Today We Honor

"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation." - President George Washington

The day begins with gnats biting at their faces while they stand in formation awaiting the days orders. It is in the same early morning light of a hot and humid place that they train. The long ruck marches through the lifting fog only to meet up with the blistering sun.

These are the men and women of our military who train and prepare while we make our morning coffee. As the rush hour traffic frustrates our commute, two or more hours have passed for military personnel. In fact, the military never sleeps in protecting our ability to wave a flag, argue left or right, and dance our nights away.

I have known many that served their country. Some were once young, others are still young. All them of them, proud and brave. Their names are not in the great books and movies we each have read or watched. There are no statues bearing their likeness in the town square nor portraits upon the walls of government buildings.

Yet each one remains as brave and heroic as any medal given.

Each of them served during time of war.
Each of them I respect and admire.
Each of them are my heroes.

Ralph Gale: WW-I
Lawrence Primm: WW-II
Paul Schmidt: WW-II
Arnold Gale: WW-II / Korean
Jerry Perkins: Vietnam
Gerald Primm: Vietnam
John Primm: Vietnam
Roy Carter: Vietnam
Brian Smalley: Gulf War I
Joseph Schmidt: Gulf War I
Daniel Primm: Iraq

And there are many others that would fill days upon days to honor each and everyone. Many that served during times of conflict and during times of peace. Each placing their lives into service of others. And many more that gave their life in defense, honor and service to our country.

Today we honor those that train in the early morning fog. We honor those that protect our freedoms. We honor those that have sacrificed so that others may live in freedom. On this day, Memorial Day in the United States we remember the men and women who died while serving in our country's armed forces.

Thank you brave and gallant warriors. Thank you for each and every moment given.

Stay inspired my friends.

Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr

The Martin Luther King Memorial. Credit: Charles Dharapak/AP



"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." -Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Sunday, August 28, 2011 a memorial will be dedicated in Washington, D.C. It is a memorial inspired from Rev. King's "I Have a Dream" speech, "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope."

There is the inevitable controversy that surrounds any major project of which I'm not going to go back over. The memorial is here and it stands as a great reminder of what our great country has come through. And while we still struggle today with racial equality and understanding, a change occurred those many years ago.

I have to think Reverend King would be pleased that we continue to talk to each other. He would be glad to know that we keep constructing the path he started to lay for all of us. While his dream is not completely fulfilled, he opened that hole in the wall which divided us. It is through this opening that we continue the dialog. It is through this opening that we reach out to each other.

Our differences in race, religion and ideology will continue to try and tear us apart as humans. We must continue to fight any efforts to close the wall of difference and divide us again. We must continue to work at tearing down forever that wall for all peoples.

On August 28, 1963, standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. a dream was revealed. The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream which continues to inspire today. Dream our dreams, but we must act upon those dreams and one day all will realize those dreams.

Memorial Day

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." ~General George S. Patton

In 1865, Henry C. Welles, a druggist in the village of Waterloo, NY, mentioned at a social gathering that honor should be shown to the patriotic dead of the Civil War by decorating their graves.

In the Spring of 1866, he again mentioned this subject to General John B. Murray, Seneca County Clerk. General Murray embraced the idea and a committee was formulated to plan a day devoted to honoring the dead.

Townspeople adopted the idea wholeheartedly. Wreaths, crosses and bouquets were made for each veteran's grave. The village was decorated with flags at half mast and draped with evergreen boughs and mourning black streamers.

On May 5, 1866, civic societies joined the procession to the three existing cemeteries and were led by veterans marching to martial music. At each cemetery there were impressive and lengthy services including speeches by General Murray and a local clergyman. The ceremonies were repeated on May 5, 1867.

The first official recognition of Memorial Day as such was issued by General John A. Logan, first commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. This was General Order No. 11 establishing "Decoration Day" as it was then known. The date of the order was May 5, 1868, exactly two years after Waterloo's first observance. That year Waterloo joined other communities in the nation by having their ceremony on May 30. (Story reprinted from Ancestry.com)

So what will you do today? You will relax, maybe go for a swim and grill out with family friends. But also take a few moments to remember those that have gone before you. Take a few moments to reflect.

Flanders Field

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Today we say thank you to those that have sacrificed their lives and to think of those that have and do serve.

In Flanders Fields -John McCrae, 1915

In Flanders fields 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,
Loved 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 torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.