Memorial Day and what it really means
- Thread starter Jerry Bransford
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Some American's do not but need to know the true meaning of Memorial Day. It was declared in 1868 as a day to remember the fallen. A day of remembrance, reverence, and reflection. It is a day to be respectful and yes a little somber.
This is not a joyful celebration where thanks and praise is given to the living. Nor is it a time to show gratitude to our living troops. On this day to do that is insulting to the service member and disrespectful to the fallen.
To truly get a sense of what Memorial Day is all about go to any veteran cemetery and quietly take in the fields of white stones. Each representing a troop that gave all they had to defend our way of life. They gave it to preserve our heritage, our freedoms, and their families.
So many things in our society get watered down and lose their true meaning. Humbly it is up to us, those that know, to teach those that don't.
May your Memorial Day be one that is respectful and meaningful. A day to remember the fallen.
I've known a few that aren't with us anymore. I know a few that have commanded those that fell and allot that serve. I ask, what do you want to do on Memorial day? They tell me BBQ and beers, stories of good times so I listen and share the time with them doing what they asked. I don't tell people what to do, I just asked. They did the job for me and I asked what they wanted, they said smiles, laughs and a BBQ with friends. Anything's good for me, the last thing I want to do is piss somebody off when it's important to then. Nobody asked for tears and silence.
I don't think anyone is asking for tears and silence either but we're just trying to remind people what this holiday IS. Some don't have BBQ's and laughs. But they live it everyday too. Enjoy how you see fit but also remember those who gave all so you can.
Everyone has their own way of honoring/grieving those that never came home and by letting your friends choose, you honor them as well as those that were lost. You're a great friend!
Remembrance of those who never came home and celebration of those lives are not exclusive of each other. Celebrating their lives and the way they lived is just as honorable and important as mourning their death.
The important thing to remember is, "to remember".
ok
i am hoping pops is still with you if so give him a hug from me and my family and tell him how proud we are of him. And let him know most Americans are proud of him
My pops was also in WWII but he is no longer with us, he was in the Navy CB’s
SSG Jose Rangel passed away in Kuwait during our train-up to head into Iraq in January 2005. I had known him for at least 5 years. Not a day went by that we didn't have a conversation together. We would usually ask about each other's families and talk about what we would do at retirement.
He left behind a wife and 3 kids.
He was a cool bro.
He left behind a wife and 3 kids.
He was a cool bro.
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Mine passed just over a year ago but I’d like to he’s sitting with his buddies having a toast and talking about their families.
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I flew the Navy S-3 Viking for 12 years. Too many heroes lost.
This Memorial Day I am honoring my fallen classmates from 71st Company Infantry OCS Class 20-67. They will never be forgotten, Rest In Peace Brothers.
2Lt Douglas Moyer 12/11/67 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/35530/DOUGLAS-I-MOYER/
2Lt Ronald Siengo 12/25/67 4th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/47417/RONALD-J-SIENGO/
2Lt Peter Wood 1/20/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/57178/PETER-L-WOOD/
2Lt Harry Mosher 2/01/68 9th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/35427/HARRY-V-MOSHER/
2Lt Spencer Powers 2/08/68 4th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/41521/SPENCER-B-POWERS-JR/
2Lt David Young 3/15/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/57826/DAVID-R-YOUNG-JR/
1Lt Louis Hamil 3/27/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/20933/LOUIS-W-HAMIL/
1Lt Michael Rose 3/29/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/44477/MICHAEL-A-ROSE/
1Lt Joseph Neal 7/31/68 101st Airborne Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/37461/JOSEPH-E-NEAL/
Capt Charles Chandler 4/26/69 1st Cavalry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/8681/CHARLES-W-CHANDLER/
Capt Chris Roediger 10/08/69 101st Airborne Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/44179/CHRISS-L-ROEDIGER/
Capt Steven Whisenant 2/09/71 101st Airborne Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/55530/STEPHEN-L-WHISENANT/
2Lt Frank Rybak 1/05/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/45089/FRANCIS-P-RYBAK/
2Lt Jerry Novakovich 2/09/68 4th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/38194/JERRY-A-NOVAKOVICH/
2Lt Douglas Moyer 12/11/67 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/35530/DOUGLAS-I-MOYER/
2Lt Ronald Siengo 12/25/67 4th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/47417/RONALD-J-SIENGO/
2Lt Peter Wood 1/20/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/57178/PETER-L-WOOD/
2Lt Harry Mosher 2/01/68 9th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/35427/HARRY-V-MOSHER/
2Lt Spencer Powers 2/08/68 4th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/41521/SPENCER-B-POWERS-JR/
2Lt David Young 3/15/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/57826/DAVID-R-YOUNG-JR/
1Lt Louis Hamil 3/27/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/20933/LOUIS-W-HAMIL/
1Lt Michael Rose 3/29/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/44477/MICHAEL-A-ROSE/
1Lt Joseph Neal 7/31/68 101st Airborne Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/37461/JOSEPH-E-NEAL/
Capt Charles Chandler 4/26/69 1st Cavalry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/8681/CHARLES-W-CHANDLER/
Capt Chris Roediger 10/08/69 101st Airborne Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/44179/CHRISS-L-ROEDIGER/
Capt Steven Whisenant 2/09/71 101st Airborne Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/55530/STEPHEN-L-WHISENANT/
2Lt Frank Rybak 1/05/68 25th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/45089/FRANCIS-P-RYBAK/
2Lt Jerry Novakovich 2/09/68 4th Infantry Division https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/38194/JERRY-A-NOVAKOVICH/
My Grandfathers, both WW2 vets.
Both my grandfathers came home from WW2. My Father and Uncle came home from Vietnam.
I was born inside the Capital Beltway. I count myself thankful.
Both my grandfathers came home from WW2. My Father and Uncle came home from Vietnam.
I was born inside the Capital Beltway. I count myself thankful.
Went to pay respects to family on my mother's side. Seeing all the flags was kind of somber.
Again this isn't a Slam on anyone. Celebrate today as you see fit.
I know if I hadn't made it home I'd want my friends and family to celebrate my life.
I know if I hadn't made it home I'd want my friends and family to celebrate my life.
My father and my Uncle were both in WWII. My uncle flew with the British prior to the US involvement in WWII in the Battle of Britain and with the Army Air Corps after that. He flew a variety of planes during his time in the war including his favorite the P47 Thunderbolt. He made over 200 flights over enemy territory during the war in Europe.
My father went in as an officer in the Marines and was stationed at Pearl Harbor on November 16th 1940. He became part of the Admirals Detail and coded and decoded messages and forward intelligence reports. He was on the Enterprise, Yorktown and Lexington during the war in the Pacific. He left Pearl on the 5th of December with a training task force... he was on the Enterprise and decoded the initial messages at about 8:04 am on the 7th. They were told to seek out the Japanese fleet believed to be Northwest of the Islands. That order was later changed as the carrier group was not outfitted to carry out that mission.
Later he served on the Yorktown and was a gunner in addition to his position with the Admiral. He had a front starboard station with a .50/20mm gun . The Yorktown was hit at the "Battle of Coral Sea" and the US let the Japanese believe it was sunk. It limped back to Pearl Harbor with no escorts other than a submarine. They fixed the ship and it was back at sea in 3 days...... only to be lost at Midway. My father was given the choice to leave with the Admiral when the Yorktown survived the second wave however he didn't and stayed until the abandon ship order was given. He was in the water with sharks taking sailors down for nearly 4 hours.
He had one more ship based battle at Guadalcanal then, requested to enter flight training. He graduated flight training 6 month later (he knew how to fly prior to the war) and was stationed on several Islands as we moved toward Japan. He flew F4U Corsairs and the P61 Black Widow toward the end of the war in air support, escort and night fighting roles. I have my father's flight logs from the war and he flew just about every plane assigned to the Navy or Marines during this time.
My father would never go to Hawaii and my uncle never went back to England or Europe. This was about the only residual effects of war I saw growing up. My mom told me of the stuff I didn't see however. He dealt with a lot of PTSD before it was called that.
My Uncle was born in 1920 and my Father in 1918. My dad died in 2014 and my uncle in 2016. Both lived long lives after the war... both were lucky and instilled in me the meaning of this day.
Gods speed Pops and Uncle Bill....
My father went in as an officer in the Marines and was stationed at Pearl Harbor on November 16th 1940. He became part of the Admirals Detail and coded and decoded messages and forward intelligence reports. He was on the Enterprise, Yorktown and Lexington during the war in the Pacific. He left Pearl on the 5th of December with a training task force... he was on the Enterprise and decoded the initial messages at about 8:04 am on the 7th. They were told to seek out the Japanese fleet believed to be Northwest of the Islands. That order was later changed as the carrier group was not outfitted to carry out that mission.
Later he served on the Yorktown and was a gunner in addition to his position with the Admiral. He had a front starboard station with a .50/20mm gun . The Yorktown was hit at the "Battle of Coral Sea" and the US let the Japanese believe it was sunk. It limped back to Pearl Harbor with no escorts other than a submarine. They fixed the ship and it was back at sea in 3 days...... only to be lost at Midway. My father was given the choice to leave with the Admiral when the Yorktown survived the second wave however he didn't and stayed until the abandon ship order was given. He was in the water with sharks taking sailors down for nearly 4 hours.
He had one more ship based battle at Guadalcanal then, requested to enter flight training. He graduated flight training 6 month later (he knew how to fly prior to the war) and was stationed on several Islands as we moved toward Japan. He flew F4U Corsairs and the P61 Black Widow toward the end of the war in air support, escort and night fighting roles. I have my father's flight logs from the war and he flew just about every plane assigned to the Navy or Marines during this time.
My father would never go to Hawaii and my uncle never went back to England or Europe. This was about the only residual effects of war I saw growing up. My mom told me of the stuff I didn't see however. He dealt with a lot of PTSD before it was called that.
My Uncle was born in 1920 and my Father in 1918. My dad died in 2014 and my uncle in 2016. Both lived long lives after the war... both were lucky and instilled in me the meaning of this day.
Gods speed Pops and Uncle Bill....
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