May 24, 2009 Memorial Day Weekend I hear that as we age our brains shrink and we get more combative and contrary and that men get it worse than women. So, call me a grumpy old man but I do get annoyed sometimes at the way things are. Even on my holiday - my three days of leisure called Memorial Day Weekend. I get annoyed that people say "Happy Memorial Day." I get annoyed that there are a whole bunch of thugs that have chosen this holiday to declare SoBe "Urban Beach Weekend." I get annoyed, even in this impending economic depression that it has become a merchandizing event just as corrupted as Christ's Mass where we actually track the amount of consumption and sales over the "Holiday Buying Season." (What Would Jesus Do about that one?) We have lost the essence of this occasion, which we set aside to Honor our War Dead since shortly after the Civil War in the re-United States. Be a Pacifist if you will - many of us hate war. I was out there in March 2003 protesting this debacle in Iraq that the powers that were put us in, just as I was saying enough in the late '60s to the Vietnam debacle that we also should never have been involved. But do not dishonor our heroes who went and fought and sometimes died when duty called. In fact, maybe you could even honor them this Memorial Day (May 30th) with a moment of reflection. PFC William Lynn - U.S. Marine Corps I never met my Uncle Bill, he died in the Pacific War in September 1944 a couple of months before my birth. I read his wartime letters to my grandmother and saw the poignancy of a 15-year-old boy who joined in a moment of bravado and in three years grew into his destiny to live and die as a U.S. Marine. I also remember the family, my mother, her sister, my grandmother and all us kids going each Memorial Day to the Jefferson Barracks Cemetery at St. Louis. There were speeches and parades and the row upon row of headstones, one of which supposedly had the body of my Uncle Bill. I remember my grandmother confessing the reality of that Great War - that it was possible the body in that grave was not her Billy. But, she said she knew it was an American boy and would grieve over these remains just as some other mother would grieve over her Billy. That was the spirit of the Great War, that we honored our personal loss and that of all "Our Boys." Captain Robert Lynn - U.S. Air Force This is my Uncle Bob who was in the Army Air Corps in World War II. He was shot down in a B-17 Bomber over Romania but repatriated before the war ended. He died in a C-47 crash in Hawaii in 1952. I grew up with this hero image, probably why I joined the Air Force three days out of high school.
All gave some ... some gave all. Not long ago, I visited the Pima Air Museum here in Tucson. There are hundreds of old airplanes and military artifacts, including a group photograph I found of a unit in Europe during WWII. The guys are gathered around their airplane, smiling and waving to the camera, not realizing that a week later, most of them would be dead. As I looked over the list of names in the unit, I discovered that one of them was my uncle. I never knew him, of course, but grew up with his memory, in stories my mother told me. It suddenly gets very personal when its someone related to you. I stood there in that old hangar with tears streaming down my face for the uncle I never knew, and for all the young men and women who have died because adult human beings could not solve their problems any other way. Shale, I too am one of those vocal anti-war people you mention. And I also think it's true that former military people can become some of the most outspoken anti-war critics imaginable. My father is one of them. He was a career Naval officer ... he served in Vietnam and I'm very proud of him and the 30 years of service he gave to his country. At the same time, he will tell anyone today that Vietnam was a horror that should never have happened. He is appalled that Iraq has turned into the same sort of fiasco, a military and political pool of quicksand that we only seem to get ourselves deeper and deeper into. I'm not saying that there aren't cases where going to war isn't justified. Clearly, there are times when despite everything, it becomes necessary. I only ask that our leaders use wisdom, that they think long and hard and with integrity in their choices. And finally, that they have the courage to stop the bloodshed when it becomes apparent that there is no more purpose to it.
It sounds like you have a pretty awesome family. And I gotta say, both uncles look pretty damn snazzy. Uncle Bill has a kindness to him - both of them really. But I got to say, Uncle Bob looks like a total badass sporting that stache of his. :coolgleamA: eace:
He was my image of a hero and not only did I join the Air Force when I came of age, I also sported a 'stache as soon as I was able in high school. My mom hated it and when we got our senior pic told me to have it fixed by the photographer. I had it fixed alright - it wasn't nearly as prominent as this and I told Vincent Price to highlight it since this was a B&W pic that was hand painted.
Awwww, yaaaa boiii lol, man, I know what that's about. When I was 16 I was sporting my rat whiskers and my grandmother always pestered me to cut it off but I never listened either. Great paint job, I can't notice that it was altered. Btw, I noticed the same kind of gleam in your eyes, nice.
Thanks for posting this. I lost my uncle last year. He was a WWII vet and is buried in the National Cemetery here in Houston. He was taken POW in the Phillipines and never really talked about it much, but he had a lot of medals. One of the sweetest people you would ever meet too. Thinking a lot about him this weekend.
It is good to remember this weekend not only the military people who made sacrifices in the past, but also the ones who are continuing to do so today. When I walk out to my car from the mall after dark and some creepy guy appears to be following me, I figure that's about 10% of the stress people serving in war zones feel every day, pretty much 24/7. That's as close as I can come to relating to what they must be going through. They have earned all the respect I can give them.
it is interesting traveling through large cities and small towns maybe even in rural towns to stop and read the memorials to veterans.perhaps a unit was organized there or a battle happened there.somebody's loved one long ago or recently was from there.they are all important.
