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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: September 23 2002
Status: offline
Donating Member |
Posted - November 11 2003 : 12:54:00 AM
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On the eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month of 1918, the agreed time of the ceasefire, World War One ended. To all warriors, those with us and those gone to their reward; past, present & future, I wish a peaceful Veteran's Day. Remember, there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend, and no one prays for peace more than the warrior.
Your Most Humble Servant,
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Serjeant-Major Duncan Munro Capt. Thos. Graham's Coy. 42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foote (The Black Sheep of the Black Watch)
"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" -Or- "Recruit locally, fight globally." |
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Theresa
Bumppo's Tavern Proprietress
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: May 17 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - November 11 2003 : 07:34:58 AM
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Thank you, Sgt. Munro. If you see a service man or woman today, please be sure to thank them. |
Theresa |
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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: November 27 2002
Status: offline
Donating Member |
Posted - November 11 2003 : 08:10:22 AM
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Thank you to all of you in Mohicanland who are veterans and have served to protect our country, either at home or abroad! God Bless You!
And a very special thanks to Capt. Merle R. Gilb, Army Corps of Engineers, WWII (Italy, North Africa, Yalta) and Army Reserves, Korean War (Japan)! My father.
"They will never take our Freedom!"
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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: September 23 2002
Status: offline
Donating Member |
Posted - November 11 2003 : 09:09:37 AM
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Thank you both for the kind words. I forgot to add this, a letter from a Marine Chaplain, which I copied from the internet. I usually prefer to write my own stuff, but this is just too moving...
WHAT IS A VET? Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye.
Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg - or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity.
Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.
You can't tell a vet just by looking.
What is a vet?
He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.
He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.
She (or he) is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.
He is the POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL.
He is the drill instructor who has never seen combat - but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.
He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.
He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.
He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all anonymous heroes whose valor dies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.
He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket - palsied now and aggravatingly slow - who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.
He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being - a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.
He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.
So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say Thank You. That's all most people need, and in most cases it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.
Two little words that mean a lot, "THANK YOU".
It's the soldier, not the reporter, Who gave us our freedom of the press. It's the soldier, not the poet, Who gave us our freedom of speech. It's the soldier, not the campus organizer, Who gave us our the freedom to demonstrate. It's the soldier, Who salutes the flag, Who serves others with respect for the flag, And whose coffin is draped by the flag, Who allows the protestor to burn the flag."
Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC
Most Humbily Submitted,
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Serjeant-Major Duncan Munro Capt. Thos. Graham's Coy. 42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foote (The Black Sheep of the Black Watch)
"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" -Or- "Recruit locally, fight globally." |
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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: November 27 2002
Status: offline
Donating Member |
Posted - November 11 2003 : 10:59:40 AM
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And he is the quiet, gentle man who spent 4 long years away from home and never saw combat, but labored to build many bridges for countless American tanks, trucks and jeeps to drive cross, and many landing strips for countless American planes to land upon... all to liberate people in other nations.
That is beautiful. Thanks for posting it.
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Seamus
Guardian of Heaven's Gate
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: May 19 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - November 11 2003 : 11:05:30 AM
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Yes, Duncan, very well done, indeed.
I used the following in our Provincial Road March and Veterans' Day Remembrance Sunday, as well as Father O'Brien's magnificent words you posted:
A Veterans' Day Poem By Holly Rulli Atlantic News, Thursday, November 14, 2002
Veterans' Day will come and go Quicker than the blink of an eye But memories of heroes present and past Will never, ever die. The youth of today, do you understand? The price brave men did pay To preserve the freedom we enjoy Each and every day. They were called to duty, and so they went Not knowing what was to be Many came home, some never did They sacrificed so we could be free. How lonely some must have felt How scared some had to be They paid the bill with their own blood What a great cost to be free. The heroes of our country Are the ones who paved the way For freedom and the many rights That we enjoy today. Next time, young folks, you pass someone Who may be old and gray Remember — thanks to him or her You have your freedom today. They may dress funny, not see as well Walk a little slow But they were young when duty called And off to war did go Brave men today are still at war How scared some must be How lonely some must feel inside Paying the price to be free You may dress funny, not hear as well You drive your cars too fast But remember all those great brave men Of present and of past. So when you’re called to duty Not knowing what is to come Remember all those men before you Who fought for our freedom. Support our President, support our troops Support our country, too As they go fighting for what is right For freedom the price is due.
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Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting '...holy sh*t ...what a ride!'
~~Mavis Leyrer, Seattle
Seamus
~~Aim small, hit the b*****d right between the eyes!~~ |
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Bill R
Colonial Militia
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: July 03 2002
Status: offline
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Posted - November 11 2003 : 12:10:43 PM
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I recently made a thoughtless comment about "support troops". I never read the response and certainly do not want to raise that discussion again.....but I do want to apologize for the comment itself. It demeaned all who serve, whether on the line or in support, and it demeaned me for the saying of it.
ALL who put on the uniform, of any sort, and sacrifice their time, risk their lives, suffer injuries or debilitations, work long hours, put up with the regimentation and long periods away from loved ones, and serve in strange places or at home......are deserving of respect. They are, or have, sacrificed some of their most vital years in service to their country and countrymen. The cook is no less important than the grunt. The MP is no less brave than the artilleryman. The transportation corp servicemen and women are no less a part of the victory or effort than the armored cav soldier. The company clerk who reports the morning report and sheds tears inside for names annotated KIA or MIA or duty status unknown has his own hell to deal with throughout life. The chaplain of faith is no less important than the faithful soldier. The parachute rigger is no less a part of the effort than the man who must wear it to transport himself into combat.
All who serve should be respected, honored, and thanked. I know that in my heart. It's easy to misplace that remembrance though. Today is when we should bring it out, hold it up to all, and shine that remembrance so it is never forgotten or tarnished.
We are losing soldiers and servicemen and women every day it seems. Each loss is felt by the whole nation. We must honor them by not cheapening their sacrifice with less than full completion of the job they were performing. I pray for them all. And remember them. And to one serviceman, Highlander, I say thank you. Ooorah and All The Way! to you. |
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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: November 27 2002
Status: offline
Donating Member |
Posted - November 11 2003 : 12:26:23 PM
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quote: Originally posted by Bill R
We are losing soldiers and servicemen and women every day it seems. Each loss is felt by the whole nation.
About 1,800 each day! This is according to NPR. Soon, most of the WWII and many of the Korean War vets will be gone. |
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SgtMunro
Soldier of the King
USA
Bumppo's Patron since [at least]: September 23 2002
Status: offline
Donating Member |
Posted - November 12 2003 : 02:13:30 AM
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quote: The cook is no less important than the grunt. The MP is no less brave than the artilleryman. The transportation corp servicemen and women are no less a part of the victory or effort than the armored cav soldier.
True words, Brother Bill. Now, you and I know the following fact, but alot of folks out here in Mohicanland do not. The fact is that it takes on average ten support soldiers to keep one line soldier in action. Without the hard work and sacrifice (in some cases, supreme sacrifice) of support troops everywhere, there would be no victory. All military personel are parts of a larger whole, interdependent on one another to complete every task our civilian government assigns it. And I may be a bit biased here (I know, "say it isn't so"), but our men and women in uniform today are some of the best the world has ever seen.
Your Most Humble Servant,
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Serjeant-Major Duncan Munro Capt. Thos. Graham's Coy. 42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foote (The Black Sheep of the Black Watch)
"Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" -Or- "Recruit locally, fight globally." |
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