I hope each of us will find the time today to remember the sacrifices of those we knew and the many not known to us who sacrificed all for this great nation.
I don’t know the right words – “Happy” Memorial Day – rings wrong in my ears.
"Respectful Memoral Day? Not sure. Any ideas
Grateful Memorial Day
Goto a Watchfire event in your neighborhood and see how it’s done.
Contact your local ‘Vietnam Vets of America’ for details.
We went to see my father in laws grave who was a Vietnam veteran. Not sure if nice is the right word but seeing the way the cemetery had been decorated for Memorial Day was respectful and you could not but stop and contemplate the day.
I remember
For me the Battle of Tarawa always stands out the most. It was supposed to be an easy battle against an under strength Japanese division. But no one did any proper recon so the Marines who went there were thrown into a meat grinder where they were having to climb over destroyed coral while being shelled and shot at by the Japanese, who had good leadership and were dug into the hillside overlooking the beach and coral reef. Yet the men overcame the awful circumstances and won a hard fought battle in the end. But everyone recognized after that incident that recon was so important to invading islands because it was awful that so many 18-25 year old marines had to die to learn the lesson. It was also the first (and probably the only battle in the Pacific) where the USMC and the Navy didn’t try to sugarcoat it to the American people back home. It was the first time they actually got to see undoctored photos of what Tarawa looked like in its opening hours. And if you ever see those photos it’s pretty harrowing, even seven decades later.
It must have honestly been terrifying. The Japanese had all the natural entrance approaches pre sighted so landing craft were getting accurately shelled as the Marines were coming into the beach. Men had to jump over the sides of their landing craft straight into stinging coral while under withering fire while carrying 70 pounds of gear. Out of all the battles I’ve studied about the Pacific War, the opening hours of Tarawa honestly seem like it had to be the worst place on earth at the time. They had to fight both the Japanese and how awful the environment was at the same time.
And yes I fully agree that the word happy shouldn’t be used. It’s more of a contemplative thing to me, people having done something so extreme and having to bury so many friends in the aftermath. As a civilian I can never understand it. But I try to think about it and be respectful.
Every time I see Falklands I think of Exocets for some reason.
I always liked how the French gave the British classified details on the older Exocets the Argentinians were using. Since the French sold Exocets to literally almost everyone in the late 60s and early 70s.
Plus it was weird how both the Brits and the Argentinians were using the same rifles in the war. Inch pattern FALs for the British and the Argentines were using the metric version. That’ doesn’t happen too often historically.
As we sat down for dinner last night, I said, “As a reminder, we are all able to sit here tonight, have the freedom we do because of the heros that serve in our military and protect our way of life”.
We had a toast to all that never came back and a prayer for the loved ones left behind.
It was in the hearts of everyone to remember what the day is for.
