Memorial Day – Lest We Forget

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Always Faithful, Doberman, Military Working Dog, MWD, World War II Memorial, War Dog Cemetery located on Navel Base Guam - Courtesy of PhotoDropper

Always Faithful, Doberman, Military Working Dog, MWD, World War II Memorial, War Dog Cemetery located on Navel Base Guam – Photo © by Beverly & Pack – Courtesy of PhotoDropper

I remember when my father passed away in 1999. He was a WWII Veteran. They paid tribute to him by presenting a 21-gun salute and playing taps at his funeral. It was a moving ceremony for my sister and me. I know he would have been honored.

Lest we forget, I pray I will always remember him and those who have given so much to keep us safe and free.

Thank you to those who have served and for those who continue to serve.

GOD BLESS YOU!

With gratitude, I appreciate the gift of freedom and the beauty we can still enjoy today.

PLEASE, LET ME NOT FORGET!

Happy Memorial Day!

Pat at the ol’ kitchen table

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35 thoughts on “Memorial Day – Lest We Forget”

  1. Pingback: Memorial Day – Lest We Forget | Plain Talk and Ordinary Wisdom | the old blogatorium page

  4. This is for all of the men and women that served in the armed forces. I will never forget their bravery. They have made it possible for me to live in a free country America The Beautiful, I wrote the following for them and for your father.

    FREEDOM

    They go by air and by sea to a foreign land

    The heat and the dust burns their skin

    They go not to fight but to lend a hand

    In their hearts they carry freedom on their shoulders

    They carry weapons in their eyes you can see honor

    They leave behind their wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,

    Aunts, uncles, cousins, girlfriends, boyfriends, the safety of their home, their jobs, home

    cooked meals, holidays with their family and friends, seeing the birth of their children.

    They follow in the foot steps of their ancestors before them, many will not return, but

    they will persevere and in the end their honor and bravery, and the freedom they carry in

    their hearts will rise up. The ones that have gone before them and have not returned are

    there beside them shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart reminding them that freedom is not

    free. So this holiday season when you are celebrating with family and friends doing the

    things you are free to do, in your heart honor the men and women who have

    made that possible for you.

    Reply ↓

    • This is beautiful, Patricia. War is horrible and will never be any different. The only change we can make is in our hearts. The soldiers face that choice daily in sacrifice by putting their lives out there. It’s not perfect but I pray one day there will be more peace than war. Thank you for sharing and remembering with me in writing this poem. 🙂

      Reply ↓

        • Hello Patricia,

          I have read the beautiful poem that you wrote on that special Veteran’s Day and I really loved it. That was a very beautiful homage that you gave through it, and which confirms how our Veterans, through the harsh experiences they have been living around the horrors of World War II, have really understood the power of life much more than anyone else.

          We mustn’t either forget the recent troops who are actually fighting to put back things in order in some endangered countries, who are involved into war in Afghanistan, in Syria, in Irak, who succeeded into putting back peace in Sarajevo and in Vietnam, and who helped greatly into the capture and neutralisation of some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists who endangered the whole humanity with their insane practices and influences.

          I am from the Republic of Mauritius, a small island located in the Indian Ocean. Even in my country, there have been a lot of volunteers who left everything behind them to help for the World War II (source: https://mymoris.mu/en/world-war-veterans/) and they are regularly given a homage for the bravery they showed for having illustrated themselves in the World War II to help defeating against the enemies, while serving at the same time for the British Army since Mauritius was an ex-British colony before being proclaimed independent on the 12th March 1968.

          There is a contemporary song that I really love from swedish DJ Avicii, Hey Brother, where he describes the feelings of two brothers whose father perished during the war. It’s a modern song but really worth to listen and which I would like to dedicate to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cp6mKbRTQY and here are the lyrics of that wonderful song:

          “Hey Brother”
          (Brother / Sister)

          Hey brother, there’s an endless road to re-discover.
          Hey sister, know the water’s sweet but blood is thicker.
          Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,
          There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.

          Hey brother, do you still believe in one another?
          Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?
          Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,
          There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.

          What if I’m far from home?
          Oh, brother I will hear you call.
          What if I lose it all?
          Oh, sister I will help you out!
          Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,
          There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.

          Hey brother, there’s an endless road to re-discover.
          Hey sister, do you still believe in love, I wonder?
          Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,
          There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.

          What if I’m far from home?
          Oh, brother I will hear you call.
          What if I lose it all?
          Oh, sister I will help you out!
          Oh, if the sky comes falling down for you,
          There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do.

          Reply ↓

          • Dear ekasringavatar it was my pleasure to have Pat let me post this poem here. It was written for all who fought and still fight for freedom. I loved the song, it brought tears to my eyes. Freedom comes at a high price, but the hero’s that are willing to fight for it will never be forgotten, no matter where or when they fought or fight. You have honored all that have joined our fallen hero’s, and all that continue to serve in the armen services. Bless the memory of those who gave their life for freedom and those that continue the quest. Hero’s all.

          • Dear ekasringavatar it was my pleasure to have Pat let me post this poem here. It was written for all who fought and still fight for freedom. I loved the song, it brought tears to my eyes. Freedom comes at a high price, but the hero’s that are willing to fight for it will never be forgotten, no matter where or when they fought or fight. You have honored all that have joined our fallen hero’s, and all that continue to serve in the armen services. Bless the memory of those who gave their life for freedom and those that continue the quest. Hero’s all.

          • Good morning Patricia. I am very happy that you enjoyed the song as well as the video clip. Avicii, despite being Swedish, did a great job with that masterpiece and really understood the meaning of American patriotism. Here is an interesting extract I am sharing with you about this clip, and which you may enjoy since it depicts about the American soldiers who died as heroes during the Vietnam war:

            The official music video was released on 9 December 2013. It depicts two brothers growing up in wartime America. There are pictures and clips of the Vietnam War interspersed in the video. At the end, it is revealed that the youngest boy thought of his father (who died in the Vietnam War) as the older brother he never had. It features two boys, the older boy is played by Zach Voss, while the younger boy is played by Jack Estes. The end of the video shows Avicii walking through the grass while fireflies are flying around.

            Here is another one for you, Dire Straits’ “Brothers In Arms” (Youtube video for the war version of the song with scenes of 1st world war: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGpwKQo5_Z0)

            Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms Lyrics
            These mist covered mountains
            Are a home now for me
            But my home is the lowlands
            And always will be
            Someday you’ll return to
            Your valleys and your farms
            And you’ll no longer burn
            To be brothers in arms

            Through these fields of destruction
            Baptisms of fire
            I’ve witnessed your suffering
            As the battle raged higher
            And though they did hurt me so bad
            In the fear and alarm
            You did not desert me
            My brothers in arms

            There’s so many different worlds
            So many different suns
            And we have just one world
            But we live in different ones

            Now the sun’s gone to hell and
            The moon’s riding high
            Let me bid you farewell
            Every man has to die
            But it’s written in the starlight
            And every line in your palm
            We are fools to make war
            On our brothers in arms

            ASAP I will share with you a review from an Indian friend of mine’s first novel, “Mountains, Rivers and Soldiers”. My friend, Binoy Varakil, is an Assistant Professor at St Joseph College, a Roman Catholic College in Kerala (India), a poet, writer and troop commander. I started reading his novel, where he depics the importance of patriotism together with the love for cultivating the soil. When the review is ready I will let you informed, but meanwhile, here is Binoy’s website about the book: http://binoyvarakil.com/

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    • Thank you, Susan. That means a lot that your heart was touched. It’s why I write and share. I truly appreciate you, my friend. You just made my day. 🙂

      Reply ↓

    • You’re truly welcome, Susan. I’m glad you liked them. It tugged at my heart in watching them and picking them out. I hope we’ll never forget our Veteran’s and for those serving. It’s why we can enjoy so much today. 🙂

      Reply ↓

  11. Pat, You have a warm & cozy website & wonderful posts as I start to look around!!! Thanks for all the Likes & for reading my Excuse Us For Living!!!!!!!!! Phil

    Reply ↓

    • Thank you, Philip. I’m so glad you came over and enjoyed some stories. You made my day by saying you enjoyed the warmth and coziness of my site. That’s exactly what I’m shooting for and hope to put out there — a place like home where you feel accepted and safe. A place where love goes a long way in helping us understand and learn from each other.

      I love your site and the stories about the ‘old house’. I could feel the energy of the old place and the love you guys have for it. It felt similar to me with how I felt at my grandparents’ home in Virginia. Seems like there are more homesteads like that back east than out here in Colorado. I love that feeling and was instantly connected. I’m looking forward to reading more and getting to know you. 🙂

      Reply ↓

  12. Hello; I found out about you from susan cooper’s post about awards she is thankful for. I am a blind blogger and susan has given me many hours of enjoyment along with lots of help and encouragement. her bloggers helping bloggers group on linked in is amazing. and I am happy to hear that you also pay tribute to the dogs who served. thanks to the proper use of meta tags I was able to hear the description of the dog in your image. now i have to put that memorial on my travel list. I don’t know if you know this or not but a lot of military and police working dogs are retrained to their tasks after it was determined that they wouldn’t make a good guide dog for the blind. so you can see why your mentioning the doggies was important to me. take care, max

    Reply ↓

    • Hi Max – thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment. I’m glad you found me over at Susan’s site and decided to come on over. Like you, I’ve learned a lot from her and have gotten much enjoyment from reading her stories.

      I can see you’re a lot like her in your generosity and spreading the love. I like your story about guest posting and 9 things to do to benefit everyone. I have done a lot of those things but there were some you mentioned I wasn’t aware of, like some of the new social networks you listed and creating an “as seen on” page. These are great ideas. I will have to check it out.

      I’m also glad you were able to locate the military dog memorial from the meta tags. If you get a chance to visit, I hope you’ll let me know. I’d like to hear what you take away from it. From the photo, it looks to be a sacred place.

      If you could see the photo, I think your heart would be touched. The soldier, dressed in camouflage, is standing in front of the granite monument with his dog sitting at his side, while both paying tribute and the soldier is touching the top of his dog’s head.

      We had a guide dog in training, once, many years ago. Our daughter had gotten him, a German Shepherd puppy, from the San Rafael Guide Dog School for the Blind. It was her last year in high school and it was a 4-H dog project coordinated with San Rafael. She had him for a year socializing him and he then went back for intensive training on harness and such. It was hard to give him up.

      When he went back, he was being considered for breeding but it turned out on one of his training sessions on harness he flunked and was out of the program. He growled at a homeless person that stared him down on a bus bench. We had the chance to get him back to be a part of our family and he lived his life out with us. We loved him dearly and was truly an intelligent and noble creature.

      I hope you’ll come back for another visit. I’m glad to meet you. 🙂

      Reply ↓

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