TeAcH Posted May 30, 2000 Share Posted May 30, 2000 I'd like to take this opportuniy to honor all of the soldiers all over the world who fought and died for what they believed in. For those who never got to see their families again and never made it back home. For the heroes whose deeds go unnoticed, whose acts of bravery and sacrifice for their comrades are only remembered by the men who live today because of it. Shall we never ever forget the commitment, dedication, and price these brave men and women paid for their countries. It is my hope this generation truly understands what that generation endured and strives to go out of its way to demonstrate respect to those who are so deserving. TeAcH [This message has been edited by TeAcH (edited 05-30-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullethead Posted May 30, 2000 Share Posted May 30, 2000 Amen. And now a toast, to Friends Not Present. Bottoms up! ------------------ -Bullethead jtweller@delphi.com WW2 AFV Photos: people.delphi.com/jtweller/tanks/tanks.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmck Posted May 31, 2000 Share Posted May 31, 2000 To all my (former) brothers in the 3rd Bn 327th Infantry at Ft Campbell KY (101st Abn AASLT) keep your heads down and make sure the belay man isn't asleep. Keep out of the back 40. Mck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest *Captain Foobar* Posted May 31, 2000 Share Posted May 31, 2000 EARN THIS by Dick Feagler "In a battlefield cemetery each marble cross marks an individual crucifixion. Someone - someone very young usually - has died for somebody else's sins. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" begins and ends in the military cemetery above Omaha Beach. By sundown of D-Day, 40,000 Americans had landed on that beach, and one in 19 had become a casualty. Director Steven Spielberg made "Saving Private Ryan" as a tribute to D-day veterans. He wanted, reviewers say, to strip the glory away from war and show the '90s generation what it was really like. The reviews have praised the first 30 minutes of the film and the special effects that graphically show the blood and horror of the D-Day landing. Unfortunately, American movie audiences have become jaded connoisseurs of special effects gore. In the hands of the entertainment industry, violence has become just another pandering trick. But Spielberg wasn't pandering. Shocked by and wary of his depiction, I bought a copy of Steven Ambrose's book "D-Day." The story of the Normandy invasion is a story of unimaginable slaughter. Worse than I ever knew, and I thought I knew something about it. The young men who lived through those first waves are old men now. Many have asked themselves, every day for more than 50 years, why they survived. It is an unanswerable question. The air was full of buzzing death. When the ramps opened on many of the landing craft, all the men aboard were riddled with machine gun bullets before they could step into the water. Beyond this cauldron of cordite and carnage, half a world away, lay an America united in purpose like no citizen under 60 has ever seen. The war touched everyone. The entire starting lineup of the 1941 Yankees was in military uniform. Almost every family could hang a service flag in the window, with a Star embroidered on it for each son in uniform, a Gold Star for those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. In the early hours of D-Day, with the outcome of the battle still in the balance, the nation prayed. Ambrose tells us that the New York Daily News threw out its lead stories and printed in their place the Lord's Prayer. "I fought that war as a child," a historian on television said the other night. I knew what he meant. So did I. We all saved fat and flattened cans and grew victory gardens. But we did not all go to Omaha Beach. Or Saipan. Or Anzio. Only an anointed few did that. The men of World War II are beginning to leave us now. In my family, six have gone and two are left. We have lost the uncle who was on Okinawa, the cousin who worked his way up the gauntlet of Italy and the cousin who brought the German helmet back from North Africa. These men left us with a simple request. You can hear that request in final minutes of "Saving Private Ryan." I haven't read a review that has mentioned it, but it is what makes Spielberg's movie a masterpiece. In the film, a squad of rangers is sent behind enemy lines to save a young 101st Airborne Paratrooper whose three brothers have been killed in battle. Headquarters wants him shipped home to spare his mother the agony of having all her sons killed in combat. So eight rangers risk their lives for one man. And when Captain Miller, the Ranger Commander is mortally wounded, he asks Pvt. Ryan to bend over so he can whisper to him. "Earn this," he says. And that is the request of all the young men who have died in all the wars - from Normandy to the Chosin Reservoir to Da Nang to the Gulf. "Earn this." When the movie ended, the theater was silent except for some muffled sobs. But the tears that scalded my eyes were not just for the men who had died on the screen and in truth. Or for the men who had lived and grown old and were baffled about why they had been spared. I walked out into the world of Howard Stern, Jerry Springer and "South Park." Into the world of front-page coverage of Monica Lewinski and the stain on her dress from Oval Office semen. "Earn this," was still ringing in my ears. And the tears in my eyes were tears of betrayal." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > > It's 4 days to MEMORIAL DAY......... > > It is NOT about a 3 day weekend..... > > It is NOT about a "mini-vacation"....... > > It is NOT about how much beer or barbecue you can consume.... > > It IS about those who have given their all....for their family...for > > their Country...for US. > > We have 8 days...to think about the GIFT of Freedom we have been > > Given...and to re-dedicate ourselves. > > EARN THIS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeAcH Posted May 31, 2000 Author Share Posted May 31, 2000 Thanks Foobar and well said. I dare say that America may be without a generation capable of as much heroism as those before it. Fewer and fewer are the number of people who believe in their country. They believe mostly in themselves and their own personal gain at the expense of others. TeAcH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt.Morgue Posted May 31, 2000 Share Posted May 31, 2000 As a US combat veteran from Viet Nam , i would like to say Thank You to all of the "Dick Feaglers" out there , its feelings like the ones stated here , that help 30 years of doubt in our counties people go away. Thanks. Teach and Foobar Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeAcH Posted June 1, 2000 Author Share Posted June 1, 2000 You're welcome Sgt. Take it from someone who is only 32 and has never been in the service...I appreciate you and your sacrifices beyond description. Had I been around at the time of the Vietnam war, Id be right there with you trying to help myself and my buddies get their butts home. TeAcH [This message has been edited by TeAcH (edited 05-31-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest *Captain Foobar* Posted June 1, 2000 Share Posted June 1, 2000 (correction: Dick Feagler wrote the article that I posted.) My grandfather (ww2 vet) sent me that article. I don't know who Mr. Feagler is, but that message expresses what many of us feel. (all nationalalities included, btw) I am only 26 yrs old, but I have an acute sense of what peace costs... A sincere thanks to all veterans who read this. We are not all as jaded as the public appearance suggests. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts