Remembrance Day / Veterans Day

[Bakker1964]

Gentlemen, and ladies, if you will permit me a moment . . .

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.

So, at some point today, I hope you will be upstanding, and join me in raising a glass of your favourite libation,

To our honored dead.

And raise a second to those men and women who are still with us, but bear the scars of service without complaint.

To our Veterans.

God's blessing on them all.

 

[noob2020]

We ate our breakfast lying on our backs,
Because the shells were screeching overhead.
I bet a rasher to a loaf of bread
That Hull United would beat Halifax
When Jimmy Stainthorpe played full-back instead
of Billy Bradford. Ginger raised his head
And cursed, and took the bet; and dropt back dead.
We ate our breakfast lying on our backs,
Because the shells were screeching overhead.
Never forgotten.
To those who volunteered, served, fought and continue to do so, thank you.

 

[Mr. Scruffy]

 

[Billski]

 

[MrPeat]

Y’all welcome. I only celebrate 3 Holidays. Memorial Day...July 4th and Veterans Day.

To my extended family, thank you for your service. The past, present and future Veterans.

This Disabled Veteran is signing off for the day.

 

[Doc4]

 

[Bakker1964]

A little bit of trivia for you, since @Doc4 included the Vimy Memorial in his montage . . .

The Memorial was unveiled in 1936, by King Edward VIII. When the Nazis invaded France, Hitler had become so taken with the beauty of the Memorial, that it was a standing order that under no circumstances were any combat operations allowed to put the site at risk of damage. It thus came through WW2 unscathed.

 

[Doc4]

A little bit of trivia for you, since @Doc4 included the Vimy Memorial in his montage . . .

The Memorial was unveiled in 1936, by King Edward VIII. When the Nazis invaded France, Hitler had become so taken with the beauty of the Memorial, that it was a standing order that under no circumstances were any combat operations allowed to put the site at risk of damage. It thus came through WW2 unscathed.

Cool info!

The first photo is from the battle of Vimy Ridge itself. I particularly like the one soldier on top "cocking a snook" at the Hun!

 

[Bakker1964]

Thanks . . . I only discovered that little tidbit a few years back in the lead up to the 100th anniversary of the battle.

If I remember correctly, it was the fact the Memorial was not "glorifying" the battle, so much as mournful of the cost.

 

[MrPeat]

I saw in Berlin the damage from WW II. They have this one monument for fallen Russians. In that area there is a park that had bullet holes all over the place.

They also have this huge Roundabout for 4 major roads which has this huge pillar monument where you can walk to the top and get a beautiful view of Berlin. I don’t know the names sadly.

Brandenburg Gate. It was almost completely destroyed and to see how they fixed it up had to take a lot of patience to fix it. This is the area I am talking about.

 

[Tony Miller]

Wanted to share a photo of my Dad, Francis M. Miller 468th Parachute Field Artillery. Dad enlisted Dec. 9, 1941, 2 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. I still wear my Dad's wings on a chain every day as a reminder of all that he had taught me.

 

[Bakker1964]

Go to Rotterdam . . . you will see a very clear demarcation between post-WW2 construction, and pre-war. That is because the Luftwaffe leveled everything in the City's port area over a 4 day period. Nothing was left. They even have markers on the streets to show you the border.

 

[never-stop-learning]

November 11th

Veteran's Day and Remembrance Day.

God Bless Our Brave Vets and Never Forget Their Sacrifices.

 

[MrPeat]

Wanted to share a photo of my Dad, Francis M. Miller 468th Parachute Field Artillery. Dad enlisted Dec. 9, 1941, 2 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. I still wear my Dad's wings on a chain every day as a reminder of all that he had taught me.

View attachment 1181110

That is pretty cool. My Grandpa was a B-17 Tail Gunner during WW II. Grandpa met Grandma while he was stationed in England. She actually was a welder and built airplanes during WW II.

My family has been here since the 1570’s. We have fought in every war the USA has been in.

Most have been Grunts. Except for Pop and his brother. Pop served on the USS Hull DD-945 which is a reef now. His brother was on a St Paul Cruiser.

My Great, Great Grandfather was a Cavalry Scout during the Civil War. I followed in his foot steps.