1 William Bela Solyom, Pilot, 1951. Son of a Hungarian immigrant that left conflict only to find it here, too.

2 PS. First on my first post! Long-time lurker.

3

Was at the wedding of a friend's daughter yesterday.  Her husband (now in law school) had been a USMC Captain.  The groom's father mentioned his son's education; University of Michigan, Georgetown, Fallujah, Sadr City.

The groom wore civilian clothes, but he, and some of his groomsmen wore their medals on their coats.  Three of his friends still in the Corps (and all captains) formed an honor guard as the new couple  walked back down the aisle from the altar.  Hair cut high and tight; in  dress USMC uniforms looking impossibly thin and fit.  These young captains  are from a universe alien to most of us.  I'm almost 70 and did my little military bit in my time--as did most of my friends--some of whom did not come home.   In that regard, this is not a better time for our country.  That generation of politicians which served in the military and had some understanding of it are largely dead and or  dying.  We wind up with Obozos who just don't understand.

4 Today Grimmy and I will drink shots to fallen friends, and tell thier stories. Call the ones who are around. Maybe tell dad thanks for his service too. Damn I miss my grandads.

5 Joel Korkowski, remembered.

6 A SOLDIERS PRAYER

Brave warriors,
should fate find us in battle,
May our cause be just.
May our leaders have clear vision.
May our courage not falter.
May we be triumphant an earn victory
as we show mercy to our enemies.
May our efforts bring lasting peace.
May our sacrifice be always
appreciated by those we serve.
May we return to our loved ones unharmed.
Should we be harmed, may our wounds heal.
Should we perish in the struggle,
may God embrace us and find for us
a place in His Kingdom.

7 Dave, I am glad your father came back.  Too many of my friends and comrades did not.  I still can't face the wall.

8 Dave, was he is 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry of the Air Cav?

9 Mike's dad, not mine. My dad was a sailor. Sonar Operator 3rd Class, USN, Korea.

10

 

It humbles me that men and women stand ready to die to protect my freedom and my life.  I'm sure I don't deserve them.

 

I'm grateful for those 'that gave all'. 

 

11

"The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."  -Abraham Lincoln

 

 

I don't think anyone ever said it better. I honor all  of   those who gave all.

12 In memory of the pilot flying with my dad in 1964 a month before I was born, an event further shaping his life:

http://www.virtualwall.org/dk/KellyCL01a.htm

13 God bless those who gave everything

14 Private Richard Murray, Lyndon Station, Wisconsin. Died at Bataan. The book "Apocalypse Undone" is dedicated to him.

15 Re-posted from the dead thread: Any of you Vietnam Veterans recognize this place? http://tinyurl.com/pnkv6e9 My Dad's memory is shot from dementia. I showed him the photo 48 years after he was last there and he still remembered the place! I imagine it was a popular spot to visit.

16 I honor them.....though their sacrifice be in vain. At least half of the country does not want nor deserve freedom, and is happily marching themselves down the path to slavery. And they want to take us with them. Which soldier wants to be the next to die for Occupy Wall Street?

17 Fallen heroes:  You served with honor, may you rest in peace.

18 My two favorite quotes and, I think, wholly appropriate for today: It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. Sir Winston Churchill

19 Sammy was my best friends brother. Way older than us. Born in 1946. He kept us safe on treacherous streets. Always looking out for us. In 1963 he joined the Army. Sammy was a super marksman and was soon an adviser in South Vietnam. He went to Saigon on leave and a shoe shine boy pulled a .45 from his box and shot Sammy and his buddy.

20 It's Memorial Day.... this day we remember those who gave all Thank you, Google, for going all out again on this day.

21 In Flanders Fields, by John McCrae In Flanders field the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky the larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead, Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loves and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torce; be yours to hold it high If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

22 to Jerry T. dead at nineteen in I Corps.  Had he lived, he would have had a good life.

23 My cousin who enlisted because...that's what you do.

Gary James Fiedler Private First Class
B CO, 2ND BN, 506TH INFANTRY, 101ST ABN DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
August 17, 1950 to April 05, 1971

Quang Tri Province

24 Phu Tai was mostly Signal Corps; near An Khe, IIRC, which was a larger post


you should look into what units were at An Khe, because a lot of guys were in and out of there.

25 JEF laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns is a travesty.

26 Fred Witzigman, Army, Battle of the Bulge. 5 Purple Hearts. Medic.

27 For those Morons who have a smartphone, Arlington National Cemetery has a nifty app called ANC Explorer which will allow you to find any grave marker in the cemetery - and will display an image of the marker too.

28 My Dad lost his brother aboard the USS Franklin in WWII. Dad was a fighter pilot and his brother a radioman. In one of those things that happen in real life, but would strike you as too hokey in a movie, Dad's squadron was changing locations and happened to fly directly over the Franklin as it limped home to Hawaii. Dad could see from the damage that the bomb had hit directly above the ship's communication center and knew in that moment that his brother, his only sibling, was dead. For those you who are interested in such things, there's a terrific book about the heroes who survived the horror of the Franklin called "Inferno" by a guy named Springer. It includes testimony from the survivors. And those with Amazon Prime can see a documentary about the Franklin for free.

29 27 For those Morons who have a smartphone, Arlington National Cemetery has a nifty app called ANC Explorer which will allow you to find any grave marker in the cemetery - and will display an image of the marker too. Posted by: Sean Bannion at May 27, 2013 11:33 AM (ByVVh) I was using that the other day. Fairly accurate, but not entirely. One entry had birth date and death date 7 months apart, but the info on the headstone itself didn't match that.

30

24

Some more info.

http://grambo.us/rose/rose.htm 

31 I posted about my dad today.  A small post of three photos as it gives you an image of the soldier that was killed as well as what he left behind.  May we never forget.  My dad was Captain David P. Gibson KIA April 8, 1967

32 jennifer, the link in your name isn't working.

33 OK. 

A tears all a round.


http://tinyurl.com/q5nghds

34 is it just me or is the Pres kind of rambling..?

35 34 is it just me or is the Pres kind of rambling..?

Posted by: mallfly at May 27, 2013 11:43 AM (jDjlM)

He sounds flat....unemotional.

36 Had to put a movie on.  Can't stand that the JEF is at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

37 God bless all who fell in the line of duty.  Even if we don't know your names, you are always, always in our hearts.   Thank you for your service and your sacrifice, and may you rest in peace. 

38 Cpl. Arthur Castillo, Southern California surfer and only son.  Killed at Binh Duong, South Vietnam in November 1969 at age 19.  Thank you for your sacrifice.

39 JEF laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns is a travesty.


Word.  He defiles that place.

40 Here's Jennifers link for #31 http://doublenickelfarm.blogspot.com/

41 LT Patrick Kelly Connor, USN, UNC NROTC class of 1987, was shot down and killed in his A-6 Intruder in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. His name is on his headstone in Arlington, and also on the side of the A-6 displayed aboard the USS Yorktown in Charleston. He was quick-witted and funny, an avid soccer player, varsity crew, an outstanding leader and a great friend. I miss him.

42 William B. Solyom, the link this time. Learning, slowly.

43 Jerry "DaveinTexas" USN. SO3. Korea. 1931 - 2012.

44 If Obama takes this opportunity to apologise for ordering Marines to hold his umbrella, and to promise not to humiliate our troops again; then I'll accept his presence at the Tomb.

But he's not doing that, so his presence here is hypocritical.

45 @MikeTally73 doesn't exist on twitter

46 If war came up, every veteran I met growing up would without any hint of insincerity say something like "All the heroes are dead. I was lucky." Took decades to really appreciate that. "Lucky" in war is a profoundly relative term.

47 I know the difference between Veterans Day and Memorial Day, but I thought I'd share this:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/nqr6g6o

It's  a brief mention  about the POWs of Stalag 17b.  I got a chance to meet these guys earlier this month, and it's the next closest thing I can think of to making the ultimate sacrifice.  I can't tell you what it's like to shake the hands of these men, only that it far exceeds any encounter I've ever had with any celebrity athlete, movie star or musician. 

48 You must be reading my mind, boulder. I'm sure my dad would be rolling over in his grave if new who TFG was, or that he was on the same soil. I couldn't stand to watch him for more than a minute, so i found a "how it's made" marathon on the science channel.

49 ...then I'll accept his presence at the Tomb. Words from Prez Say-Stuff? I'd rather send him thru basic so that he could get qualified on his own umbrella.

50 40 Here's Jennifers link for #31
http://doublenickelfarm.blogspot.com/

Posted by: Beto at May 27, 2013 11:51 AM (MhA4j)

Wow!  Six children.....5, 4 and 4, 3, 2 and infant.  I cannot even imagine.

Bless your father, Jennifer....and your mother.

51 44 @MikeTally73 doesn't exist on twitter

Posted by: Evil Bob's Left Testie at May 27, 2013 12:05 PM (GrtrJ)

I think it's suppose to be @MikeTalley73.

52 31 -

Thank you for sharing.  God bless you, your family, and your father. 

53 In regards to my dads unit, yes 1st squadron, 9th cav 1st Cav division. And yes my twitter handle is @miketalley73

54 Thanks, Tami.

55 Thank you for helping with my link...and thank you for your kind comments.  I am so saddened that other young families are experiencing what my family has lived with.  If I could share one thing to help those today, it would be that it does get easier and one sees life with a bit more clarity.

As a wife and mom~especially as a mom of a soldier that returned from Afghanistan, I am more aware of the worst case scenario and strive to make each moment the best, you know, just in case it is our last moment.

I live daily working hard to cherish my husband as my mom was not as fortunate to have a marriage that would be as long as mine-nearly 25 years in August(mom and dad did not make it to 7 years).

I regret only that I have never made it to the Wall.  Someday I pray I can.

Thank you for sharing each and every year about those that have paid the ultimate price, as it is a debt we as a nation all carry.

56

One thing I would like to point out about Vietnam, and it was never just about Vietnam, is that the enemy those men met that day were not Viet Cong guerillas; they were North Vietnamese Army regulars.

The Viet Cong in South Vietnam and the Pathet Lao in Laos were just fronts for the NVA. In spite of people like Christopher Hitchens, who claimed until his dying day that Vietnam was a civil war, it was not. It was an invasion of both Laos and South Vietnam by the army of Ho Chi Minh. It was directed from North Vietnam and was aided and abetted by the Soviet Union and the Peoples Republic of China.

The NVA used guerilla tactics when it had to, but it used conventional tactics when it thought it could get away with it. Tet 1968 was an example of the NVA trying to use conventional warfare tactics. It failed. Four years later, in the spring of 1972, the NVA came back to South Vietnam in an conventional warfare invasion. That time they brought along SA-2 and SA-7 missiles, provided by the Soviet Union, of course, to give their ground troops some air cover from US airpower. There were almost no US troops on the ground in 1972; certainly, there were no US combat troops on the ground. With the help of US airpower, the ARVN defeated the NVA once again. That invasion ended with the bombing of Hanoi by US air power, including B-52s, in December 1972. That action resulted in the release of US POWs (and remains) and, for a short time, a respite from the NVA. But only while they rebuilt their forces.

Following the US sellout of the South Vietnamese by Congressional Democrats, the NVA once again invaded South Vietnam and that time they succeeded. They also succeeded in Laos for the same reason: sellout.

While the US sat on the sidelines the Soviet Union and the PRC rearmed the NVA and that is what won the day for Ho Chi Minh's minions.

So. Yes, it was a sacrifice on the part of American forces. But it was not in vain. Quite a few years ago now, I heard the then president of Singapore state that because of US intervention in the NVA invasion of South Vietnam and Laos, it gave the rest of Southeast Asia time to develop a defense against North Vietnam. So far, the defense still holds.

57 Here.

58 I served with a VF squadron on A/C carriers during 68-69-70 on the other side of the world from VN. I lost friends there, though. I still hate communists.