Memorial Day: Honoring the Brave and the Honorable
Too many people seem to forget that Memorial Day, observed in the U.S. on the last Monday in May is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.
Most Americans see it as an opportunity for heading out to the beach for the first time, to have a cookout, or as a day when most swimming pools open for the season.
President Obama said in his Memorial Day message: “This Memorial Day weekend, Americans will gather on lawns and porches, fire up the grill, and enjoy the company of family, friends and neighbors,” he said. “But this is not only a time for celebration. It is also a time to reflect on what this holiday is all about; to pay tribute to our fallen heroes; and to remember the servicemen and women who cannot be with us this year because they are standing post far from home – in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.”
A great many participate in annual events, such as the “Rolling Thunder”. On Sunday of the Memorial Day weekend about half a million motorcyclists drive into DC to pay tribute to American troops who fell in battle. The roar of the Harleys and other types of bikes resounds throughout the area for days before and after the event. Although tattoos are not required for participation, this still appears to be one of the largest tattoo and facial hair displays anywhere.
The National Memorial Day Concert is held on Sunday under the steps of the Capitol building and televised nationwide.
Arlington National Cemetery continues the time-honored tradition of “Flags In”.
Soldiers from the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) are joined by service members from the U.S. Marine Corps Ceremonial and Guard Company, U.S. Navy Ceremonial Guard, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard in placing more than 250,000 grave decorating flags at Arlington National Cemetery.
The official wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns – often mistakenly referred to as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – is held on Memorial Day before noon and followed by a program at the adjacent Memorial Amphitheater.
After these events a number of parades and other events are held both in the Washington, DC area and across the country.
The important thing to remember is that these are solemn and most certainly well deserved tributes to our Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen, who have given their lives in the service of our country.
And lets not forget that largely due to the advances in battlefield medicine, the percentage of our wounded is higher that ever. Let’s not forget the often cruelly wounded and their families. Our hearts are with you, always.
And we salute all of those active duty personnel and the veterans, who have served our country honorably and who have often sacrificed so much.
Let us hope that these honors and observances do not extend to those officials, who have sent these brave men and women in harm’s way for reasons other than the security and honor of our country, but rather to further their own, or their own little group’s agendas.
Considering the two recent, and failed shoe throwing incidents, we would like to propose creating a new, special breed of effective, accurate, aerodynamic shoes, that would actually hit their intended target.
The Iraqi people thought otherwise and assisted by kids at the Tikrit Orphanage, sculptor Laith al-Amiri has erected a huge brown replica of one of the shoes hurled by al-Zaidi. Shortly afterwards the monument was removed after a request from the central government, which has charges pending against al-Zaidi – now in an Iraqi jail.
After spending a serious amount of time researching the subject in our state of the art Politicus.U.S. Laboratory and after extensive testing (no animals were used, or hurt in the process) we have finally reached the point where we can offer an excellent product to anyone contemplating a career in shoe throwing. Our creation is guaranteed to fly straight and true – providing of course that the thrower is properly qualified and licensed – and to hit the intended target straight in the kisser, or any other sensitive area.
We accept most major credit cards, certified checks and cash – preferably euros. Paypal payments are also accepted.
Everyone knows that Hamas militants have been firing rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel. Frankly, considering the inefficiency of these mostly homemade weapons and the extremely few casualties that they have so far caused among the Israeli population, I wonder why Hamas persists in this futile exercise. Hate? Probably. Defiance? Also quite likely. But firing the unguided rockets, few of which even reach any Israeli cities and which, when they do cause so few casualties seems silly, particularly in view of the weight of the retaliations from the Israeli side.
Now, after a week of high-tech bombing and missile attacks, artillery fire from both the sea and from across the border, heavily armed and heavily armored Israeli forces – largely equipped with all kinds of latest U.S. weapons moved into Gaza under the cover of night, wearing their night vision goggles and with bomb sniffing dogs to help them avoid possible booby traps.
In short: It would be stupid for Hamas to continue the defiant rocket attacks under the circumstances. As far as Israel is concerned, the attack on Gaza could very well become an even worse public relations and humanitarian disaster than the war with Hezbollah was a few years ago. International de-mining teams will be employed for many years to come in Lebanon, removing the thousands of U.S. cluster munitions that Israel has dropped all over the countryside in the last days and hours of that conflict.
