'Taps' History told by John Wayne (lest we not Forget our Fallen Soldiers on this Memorial Day)

Happy Memorial Day!!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread. It warms my heart to see all of you that have expressed your compassion and caring for those that have sacrificed it all and the many lives that are affected every time we lose one.

Thanks to the OP: I SO needed this today! I have been disgusted at the lack of respect by "The President" and his refusal to honor one of the tradtions that we as a people need in our lives beyond measure and I appreciate your consideration.

Won't go into much detail but I recently had the honor of being part of an event held on a large Army base in Colorado for the women on base: to hear their stories, their fears,their hopes, and to experience their collecive beauty and strength profundly affected me.

As did the young man who "rolled in" to pick up his wife after the event without legs in his chair holding their baby in his arms...

I would think that on one day, we who are Americans could take a moment and reflect, remember, re-consider if need be, and just appreciate for even a short time the human efforts of others whether or not we agree with the "politics..."

reply to post by irishchic

and just appreciate for even a short time the human efforts of others whether or not we agree with the "politics..."

Well said!!


Mod Edit - Mod Note: One Line Post – Please Review This Link.

I hope you guys don't mind if I pitch in with a video of my own, from my country, here.

Sweden doesn't celebrate Memorial Day, unfortunately. For me, as a former draft soldier, and (hopefully) soon a contracted soldier, that is completely and totally unacceptable, considering all our brave soldiers that have risked their lives serving as peacekeepers around the world for the last sixty years. I think Memorial Day is one of the two most beautiful and thorughly worthy holidays to celebrate (the other being Christmas) in this world.

So, with that in mind, here's a few tributes to all Swedish peacekeepers out there, risking their lives to make the world a better place. That might sound like a cheesy cliché to some people - but it's exactly what they're doing.







[edit on 31-5-2010 by David_Reale]

reply to post by David_Reale

I think Memorial Day is one of the two most beautiful and thorughly worthy holidays to celebrate (the other being Christmas) in this world.

I couldn't agree more, it should very well be an International Holiday!!

You are right my friend... The more the merrier.

Unseiren Comeraden
To our fallen comrades

reply to post by UberL33t


S&F for this thread. Thank you. A relative just forwarded this to me:


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"MAY GOD BLESS THIS AIRLINE CAPTAIN:
He writes: My lead flight attendant came to me and said, "We have an H.R. on this flight." (H.R. stands for human remains.) "Are they military?" I asked.

'Yes', she said.

'Is there an escort?' I asked.

'Yes, I already assigned him a seat'.

'Would you please tell him to come to the flight deck. You can board him early," I said..

A short while later, a young army sergeant entered the flight deck. He was the image of the perfectly dressed soldier. He introduced himself and I asked him about his soldier. The escorts of these fallen soldiers talk about them as if they are still alive and still with us.

'My soldier is on his way back to Virginia,' he said. He proceeded to answer my questions, but offered no words.

I asked him if there was anything I could do for him and he said no. I told him that he had the toughest job in the military and that I appreciated the work that he does for the families of our fallen soldiers. The first officer and I got up out of our seats to shake his hand. He left the flight deck to find his seat.

We completed our pre flight checks, pushed back and performed an uneventful departure. About 30 minutes into our flight I received a call from the lead flight attendant in the cabin. 'I just found out the family of the soldier we are carrying, is on board', she said. She then proceeded to tell me that the father, mother, wife and 2-year old daughter were escorting their son, husband, and father home. The family was upset because they were unable to see the container that the soldier was in before we left. We were on our way to a major hub at which the family was going to wait four hours for the connecting flight home to Virginia .

The father of the soldier told the flight attendant that knowing his son was below him in the cargo compartment and being unable to see him was too much for him and the family to bear. He had asked the flight attendant if there was anything that could be done to allow them to see him upon our arrival. The family wanted to be outside by the cargo door to watch the soldier being taken off the airplane.. I could hear the desperation in the flight attendants voice when she asked me if there was anything I could do.. 'I'm on it', I said. I told her that I would get back to her.

Airborne communication with my company normally occurs in the form of e-mail like messages. I decided to bypass this system and contact my flight dispatcher directly on a secondary radio. There is a radio operator in the operations control center who connects you to the telephone of the dispatcher. I was in direct contact with the dispatcher.. I explained the situation I had on board with the family and what it was the family wanted. He said he understood and that he would get back to me.

Two hours went by and I had not heard from the dispatcher. We were going to get busy soon and I needed to know what to tell the family. I sent a text message asking for an update. I saved the return message from the dispatcher and the following is the text:

'Captain, sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. There is policy on this now and I had to check on a few things. Upon your arrival a dedicated escort team will meet the aircraft. The team will escort the family to the ramp and plane side. A van will be used to load the remains with a secondary van for the family. The family will be taken to their departure area and escorted into the terminal where the remains can be seen on the ramp. It is a private area for the family only. When the connecting aircraft arrives, the family will be escorted onto the ramp and plane side to watch the remains being loaded for the final leg home. Captain, most of us here in flight control are veterans. Please pass our condolences on to the family. Thanks.'

I sent a message back telling flight control thanks for a good job. I printed out the message and gave it to the lead flight attendant to pass on to the father. The lead flight attendant was very thankful and told me, 'You have no idea how much this will mean to them.'

Things started getting busy for the descent, approach and landing. After landing, we cleared the runway and taxied to the ramp area. The ramp is huge with 15 gates on either side of the alleyway. It is always a busy area with aircraft maneuvering every which way to enter and exit. When we entered the ramp and checked in with the ramp controller, we were told that all traffic was being held for us.

'There is a team in place to meet the aircraft', we were told. It looked like it was all coming together, then I realized that once we turned the seat belt sign off, everyone would stand up at once and delay the family from getting off the airplane. As we approached our gate, I asked the copilot to tell the ramp controller we were going to stop short of the gate to make an announcement to the passengers. He did that and the ramp controller said, 'Take your time.'

I stopped the aircraft and set the parking brake. I pushed the public address button and said, 'Ladies and gentleman, this is your Captain speaking I have stopped short of our gate to make a special announcement. We have a passenger on board who deserves our honor and respect. His Name is Private XXXXXX, a soldier who recently lost his life. Private XXXXXX is under your feet in the cargo hold. Escorting him today is Army Sergeant XXXXXXX. Also, on board are his father, mother, wife, and daughter. Your entire flight crew is asking for all passengers to remain in their seats to allow the family to exit the aircraft first. Thank you.'

We continued the turn to the gate, came to a stop and started our shutdown procedures. A couple of minutes later I opened the cockpit door. I found the two forward flight attendants crying, something you just do not see. I was told that after we came to a stop, every passenger on the aircraft stayed in their seats, waiting for the family to exit the aircraft.

When the family got up and gathered their things, a passenger slowly started to clap his hands. Moments later more passengers joined in and soon the entire aircraft was clapping. Words of 'God Bless You', I'm sorry, thank you, be proud, and other kind words were uttered to the family as they made their way down the aisle and out of the airplane. They were escorted down to the ramp to finally be with their loved one.

Many of the passengers disembarking thanked me for the announcement I had made. They were just words, I told them, I could say them over and over again, but nothing I say will bring back that brave soldier.

I respectfully ask that all of you reflect on this event and the sacrifices that millions of our men and women have made to ensure our freedom and safety in these United States of AMERICA."
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reply to post by manta78


Very touching story, thank you for posting that!!

WOW that was a wonderful story...Also I want to point out that This day is not just for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines that have fallen but for the Firemen and Policemen and anyone who dedicated their lives to serving others.

After we eat today, I am loading my children up to visit the local Memorial and explain too them what it is for and why we honor those who died.

Kafer

reply to post by kaferwerks

After we eat today, I am loading my children up to visit the local Memorial and explain too them what it is for and why we honor those who died.

That's awesome.

what a sentimental piece of crap this is! why dont you ask the millions of dead and displaced iraqi and afghani people how they feel about the american flag. you yanks need to change your self image and realize that you are the terrorists.

reply to post by UberL33t


I agree. I just used the "ignore" button to add him to the list.

Thank you OP. As a veteran of the World's Finest Navy, I am disturbed at the lack of respect from people about Memorial Day. I lost friends to this war, my uncle lost friends to Desert Storm, my grandfather lost friends to Korea and Viet Nam. I was in the flag ceremony when my friend Asher was buried. I watched, in my Navy blues, tears silently streaming down my face, as her mother sobbed uncontrollably as she was handed the American flag that only moments ago covered her daughter's coffin. The flag that only a year ago, Asher had signed up to fight to the death to defend.

I am proud to have served alongside the fallen. To be able to say "I did my part for the freedom of my country" The freedom that quite a few of you take for granted. The freedom for you to spit in my face and call me a murderer. The freedom for you to talk trash and make fun of my commander-in-chief, the President. The freedom for you to believe in whichever God you believe in, to go to whatever school you want, to choose every detail of your life. I fought for that freedom. My brothers and sisters in arms died for your freedom. Nothing makes me happier than to drive down a dirt road in my small-town home, and see a flag at half-mast today. My baby brother is in the sandbox right now, and I know he's watched some of his buddies die recently. I sent him a miniature American flag, like the ones they wave at parades. He e-mailed me a picture of it, posted proudly in his tent, above his bedroll. He told me he was never filled with more pride than the day he opened his care package to find the flag he loves, nestled right in there with homemade oatmeal cookies and beef jerky.

I know what my brothers in blue and green fought for. Do you?

SLAYER jr

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[edit on 31-5-2010 by SLAYER69]

As we come to the closing hours of this special day I wanted to extend a final Thank You to all the members that contributed to this thread.

I tried my best to Star each and every one of your posts, with the exception of the deliberate trolls.

As a Veteran, I wholeheartedly appreciate everyone's stories and accounts and find it refreshing that the efforts of our men and women in the Armed Forces aren't considered to be in vain as there are still a great deal of Americans that recognize the sacrifice they have made and will continue to make in the ongoing fight for Freedom.

Everyone take care and stay safe and God Bless America!

In every war we have had, every fallen soldier, even every fallen President, has been gunned down by the powers that be. Every war we have had has been started by them, even our civil war and WWI and WWII and cold war. They contrived these wars to build up the national debt to keep the money flowing into their coffers. They don't care about our fallen soldiers, we are only cannon fodder, only peasants they own who they throw into the line of fire. What a tragedy that we are unable to stop this process. We are so stupid to let them manipulate us into these stupid wars. They have their pr firms push the myth that we are by nature creatures of war, that we are so base that we must war, that these wars are our fault for being some kind of monsters. We are human beings not monsters. They are the monsters making money off our suffering. END THE @#$%$&@ WAR

We are not fighting for the freedom of our country any more, only for its destruction at the hands of the monster bankers. We have been deceived. Our soldiers fought in vain, their lives were sacraficed for nothing. WAKE UP and stop the carnage while we still have a country.

If you honor our soldiers, who were deceived into dying for lies, at least honor what they believed they were fighting for. They believed that they were fighting for their country, not it's destruction. They believed that they were fighting for liberty, not oppression. Make their dreams a reality by saying no to these murderous FED monsters, take back our country from these criminals and END THE WAR

Actually, historically, the monsters who formed the FED, their philosophy came from extreme feudalism. Mayer Rothschild was a clerk of William of Hesse, who made himself rich by selling his peasants as mercenaries, remember the Hessians from your Revolutionary War textbooks? This philosophy combined with the discovery that money could be "created" on a fractional reserve system, if authorized & enforced by government, is what got us into this mess. That the people now trying to use this system to enslave mankind have this feudalistic attitude toward their fellow man is obvious from their fruit. They have Greece enslaved over a technicality. Laws or contracts are only binding when they benefit, laws and contracts are null and void, dead like the dodo and the Constitution, when they get in their way. We are a law abiding people, we don't want lawless Nazis rulling over us.

Now you're going to tell me that Rothschild was Jewish, what connection could the Rothschild's have with the Nazis? But the Rothschilds recruited the Rockefellers in their fractional fraud National Reserve scheme.The Rockefellers were dedicated racists and eugenicists and maybe got back at their early mentors by pushing Hitler into the holocaust.
But now they have gone one further. They manipulated us into wars and tricked us, but now they have invented an enemy and use the secrecy of the CIA to convince us that there actually is an enemy out there. They recruited soldiers from India to pretend to be Taliban in Pakistan. They may even have kidnapped workers from India who wanted to work in Dubai to make bodies of dead "combatants" There is no end to the fraud of this war. We have been at war and under an emergency since 911. 80% of our population wants more investigation into 911. They think they completely got away with 911. People are waking up. Connect the dots, people. End this stupid war.

These people don't even want a United States of America. They want to merge the US and Mexico and Canada into a North America Union (the CIA announced this to our Congress in a secret meeting in March of 2008) to eventually merge with the European Union into a one world government to be run by Rockefellers and banker friends and the British royals (the CFR is actually a treasonous organization to benefit the British Empire at the expense of the US) as a massive fascist dictatorship. No freedom or democracy there. If you honor our country and honor our flag then you will oppose these monsters and take our country back.

If you really supported our fallen soldiers, if you really honored what they believed in, you would end this war in a heartbeat.



[edit on 1-6-2010 by m khan]

Originally posted by KritikalMass
what a sentimental piece of crap this is! why dont you ask the millions of dead and displaced iraqi and afghani people how they feel about the american flag. you yanks need to change your self image and realize that you are the terrorists.

While you are entitled to your own opinions on any subject imaginable, what you just expressed really means absolutely nothing to me because you are not a U. S. citizen, it is not a holiday for your nor your country, or the men and women who have given their lives to keep you free.

Honestly I started to get angry, but then realized you will never understand the true meaning of OUR holiday for OUR HEROES.

I sincerely hope someday you learn how to be a decent human being.

Originally posted by KritikalMass
what a sentimental piece of crap this is! why dont you ask the millions of dead and displaced iraqi and afghani people how they feel about the american flag. you yanks need to change your self image and realize that you are the terrorists.

Sez da gui woo haz a pik of a killa fo hiz avatah

Originally posted by RealityisanIllusion

Originally posted by KritikalMass
what a sentimental piece of crap this is! why dont you ask the millions of dead and displaced iraqi and afghani people how they feel about the american flag. you yanks need to change your self image and realize that you are the terrorists.

Honestly I started to get angry, but then realized you will never understand the true meaning of OUR holiday for OUR HEROES.

I sincerely hope someday you learn how to be a decent human being.

I am with you there. I may be South African, and we do not an official Memorial Day, but being in the military we have an annual memorial Parade for our fallen comrades, past and present.

Those who never lost someone in combat, (be it by war, peacekeeping mission or even treason), can never appreciate these things.