as Jolly 67. Al Avery is in the lower right of this photo, holding the fire hose which he will use to douse the crew in celebration of a successful rescue of two pilots. Note the maintenance man with his thumb stuck into a bullet hole in the drop tank to keep fuel from leaking onto the runway. The crew of Jolly 67 was lost in the BAT 21 mission, during an initial rescue pickup attempt. Jolly 67 Crew: Peter H. Chapman, Pilot; John H. Call, III, Co-Pilot; Roy D. Prater, Flight Engineer (FE); Allen J. Avery, PJ1; William R. Pierson, PJ2; James H. Alley, PJ3.
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 11, 2014 11:17:54 GMT -8
My Grandfather was sent to WW-I, but, just as they landed... Armistice was declared This also happened to my Uncle Darold, in Korea, shucky-darns, huh? I'll bet they was real torn up 'bout that eh? My Wife's Grandfather, got his citizenship by joining up to fight in WW-I, his brother died from the flue you mentioned just as they landed in America on Ellis Island; they immigrated from Sicily. I have his Dough-boy's uniform: unfortunately, he was a really tiny guy, so it doesn't fit... grumble, grumble grumble... I know I've mentioned this before, but my Mother lost her first boy friend when he went away to fight during WW-II, and my Father In Law fought at The Battle of the Bulge: I have his uniform from when he was in Korea, that one fits me. He won three Purple Hearts: my Mother In Law said he'd never say how he got them, but would make things up like, "Oh, that one, I cut my hand opening up a can of beans..." Jaybird
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 11, 2014 11:47:46 GMT -8
Here is the Sabre I found a while back for $5: It's from WW-I. Sometimes I think, how is it that I have this in my position, don't people care, don't they remember what it cost to everyone? But then I remember, perhaps someone doesn't want to remember, the memories are far too painful for them: their Sons, Brothers, Fathers, Husbands; and lest we neglect, Sisters, Mothers, Wives... Jaybird
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Post by tomcatpc on Nov 11, 2014 12:14:36 GMT -8
Glad to see that I'm not the only person who still calls 11 Nov. Armistice Day! My Dad was a WWII Veteran, GrandFather and Two Great Uncles were Veterans of the Great War, plus if you look up my name (Lodge) on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, quite a few listings pop up. Mark
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2014 12:52:09 GMT -8
My dad was also in WWII as was my uncle. Dad was in the Army Air Corp, he was a ground crew chief for the B-24's assigned to the 8th Air Corps, never saw actual battle, but Hitler's secret weapons tried to kill him several times.....a Buzz bomb in London, a V2 impacting on the airfield in England, a German dressed as a GI during the battle of the bulge, a bomb dropped on his convoy of trucks carrying replacement parts during a night run from Amsterdam and finally strafed by a ME-262 in Belgium....all missed.....he and his crew did get behind the lines twice.....once setting up a repair station......tiger tanks on the other side of the hill caused them to leave quiet fast, leaving their gear........and once recovering parts off a downed Mustang.....
My uncle was in the Navy, serving as a gunners mate on convoy ships....survived 5 torpedoed ships one with the bow blown off but the ship was carrying kapok which was used for rafts and life jackets, it didn't sink so after several hours in the water, they climbed back on board, fired up the boilers and sailed on to England backwards..
Their dad, my grandpa, served in WWI on Navy sub chasers.....very small ships......that must have been hard duty, the North Atlantic is not a nice ocean. His dad, my great grandpa James Henry Story was with the 7th Cavalry....not the U.S. but the Georgia 7th Cavalry during the civil war.
My moms dad died in the thirty's but I was told he served with Pershing in the Philippines......had cousins who fought at Kings Mountain and the Cowpen's during the revolution..one at San Jacinto and we think one at the Alamo...in the 1812 war I had a cousin die but he was on the other side.....a British Navy Captain
I served in Nam with the Marines.
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Post by Linda on Nov 11, 2014 16:53:26 GMT -8
My dad was in "The Forgotten War", 8125th Sentry Dog Detachment. I think I posted this photo last year... Thanks to all current soldiers, former veterans, and both current and former war dogs! (I wish there was a Like button for this whole thread -- you guys have some really interesting stories and poems and such!)
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Post by Linda on Nov 11, 2014 17:01:30 GMT -8
This reminds me of a line in one of my favorite songs... In a "Note for the Unknown Soldier", by Five For Fighting, he says " When it was over, was it over?" Five For Fighting is one of my favorite "bands" ever, although it is really just one guy, John Ondrasik. He's a fantastic song-writer and lyricist, and also an avid hockey fan, hence the name he chose for his song career. Anyway, here's the song... I've had this album for two years, and I still sob every single time I hear this song.
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Post by nikeajax on Nov 11, 2014 17:24:41 GMT -8
Linda, would that be Korea, when you say "Forgotten War"? If so, it's not forgotten in either my family or my wife's... I have to say, a while back the phrase "The Greatest Generation" was coined--every time I hear this I get very ANGRY It's so thoughtless: could any more have been given than at The Battle at Shiloh, or The Battle of Cowpens, or any other where lives were given so that peace might finally come? I am ALWAYS thankful that I have never been asked to make such a great sacrifice: I am equally grateful that others have, so that we can have something as simple as this forum without fear of anything... Jaybird
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Post by SeaRat on Nov 11, 2014 17:47:01 GMT -8
Linda, the "Forgotten War" is not forgotten by many. I spent several months at Osan Air Base, Korea in response to the Pueblo Incident in 1968, then spent almost all of 1969 at Kunsan Air Force Base, Korea. The "Forgotten War" has allowed South Korea to grow and prosper, to became an economic giant of Asia, and the Korean people really, really appreciate the sacrifices U.S. Servicemen and women made to make their country free and independent and prosperous and successful. The Korean War Veterans were perhaps the most successful of the post-WWII era in making for a better world. Thank you for sharing his photo. Here is what one small place in Korea looked like in 1969 as a result of the efforts of Korean War Veterans. John
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Post by Linda on Nov 12, 2014 9:27:46 GMT -8
Korea is certainly not forgotten in my family, either! But it is often called that. My dad and I went back to Ft. Carson in September and visited the museum they have there. As you work your way through the displays, the first you see is WWI, then WWII, then Viet Nam, then Afghanistan and such. So odd, Korea is distinctly missing from the displays, and this is where a lot of soldiers trained before being sent there. There was an image on display near the front desk of the 8125th that my dad was a part of, with all of the guys and their dogs... But there is not yet a display section in the museum devoted to Korea. Hmph.
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