25 Comments

Remarkable stories that need to be told over and over. https://www.army.mil/asianpacificamericans/bataandeathmarch.html

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Thanks for sharing, excellent presentation

of way we should never leave our soldiers

behind!!!

Bob Bryant

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Thank you all for such thoughtful , sobering and inspiring stories

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Beautiful sentiments written by all, including the historic poem "In Flanders Field." Thank you for sharing. God bless all the fallen, God bless America.

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A writer who inspires me daily, offers both words and one picture worth far more than 1000 words, and 10 million endless tears - silent, haunting yet standing permanently in dutiful formation forever. http://www.michellesmirror.com

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Thanks to all those who sacrificed for us.

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Reading these inspired words reminds me, as we share a meal with family and friends their smiles confirm to me, as the red, white and blue symbol of our freedom waves silently in the sun, that freedom was bought with the blood of untold numbers of fallen heroes, how proud and blessed I am to be an American.

God bless America.

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My Grandfather spent 48 hours in the Atlantic --- WWI --- A Grand Uncle rose to a Major in the Marines from a grunt --- WWI

Mr Peterson was in the Death March -- WWII, Dad a bomber pilot Slot WWII, Uncle mine cleaning WWII.

Al, point man Korea Marines

My good friend Spc. 4 Tom Black Central Highlands Vietnam, my bunk mate Fort Ord. Gen. Lopez Marine Vietnam....and so many more

There are so many more. Almost everyday I remember them. Today I'll make a small token at the SB Cemetery.

As they pass in our minds....with great appreciation.

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Freedom is not Free

Freedom is seldom taken from us by outsiders

The last 4 years has spotlighted the removal and continual battle against our US Constitution

Look at how Presidents like Obama & Biden swore an oath to uphold and protect the US Constitution but attack the 1st and 2nd Amendments. Wait, they are attacking what they swore a duty to protect.

Hypocrites.

The People have not fought a war on US soil in over 200 years.

The People turn a blind eye to the quiet war, the battles that used to be hidden from us.

Now that these battles are being fought in the light of day, are Americans standing up to defend the US Constitution and their God given rights?

At least half of America is trying to destroy the Constitution and are happy to give away their rights.

The other half are too quiet, too afraid of having a far leftist yell at them and use emotional bully tactics to quiet them.

American conservatives, middle of the road common sense people are, well hiding and not defending what they think is right. Too afraid to be shamed on social media.

They are just as bad as the people yelling at us from their hidden identities on social media.

Time to stand up and not shy from those conversations.

Time to stop voting for DNC endorsed candidates and RNC endorsed candidates.

Get back to our roots as a country of elected public servants.

Public servants.

Not self serving power hungry puppets.

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Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same. - Ronald Reagan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDouNtnR_IA&t=7s

The Silent War continues…

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Do you support the guy who said of John McCain “He’s not a war hero,“..."He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.” In a conversation with senior staff members on the morning of the scheduled visit to Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, near Paris, in 2018,, Trump said, “Why should I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” In a separate conversation on the same trip, Trump referred to the more than 1,800 marines who lost their lives at Belleau Wood as “suckers” for getting killed.

I find it super hypocritical that the majority of those who wrote so beautifully of Memorial Day in this piece can then turn around and vote for someone so vile and anti-American.

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Simple. Words, which often require context, versus deeds, which do not. Do you support a President who can't seem to keep the US out of wars or one who did?

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Thank you for the sad and meaningful memories.

I was touched by the the last picture of the red poppies.

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Thank you!!!!

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Thank you, James and Jim, for compiling these moving stories for Memorial Day. A reminder that those who sacrifice so much didn't come into this world as super-heroes. They constitute the ordinary citizen, our neighbors and friends and grandparents. Yet when called upon, they endured war's horrors, beyond what human beings are expected to survive and many did not. So, Memorial Day. There's a famous painting hanging in London's Imperial War Museum: John Singer Sargent's "Gassed." The American painter had been commissioned to paint what was expected to be a monument to the valor and glories of battle. Instead, he painted what he witnessed near the front lines. Look it up. Great painting.

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I am very humbled by the absolute bravery and courage that was shown by these men and women throughout the years that make it possible for people like me to bar-b-q with my 95 year old dad who was in Korea .

It’s unfortunate that the younger generations don’t understand this.

God bless you all!

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This story is well known but my brother-in-law Steve Penner was a graduate of Annapolis and assigned to the destroyer USS Turner Joy towards the end of the war and that was one of the ships fired upon in 1964 that became the opening salvo of the Vietnam War as related by Jim Buckley. . In 1973 Steve was the ship's gunnery officer and at the time that the Paris Peace Accords set a day and time for the cessation of hostilities. Since the Turner Joy was the target of the first shot of the war, the ship was appropriately ordered to fire the last shot of the war. Being in charge of the 5 incher, Steve fired the last shot of the war. True story. Steve maintains his law practice in Santa Barbara, is active in military veteran organizations and can be seen in his original naval uniform at the Memorial Day event at the Santa Barbara cemetery every year. Glenn Dorfman

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Thank you Glenn for closing the loop of my and Steve Penner's Vietnam experiences!

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VIGILANCE! Our beautiful American way of life can easily slip away if we don’t dedicate ourselves to preserving it _every day_!

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BEAUTIFUL .... thank you to one and all...

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