Memorial Day

Jerry Bransford

Jerry Bransford

Too many arguments and personal attacks, I'm done.
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Below are a few personal thoughts about this coming Memorial Day.

Armed Forces Day is to celebrate those still in uniform.

Veterans Day is to celebrate those who served but are no longer in uniform.

Memorial Day is to remember our Veterans who never came home or have passed on. It is not a day of celebration, it is a day for remembrance. It is a time to remember with love those who served but never came home. So let us please not wish each other a "Happy Memorial Day", there is nothing happy about it.

I wish you wonderful loving memories for those in your lives who never came home.

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I have been in the below man's place at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. I ended up sobbing so hard I was shaking and more than a little embarrassed to have been like that in full view of the many around me. I want to go back but I'm almost afraid to experience that again.

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Jerry Bransford said:
Below are just a few personal thoughts about this Memorial Day.

Armed Forces Day is to celebrate those still in uniform.

Veterans Day is to celebrate those who served but are no longer in uniform.

Memorial Day is to remember our Veterans who never came home. It is not a day of celebration, it is a day for remembrance. It is a time to remember with love those who served but never came home. So let us please not wish each other a "Happy Memorial Day", there is nothing happy about it.

I wish you wonderful loving memories for those in your lives who never came home.

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I have been in the below man's place at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC. I ended up sobbing so hard I was shaking and more than a little embarrassed to have been like that in full view of the many around me. I want to go back but I'm almost afraid to experience that again.

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Great words Jerry!!!!!

I will get a picture of my youngest grandson from yesterday afternoon, little guys cub scout troop went to the National Cemetery in Chattanooga to place flags at every headstone!
 
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Memorial Day means something different to many people IMO. If you've lost someone close to you like family or close friends it's going to have a special meaning to you.
Then there are those who have served with someone who didn't make it home. I was LUCKY that all of my troops made it home from Iraq. Matter of fact I was the most seriously wounded. But I had friends in other units who didn't make it home. You'll always remember them and every Memorial Day is just a special way to remember them.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable weekend. Take a moment to think of all those who didn't make it back home to be a Mother or Father or Sister or Brother or Daughter or Son as they gave their life in defense of this country.
 
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The Missing Man Table

When you see the table of the ones who have not returned, this is what it means. Please take a moment to respect those it represents.

•The Cloth is White- symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to serve.

•The Single Red Rose- reminds us of the lives of these Americans, and their loved ones and friends who keep the faith, while seeking answers.

•The Yellow Ribbon- symbolizes our continued determination to account for them.

•A Slice of Lemon- reminds us of the bitter fate of those captured and missing in a foreign land.

•A Pinch of Salt- symbolizes the tears of our missing and their families who long for answers after decades of uncertainty.

•The Lighted Candle- reflects our hope for their return- Alive or Dead

•The Bible- represents the strength gained through faith in our country, Founded as One Nation Under God, to sustain those lost from our midst.

The Glass is Inverted- to symbolize their inability to share a toast.

•The Chair is Empty- They Are Missing.
 
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Another for Memorial Day.... My dad's cousin, Bill "Billy" Bransford was an important man in my young life, he was like a favorite highly loved uncle of mine. He retired out of the US Army after serving in WWII, Korea, and (unbeknownst to me until after he passed) in Vietnam too in its earliest days.

Billy was a highly decorated soldier with at least one Purple Heart as well as earning the Silver Star in Korea where he received a battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant. Quite a story, I found a copy of his original Silver Star nomination a few years ago. I never knew if he'd show up at our house to visit while wearing his MSgt. stripes or his oak leafs as a Major (Reserve).

Bill also drove quite a distance to see me the day before I left for Vietnam in 1969. He took me on a long walk to talk but mainly to give me the basics of staying alive in a combat zone. I never forgot that he did that for me.

Quite a man, it's this time of year when I especially think of him.

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Jerry Bransford said:
Another for Memorial Day.... My dad's cousin, Bill "Billy" Bransford was an important man in my young life, he was like a favorite highly loved uncle of mine. He retired out of the US Army after serving in WWII, Korea, and (unbeknownst to me until after he passed) in Vietnam too in its earliest days.

Billy was a highly decorated soldier with at least one Purple Heart as well as earning the Silver Star in Korea where he received a battlefield commission to 2nd Lieutenant. Quite a story, I found a copy of his original Silver Star nomination a few years ago. I never knew if he'd show up at our house to visit while wearing his MSgt. stripes or his oak leafs as a Major (Reserve).

Bill also drove quite a distance to see me the day before I left for Vietnam in 1969. He took me on a long walk to talk but mainly to give me the basics of staying alive in a combat zone. I never forgot that he did that for me.

Quite a man, it's this time of year when I especially think of him.

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I saw a thing on Linkedin the other day that at the current pace of land mine removal it will take 1100 years to remove the rest. I couldn't imagine dealing with them under gunfire. That's crazy to me.
 
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