The noted writer Shelby Foote, said that even while looking across that wide expanse at Gettysburg it was unthinkable that a soldier would say, "Marse Robert, I ain't gonna go..." Such is the power of a great leader. Compassion, loyalty, sense of duty and knowing that said leader will lead from the front and not the rear inspire those that will follow.

Thank you and all the other service men and women for your service to our great nation!

Just hang on. The liberal revisionist historians will vilify R.E. Lee just like they have Columbus and G. Washington. They probably have already, I just haven't read their trash.

Good post, Dave. I'll bet there are a few men of that character who post here since there are more than a few veterans.

You hit the nail squarely on the head with that one Dave. Been there done that for 20 years.

Now please answer my earlier ? about how Barnes triple X's performed in your bullistic buffalo. I had given up on Barnes until you wrote triple X's up a year or so back. Now they are all I shoot for hunting.

Great post Dave. I posted on the answers section earlier a comment about how very few teens respect memorial day anymore. We need people to step up.

Nate

Spent my Memorial Day weekend at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis. On Friday May 22nd, my cousin became a 2nd Lt. in the United States Marine Corps. The weekend was absolutely indescribable. My uncle is a career Marine, now a Master Gunny. He was the first enlisted man to salute my cousin, a moment that had all of us in tears. The absolute coolest though was later that afternoon. A friend of my uncle's stopped by. They had been best friends out in California and had done a WestPac float together. This friend gives my cousin a standard issue plastic canteen. Inside was sand from the beach of Iwo Jima. For about a minute, all of us got real quiet. Finally, some one raised a glass to the Marines that died on the dirt in the jar. It was about as surreal and solemn a moment as I have ever been a part of.

I guess things like that are what amaze me. The brotherhood. Those guys don't just throw around "Semper Fi" lightly. It will likely go down as one of the most memorable Memorial Day weekends in my life.

After I had completed my "tour of duty" relatives had asked me the same thing about what I got out of being in the military. Frankly, I didn't think much of it then..just happy to get out once my enlistment was up!
I guess I wanted to be part of America with a military backround on my Resume` placed under "human experience" which no one can take away. I hope serving made me a better person, or at least better appreciate our way of life in America.
They say Salvation comes from within, I pray all the sacrifices Americans are making around the World helps in achieving that goal in all of us.

Great post DEP, thank you.
Freedom is not free. The price of freedom is and always has been blood. Here's to any who gave theirs.

As I always say.
"Remember the fallen, Thank the living"
To all the vets: THANK YOU !!!!!!!!
TO Mr. Petzal, Mine was a Lt. Commander/later Commander on the U.S.S Nimitz.

I live in a tiny town and every year we put the flags up to line the streets and have a small parade. The kids all love to see the firetrucks and ambulance and the antique vehicles go by, but for me the day is complete when the military guys,old and young, march by and at the end of the street the honor guard touch off a few rounds. I've seen it all so many times before as have all the folks in our town, but whenever I look around I see a lot of people casually wipe away the tears. We have it all only because so many have risked it all. Never forget them: always respect them.

I have had a healthy respect for Memorial day since I was very young. My Dad was in the combat engineers in Viet Nam, and every year he took some time with his boys and talked to us about a few of his experiences and sacrifices- and his friends that never came back home, and the ones that checked out after they came back. It was really one of the few times each year he would open up to us about his time over there, and it was always an intense and emotional time. I have never served myself, but often find myself in a stream of conciousness- wondering if I should have or still might. I can appreciate fist hand what a family can sacrifice having a father, mother, son, etc. go to fight for our country, even though I was born several years after he had come home. There is no greater sector of Americans for which I have greater appreciation or respect for than the men and women that give up so much to give us so much. Thank you.

As has been said many times before, Reguarding our troops, Stand behind them or stand in front of them!! Great read, good work.

Great post Dave. Even though the majority of us were mere lads when we served our country, to be sure, none of us has forgotten the pride we felt then and the understanding now of the importance of what we did back then and the appreciation for those who went before us and those who came after. May we never forget.........

It was a good Memorial Day. I was in our towns parade, (as ever, I love a parade)riding my retrostyled electric scooter festooned with flags. Cap'n Collier was MC and gave a good speech and the Scouts were the color guard. As I have mentioned before I was USAF and served in the ROK back in the 70's. I am known to say I learned how to drink heavily, sleep anywhere and tell "War Stories" of the no poop there I was variety from being in the military. Now it seems the North Koreans want to dance again. McArthur cleaned their clocks last time, then the Chinese crossed the Yalu and so...I can testify that Korean Soldiers (North or South) are nobody to dance with.
Frankly , as we spent so many billions on anti missile lazers in big jet aircraft I tend to think if the "Dear Leaders" missileers decide to "test" their Nodong and Typodong ballistic missiles we should "test" our lazer plane and thank 'em for providing target drones. They may have "The Bomb" but if they can't launch it, how will they deliver it? Admittedly Seoul would be in the most danger, but any nuclear exchange at all would be disastrous for humanity. We just can't let it happen and should deploy any available technology to shut it down. Saddam's Bomb was bulldada, The "Dear Leaders" bomb is real, they just tested it the other day.
Will we be talking Korean War II this time next year? I hope not, I certainly hope not.

Memorial Day is a tough one. It is a somber reminder that these United States are bigger than us and worth more than our own cherished lives and the lives of our comrades. Ultimately, if we did not believe that as citizens and parents of children and brothers, we would never have gone ourselves, or allowed them to go. Sometimes the lives of our buddies and sons, daughters and mothers and fathers are taken as a sacrifice for the rest of the nation. Whatever the conflict and whether we thought it was or was not worthwhile, we remember and live for and love always those service members killed. In Memoriam: LCPL Holloway, LCPL Rodriguez, Capt. Morrel, brother Marines, and PFC Benjamin "Tex" Christensen (10th MTN Division, KIA northern Italy 1945), my namesake whom I never was destined to meet.

David, For me it was a Coast Guard Commander named Frank Barnett, who was the captain of the Coast Guard Cutter McCulloch during the 1st exodus across the Florida Straits from Cuba during 1965-66. The McCulloch was awarded a unit citation for its efforts as on-scene command and our captain was the reason. Someone in the same mold as Dick Winters; different service, different time.

I only have two words: Bill Heavey.

I have served 20 years in the Air Force, and I have been a flight engineer for the last 17 or so. I don't spend much time at home, and I don't hunt or fish as much as I would like to, but I just re-enlisted for another 5 years. Most people I know don't understand why I continue on when I could be drawing a pension, or slacking-off and letting the younger guys go on deployments in my place. I enjoy getting out there and doing the mission, moving the cargo and people.
I have been blessed with three squadron commanders to include the one I serve under now, whom I would "take that hill with a toothpick" if he told me to go. Some leaders you just want to follow, no matter the circumstances.
Some officers are leaders but some are managers, we need both, but not in the top positions.
Managers make sure the squares get filled and the money doesn't run out until the end of the year.
Leaders take care of the people so the people can take care of the mission.
So many commanders could do so much better if they would just give the people a vision, clear away the obstacles, then get out of the way and let them at it. This would turn loose the creativity and resourcefulness of the people, and they will get the mission done.

I served for six yrs in the U.S. Army and it is true, I know i would have died for every man in my squad no doubt about it. One of the biggest things with friends in the military is that i have stayed in contact with them and we still try to get together when we can to drink cold beer and tell stories, it never gets old. After reading the blog Mr. Petzal posted i realize that the things i learned and the people i met dont have much of a comparison to the same in the civilian life. Most people hear the word comrodary and think they know what it means, you may, but its completely different when you go through tuff times with your brothers in arms!

@ Carney

No apology necessary, as I took no offense nor considered it disrespectful. I guess I was just wondering if you knew something about our Mr. Heavey that we don't! LOL

Best regards,
WMH

WMH,

All I know about Heavey is what he writes; that he didn't finish whatever survival of the fittest experiment that he was going to do last year; that he hooked himself in the head while trying to impress some chick and that he's been known to sleep in women's underwear -- there's an artist's rendering that you probably don't want to see in some past issue of F&S...

After my all expense paid vacation in Southeast Asia in 1970 and spec ops following that, I lost my desire for hunting for many years. I can't explain it, nor did I ever try. I hunted as a youth and now enjoy hunting and the outdoors more than ever, but I have slept on the ground in a tent exactly twice since 1976 and won't again anytime soon unless the only option is sleeping on the ground WITHOUT a tent.

luthermartin, In the 23years In ,have never been out of uniform due to respect for what it stands for . Always try to show respect especially to the younger troops.Wrote an article to one magazine about the new Army Greensand even today my Greens are in the closet ready to put on at a moments notice. Done so out of respect , no matter how I felt. No protestby disgracing the uniform. If the order of the day was slieves down in 120* weather, it was slieves down.