Honoring Soldiers on Memorial Day
Posted by Michelle Moquin on May 30th, 2011
Every year Memorial Day comes around and I want to say something, but I feel such a loss of words. I peruse the net and read, and all I read about is loss, and the honoring of those that we have lost in the job of protecting our country, and others.
What is there to say? On the one hand, I want to say, “Thank you for putting your life on the line to ensure my safety. Thank you for risking your safety…your life so that others can live theirs.” And I mean it. I don’t like war…I wish that we didn’t engage in it. I wish we didn’t have to. But I also know there are cruel forces out there, everywhere, that need to be stopped and put down.
And on the other hand I ask the question, “Why is it that we as a world perpetuate this evil in the actions and decisions that we make?” When we decide that money is most important, and human life is expendable, war is inevitable. And until we value all human life no matter what race, or sex, more than we value power, control, and these coveted pieces of paper, we will continue to kill and be killed.
I look forward to the day when Memorial day will be a day of true celebration. A day where we will honor the brave men and women who died in past wars and celebrate that we no longer need war… a day where we celebrate that we have finally evolved into beings that honor, love, and respect each other equally no matter what race or sex.
A day when Memorial Day will be an international holiday, celebrated throughout the world, to remind us how many lives were sacrificed for a future that has finally come. We are joined together as citizens of the world, who accept our differences by showing love, honor and appreciation.
Am I a dreamer? Maybe. But I can’t give up HOPE that this vision I have is attainable.
Until then here’s a few ideas that you can do today to honor brave women and men:
Memorial Day 2011: How To Honor Soldiers
As many of us excitedly look forward to gathering with friends and family and enjoying the long weekend, it’s easy to lose sight of the significance of Memorial Day.
But for military families across the U.S., especially those of the estimated 5,885 American soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in the last 10 years of war, it’s a day to remember and honor those who have given their lives for our country.
For anyone in need of a refresher, Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Civil War soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery to honor their sacrifices. In 1971, federal law changed the observance of the holiday to the last Monday in May and extended it to honor all who had died in American wars.
Today, many cities celebrate Memorial Day with parades, speeches and the decoration of graves. At Arlington National Cemetery, an American flag is placed on each grave, and it’s tradition for the president or vice president to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
As you make preparations for your weekend barbecues or camping trips, consider how you can do something for the soldiers who have done so much for our country — whether by honoring a fallen soldier, supporting a military family or brightening the day of one currently serving.
- Honor fallen soldiers on Memorial Day by observing the National Moment of Remembrance. The National Moment of Remembrance, endorsed by President Clinton in 2000, takes place every Memorial Day at 3:00 p.m. local time. At that time, all Americans are urged to observe a moment of silence or to listen to “Taps,” in tribute to those who died for our country.
Prompted by a group of school children who didn’t understand that the holiday had significance beyond being a day off from school, the moment of remembrance is intended to remind Americans of the true meaning of the holiday and “unite the nation in acknowledging the contributions made by the men and women who gave their lives for our country’s freedom.”
- Founded in 2004 by Robbie and Brittany Bergquist, then 12 and 13 years old, Cell Phones for Soldiers, Inc. is a nonprofit that collects donated cell phones, recycles them and uses the proceeds to purchase prepaid phone cards for troops overseas. They’ve collected more than 7.5 million cell phones and provided troops with over 90 million minutes of free talk time to keep in touch with their families. Donate a cell phone, locate a drop-off point or consider becoming an official phone collector.
- Soldier Ride is a Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) initiative that helps wounded warriors restore their physical and emotional well-being through cycling. Originally a program to provide comfort items to wounded service members, WWP has grown into a rehabilitative effort that has assisted thousands of warriors and their caregivers in the transition back to civilian life. The Soldier Ride raises funds for WWP programs, and provides free equipment and assistance to participating injured service members.Non-service members can also participate by riding alongside the warriors; anyone wanting to get involved can find a ride, become a Community Outreach Leader orvolunteer.
- Lowe’s Companies, Inc., which has teamed up with PepsiCo to donate $1 million to help support troops as part of their Summer Salute program, encourages customers to send in their military salutes, thank yous and photos to be posted on their site. Military friends and families, the public and Nascar stars like Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt have posted memories and tributes to soldiers overseas — like Nathan, 14, who writes, “My brother just signed up for the Marines and I am very proud of him. I will miss him and think about him every time I hear the national anthem at Panther’s games”
- Operation Homefront is a nonprofit that provides emergency financial assistance to service members and their families — in the form of “checks paid directly to mortgage lenders, auto mechanics, contractors, hospitals, doctors, dentists and other providers.” In 2010, Operation Homefront met 167,348 needs for military families, and it has provided more than $92 million dollars of funding to programs to benefit military families since its inception.The organization’s current needs page lists requests from military families in need of assistance, such as the spouse of an Army National Guard service member who needs help paying for dental care for their children, and a soldier and his family in need of a donated refrigerator and clothes dryer after they lost theirs in a break-in.
Readers: Want to know what else you can do to honor soldiers, click here. Enjoy your day whatever you do.
Bob: :) I liked this one.
Jackie: You and I are thinking the same thoughts.
George: Yes women do need men but not how you think. Women need men to care and to be there for them. Men create wars, and they fight their wars for themselves, and their needs. They certainly aren’t fighting their wars for women. Don’t you know that if it weren’t for men, we most likely would have no wars? I needn’t say anymore on this. I think Doug said it best. Read his comment.
Anonz: Good luck in accomplishing your mission in Darfur. May the Gods watch over and protect you and your men.
Peace & Love: “Live it, Give it”
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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May 30th, 2011 at 11:36 am
Sweetheart God forgives.
It’s coming up on 10 years.
Are you ever going to forgive me?
Playing with your friends is nice but I need YOU
May 30th, 2011 at 11:48 am
On this Memorial Day, I say;
War, what is it good for? I am an optimist, and probably more to fact, a Utopian theorist, and believe that the human condition can evolve out of its ego state and into a more communal hive society that can withstand the need for war, in the future. Perhaps, I might best be labeled a Protopian. As a healthy optimism might cause us to think that utopia is just over the horizon, something called “protopia” may be closer than we realise. Protopia is an intentional trend toward improved circumstances; a proactive bettering of prospects and living conditions due to applied intelligence combined with the optimistic belief in a positive future.
There has been much talk recently about altruism, and the billionaires that are “joining the club” of giving away their wealth to create a better world. I don’t feel that money is what will create a better world. Make no mistake, because our current world is based on it, having it, and a lot of it, would help anyone’s world be more comfortable. However, due to the fact that the rich run the world, to which their actions create the wars, and the policies, this is exemplary that simply having money is not the answer, as we all watch our world go down the toilet due to the greed and arrogance of an unthoughtful and in-compassionate and un-empathetic group of humans…but, I digress…Money alone cannot achieve a better future, it requires the energies of large numbers of intelligent, conscious, creative, and hard-working individuals if humans are to overcome the forces of dystopia and Idiocracy being unleashed by their oligarchical governments.
Pessimism can act as a paralytic, whereas optimism can act as an activator or motivator. Optimism is not based on temperament. It is a perspective that is, and should be, based on evidence and facts. It is a type of rationality that can, and should be, tested with facts. And tossed out if not true. Humans behave better when we are optimistic. Progress depends on innovation, and innovation needs optimism; where optimism is most present, so is innovation. Hot spots of innovation in history were hot spots of optimism in otherwise pessimistic societies. What we believe about our trajectory matters.
A lot of pessimism is correct. If things continue as they are we are doomed. Matt Ridley is the author of a recent book, The Rational Optimist, where he makes the case that human culture was created not by language (as per conventional wisdom) but by the exchange of ideas. Ridley writes: “If the world continues as it is, it will end in disaster for all humanity. If all transport depends on oil, and oil runs out, then transport will cease. If agriculture continues to depend on irrigation and aquifers are depleted, then starvation will ensue. But notice the conditional: if. The world will not continue as it is. That is the whole point of human progress, the whole message of cultural evolution.”
The world will not continue as is, but will change the game.
Some optimists are temperamentally inclined to think positive, while most people have to work at it. There is evidence to suggest that optimism can pay big dividends. And pessimism can sap one’s energies, imagination, and their will to solve problems.
All of this said, humans were not made for a Utopian type of society. Despite the best efforts of idealists, ideologues, revolutionaries, it is simply not in humans to work selflessly for the common good, like some type of hive animal…yet. This is not to say that, the future human condition might elevate itself to become more enlightened to the realization that in order to survive, as a specie, we must understand that we are a hive society, on this pale blue ball we call Earth.
One day an alien specie will come to this planet and let the world become conscious of this fact, and the dogmatic religious believers who continue their blind faith and accept the rhetoric that has been the “norm” throughout the evolution of man, might be shaken awake, and understand that we exist in this hive, and must learn to work together as a specie, in order to maintain the hive and our own longevity, as a specie. Because we do not as a specie fully understand our position in the Universe, and so many feel we are a superior being and alone in the Universe, we continue to ignore the idea that we are all one, and stuck here, in our hive and unable to change that condition.
The elite, oligarchy, ruling class of our world understands this, and take measured efforts to maintain the blind following of the mass in order so that those who are at top levels of government or positioned to be favoured by government contracts and disbursals of funds, will be greatly advantaged by such beliefs and trends. This is why politicians often use quasi-utopian language in order to gain power. Sometimes these “revolutionaries” mean well, and sometimes they are sociopathic power mongers or narcissistic seekers of adoration. Their motivations are irrelevant, since the end result, dystopia and Idiocracy, is the likeliest outcome of a continued thought process and action of the masses that we are indeed, not of one and currently still prisoners in our hive.
Of the three; Utopia, Dystopia, and Protopia; only Protopia has a future. While protopia can be assisted by persons of power and wealth, it is actually based upon a growing degree of competence, creativity, and optimism at the level of societal ferment. Such a shift in power — from the top to the middle — will only be possible with a diminishing of the top-down meddlings and dictates.
Also, the growing use of the enlightened mind. This is the most powerful part of the human condition that can tap into source and resource and understand what is necessary for this growth and what is unnecessary for the current conditions.
May 30th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
SIMPLE TEST TELLS YOU YOUR CHANCES AFTER BYPASS SURGERY
Believe it or not, coronary artery bypass surgery — a procedure that used to seem almost miraculous in its complexity — has become essentially commonplace for those with blocked heart vessels.
With about 400,000 of these often life-saving procedures performed each year in the US, I’d bet every one of us knows at least one person who has had a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) — or simply “bypass.”
It seems to me we’ve almost come to take the procedure for granted. It turns out that’s not a good idea. New research shows that the skills of the surgeon you choose can have a major impact on both the outcome of your surgery and your chances to thrive in the years to come.
For instance, you may not realize that even when these surgeries are successful at removing blockages, between 1% and 4% of patients don’t do well postoperatively and will die as quickly as if they had not had the surgery. I spoke with the study’s lead author, Michael Domanski, MD, who is a professor of medicine at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.
He explained that the heart muscle is sometimes slightly damaged during the surgery. For a time, it was thought that this had no bearing on how well patients did afterward.
Now we know otherwise: Dr. Domanski and his team studied the importance of the chemical releases (enzymes, in particular two — creatine kinase MB and troponin) that signify muscle damage in this setting and found that even almost imperceptible elevations signal heart damage that can have a long-term effect on mortality.
Their results were reported in the February 9, 2011, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Domanski explained that this finding has three important implications for doctors:
First, doctors studying bypass techniques can use these enzymes as a way to measure how successful a therapy (particularly a new one) is.
Second, they may be useful as a quality-control measure to compare surgical programs.
Third, the findings suggest the need for surgeons to learn more about how to prevent muscle damage caused by CABG surgery.
In fact, Dr. Domanski said, it turned out that enzyme levels are a stronger predictor of mortality than any other factor that we know about, even including age and a history of prior heart attack.
This is an important finding that, it seems, will improve outcomes for CABG surgeries overall and also, eventually, be used as one more quality measure that can help patients choose the very best hospital and surgeon in the event they need one.
It’s hard to overemphasize how important it is to put in the time needed to check out your surgeon and his/her record of heart surgery. In fact, your life may depend on it.
Source(s):
Michael J. Domanski, MD, professor of cardiology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, director, Heart Failure Research, Zena and Michael A. Wiener Cardiovascular Institute, New York City.
May 30th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Did you know?
As Michelle stated, Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day.
Decoration Day, the Memorial Day precursor, is a part of Black History.
The first impromptu Decoration Day was observed in 1865 by liberated slaves in Charleston, SC, at Washington Race Course (now Hampton Park).
The race course had been both a Confederate prison camp and a mass grave for Union soldiers who died in captivity. In a process which took only 10 days, freed slaves exhumed bodies from the mass grave, reinterring each Union solder in an individual grave.
When finished, the former slaves built a fence around the graveyard, added an entry arch, and declared the site a Union cemetery.
On May 1, 1865, a crowd of up to 10,000 mainly black residents, including 2,800 children, went to the graveyard and celebrated with a picnic, sermons and singing. And thus Decoration Day was born.
Waterloo, NY gets the credit as the official birthplace of Memorial Day, because the village first formally observed the holiday on 5 May 1866. (The first stroke of “white washing” black history).
Major General John A. Logan, a Murphysboro, Illinois native, helped popularize Decoration Day. On May 5, 1868, while commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic (a veterans’ organization), he issued a proclamation calling for nationwide observance of Decoration Day; it took place on 30 May, a date chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any battle.
May 30 1986 officially becoming Memorial Day and the black legacy was forever “white washed” right out history.
May 30th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
Rio
Hi! Hope we connect.
Paris
May 30th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Padma:
I have come to expect this kind of excellent addition to our knowledge from you. If you have not always been a “Regular.” you are a most welcome addition.
If I may, I would like to add some additional information to this paragraph of yours –
———————–
The race course had been both a Confederate prison camp and a mass grave for Union soldiers who died in captivity. In a process which took only 10 days, freed slaves exhumed bodies from the mass grave, reinterring each Union solder in an individual grave.
——————————-
As usual white America who control the historical accounts we Americans get about her past, LIE. the white kind, that would be the kind that has evil intent.
This one was to hide the fact that confederate soldiers didn’t take black soldiers as prisoners. They tortured, mutilated and murdered them. There were many mass graves dug to hide the bodies. Most by Union soldiers because they believed that if the blacks knew their fate they would not join up. Later it was to keep the rest of he world from finding out how much more the blacks risked in the war than the whites. So they played up the cruelty white union soldiers had suffered at the hands of the confederates and left out entirely until most recently the nazi like cruelties the confederates dished out regularly to black Union soldiers.
—————————————————- If I may correct this paragraph – On May 1, 1865, a crowd of up to 10,000 mainly black residents, including 2,800 children, went to the graveyard and celebrated with a picnic, sermons and singing. And thus Decoration Day was born.
———————————————————-
Blacks could not be buried alongside whites. So this is an obvious lie to distort white racism. “Mainly black residents,” your WHITE lie again. White never associated with blacks only reported so to distort history.
———————————————- If I may for this paragraph
Waterloo, NY gets the credit as the official birthplace of Memorial Day, because the village first formally observed the holiday on 5 May 1866. (The first stroke of “white washing” black history).
————————————————– And finally for this one
Waterloo, NY gets the credit as the official birthplace of Memorial Day, because the village first formally observed the holiday on 5 May 1866. (The first stroke of “white washing” black history).
———————————-
This was by no means the “(The first stroke of “white washing” black history).”
Still without your research, this would not be known at all. I thank you for all your help. And the fairness you bring to all your posts.
Robert
May 30th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
Hafa adai
Those of you on the island who read this story. Did you look at each other and ask “How stupid was this mother to have the police pull over her sons?” Until you thought, maybe she didn’t know that her stupid sons were planning to take the law into their own hands.
________________________________
Police arrested two brothers who allegedly beat a man and planned to bring him to Marbo Cave for stealing from them.
Anthony and Allan De Venencia captured a man, whom they said stole a laptop and camera from their house, according to press release from Guam Police Department Spokesman A.J. Balajadia.
The two men had initially intended to bring the 24-year-old man to the Dededo Precinct but then “changed plans and were heading to the Marbo Cave area when officers pulled them over,” the release stated. Police did not identify the male.
“The Guam Police Department would like to remind the public that taking the law in your own hands may take you from being a victim, to being a suspect,” the release stated. “This may result in you being placed behind bars.
Around 10:40 a.m. Sunday, the Dededo Precinct Command responded to call a call in Latte Heights area of a possible burglary in progress, the release stated. The officers met with a female individual who pointed towards a passing car, stating that an individual inside the car stole her laptop and camera.
“When officers pulled over the vehicle they noticed a man driver, and two males sitting in the back,” the release stated. “The occupants were asked to show their hands. One rear passenger and the driver complied, however the other rear passenger kept his hands behind his back leaning forward exposing his hands and the wiring tied around his wrist.”
Officers took the three men to the precinct and were able to ascertain the following:
• The driver and one rear passenger are brothers.
• The two brothers are the sons of the lady who called the police and pointed out the car to police.
• The two brothers and their mother believe the other male who was tied up to be the responsible for stealing their laptop and camera from their house while he was visiting the evening before.
• The two brothers went to the possible thief’s house and beat him with a metal pipe while he slept and then tied him up.
• That the two brothers planned to take the possible thief to Dededo Precinct but then changed plans and were heading to the Marble Cave area when officers pulled them over.
The injured Yigo man was brought to Guam Memorial Hospital where he was treated for his injuries and later released.
The De Venencia brothers were arrested. They face possible charges for kidnapping, terrorizing, possession of a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony, aggravated assault, burglary, assault, guilt established by complicity, conspiracy, criminal trespass, felonies restraint, open container, and drinking in a motor vehicle.
Anthony De Venencia also faces possible charges of open container and drinking in a motor vehicle.
Both men were booked and confined.
_____________________________________________
Your second thought should have been. What if he didn’t steal their shit?
Peter
May 30th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
I almost forgot to mention Doug,TMD’s post to George yesterday. It is a must read for any who missed it.
ENLIGHTENMENT made smooth and easy for anyone to understand.
Thanks Doug
Robert
May 30th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
Anonymous 1:
I have on visits to other planets(23) made connections with the males there. I will do the same here. I would ask if the males here will be threatened by my ability to perform technologically what they would perceive as magic.
Would it be best if I said I was a Goddess from one of their myths or admitted to being an alien?
Please don’t answer with the pretentious human morality that “honesty……etc” hypocrisy. Whatever I tell a human will be believed as they have no way of understanding the wonders I can perform mechanically, hence I am only interested in the emotional ability of human males to bond with a much more powerful woman.
What would be your advice? Alien or Goddess, if Goddess do you have one or should I pick according to the race or nationality of the male I select?
i0Ke
May 30th, 2011 at 9:27 pm
I haven’t been reading this blog long, about 6 months. I have to confess that I I find it difficult to believe that aliens actually write in to a blog. Also who is this Howie? How incredible is it to believe that he actually knows God?
I have to admit that what he says is so awesome that it is scary. Good thing I am a serious christian and not challenged by mysteries to my faith.
Hanna
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