Saturday, May 4, 2013
Just Connecting Words: HONOR FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
Just Connecting Words: HONOR FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: Just a short note about the Honor Flight in case you are not familiar with it. There are 98 hubs in 35 states that fly WW II vets to DC to...
HONOR FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
Just a short note about the Honor Flight in case you are not familiar with it. There are 98 hubs in 35 states that fly WW II vets to DC to visit the monuments, especially the WW II one. There is no charge to the vet. It is funded by donations and I can proudly say that both my AT&T Pioneer service organization and my VFW group donate money and time to this program.
I volunteer with The Pioneers to register and thank these veterans for their service before they board their plane. It means getting up at 2am and being at the airport at 3am, but what a small price to pay when you see how excited they are. Two had birthdays today which made it even better. One gentleman turned 91 today and one lady was 98. We sent 88 vets out this morning and we’re doing it again on May 18th. Today’s group will be coming back into Madison about 8 am tonight.
Sending them off just makes you feel good, but welcoming them back is a whole different experience. When they return they are greeted by an over flow crowd of relatives, friends, VFW groups, a band playing 1940’s music, young women dressed in 1940s uniforms singing songs like the McGuire Sisters or Andrew Sisters of that era and non stop hand shakes as they make their way to a reception area.. Everyone there is waving a small flag and quite a few welcome their friends and relatives home with hand made signs, many with pictures of these vets when they were young and proudly serving their country. They are almost overwhelmed by the number of people, the continuous clapping and the shouts of “thanks for your service” from the crowd. If you have never experienced this, please give it a try. I can’t think of any generation that was more willing to give so much to keep our country free. They will forever remain “The Greatest Generation” and deserve this final thanks for their service.
16 Million served in WW II and only 20 percent have gone. Currently 1,100 WW II vets are dying each day. This illustrates the urgency in trying to get everyone of them on one of those flights. There are currently 16,000 on the waiting list. Each vet must have a responsible guardian with them and they have to pay their own way, usually about $500 a piece for the honor of being with these vets for the day. Please get involved and volunteer because I have found that many times I get more out of it then those that are on the receiving end. If you don’t want to participate or can’t, think about making a monetary contribution to the Honor Flight program in your area. We owe it to them.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Just Connecting Words: Loyalty Day
Just Connecting Words: Loyalty Day: Just a reminder to fly your flag on the following days if you have one. The turmoil in our wonderful country seems to be increasing daily ...
Loyalty Day
Loyalty Day is an opportunity to express and reaffirm our loyalty to our country. It was meant to express allegiance to our Nation and its founding ideals and to ensure that the blessings of liberty endure and extend for generations to come." It dates back to the 1920's.
On Loyalty Day, we reaffirm our allegiance to our country and resolve to uphold the vision of our Forefathers. We should also take a moment to appreciate the members of our armed forces who are displaying the ultimate in loyalty and service to protect our freedoms, and liberty, and our way of life.
Loyalty Day was first celebrated in the 1920's. Communism was on the rise, and feared in America. At the time, May Day (May 1st) was perceived by some as a Communist holiday. In a sense, Loyalty Day was intended to counter this.
The U.S. Congress made this an official holiday on July 18, 1958 with the signing of Public Law 85-529. Then President Dwight D. Eisenhower, proclaimed May 1, 1959 the first official observance of Loyalty Day.
Flag Flying Days
January 1 New Year's Day
January 20 Inauguration Day (every fourth year)
3rd Monday in Jan Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday
3rd Monday in Feb President's Day
(Variable) Easter Sunday
April 6 Army Day
April 13 Thomas Jefferson's Birthday
May 1 Loyalty Day
2nd Sunday in May Mothers Day
2nd Monday in May Peace Officers Memorial Day
3rd Saturday in May Armed Forces Day
May 22 National Maritime Day
Last Monday in May Memorial Day
June 14 Flag Day
3rd Sunday in June Fathers Day
June 27 Korean War Armistice Day
July 4 Independence Day
August 19 National Aviation Day
1st Monday in Sept Labor Day
September 11 Patriot Day
September 17 Constitution Day
3rd Friday in Sept POW/MIA Recognition Day
Last Sunday in Sept Gold Star Mothers Day
2nd Monday in Oct Columbus Day
October 27 Navy Day
November 10 Marine Corps Birthday
November 11 Veteran’s Day
4th Thursday in Nov Thanksgiving Day
December 7 Pearl Harbor Day
December 25 Christmas Day
God Bless You and God Bless America
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Just Connecting Words: Please Contact ............
Just Connecting Words: Please Contact ............: Please contact your U. S. Congress Person and Senator and ask them to think about their lower class and middle class constituents that will ...
Please Contact ............
Please contact your U. S. Congress Person and Senator and ask them to think about their lower class and middle class constituents that will be hurt by their decision not to make a compromise on the fiscal cliff.
Did you know the following? Of your 100 Senators 66 are worth 1 mil to 231 mil; 16 are worth $999,999 to $500,000; 8 are worth to $499,99 to $250,000 and 10 are worth less than $100,000.
There are 435 voting members of Congress. 250 are worth over 1 million; 100 are worth over $500,000 and 50 are worth over $250,000 leaving 35 members having a net worth of less than $250,000.
Do they have any idea of how hard it is for the majority of people to exist on a low to middle class income? I don’t think so. They probably don’t even know what a loaf of bread costs.
Please contact them, wish them a happy holiday and ask them to think about the majority of people in this great country that will be affected by their realistic compromise or lack of and not just how much their rich contributors will not give them if they make a truly thoughtful decision. Or maybe they were just hoping we would all disappear yesterday. Didn't happen! Now they have to finish the job they got elected to do.
Did you know the following? Of your 100 Senators 66 are worth 1 mil to 231 mil; 16 are worth $999,999 to $500,000; 8 are worth to $499,99 to $250,000 and 10 are worth less than $100,000.
There are 435 voting members of Congress. 250 are worth over 1 million; 100 are worth over $500,000 and 50 are worth over $250,000 leaving 35 members having a net worth of less than $250,000.
Do they have any idea of how hard it is for the majority of people to exist on a low to middle class income? I don’t think so. They probably don’t even know what a loaf of bread costs.
Please contact them, wish them a happy holiday and ask them to think about the majority of people in this great country that will be affected by their realistic compromise or lack of and not just how much their rich contributors will not give them if they make a truly thoughtful decision. Or maybe they were just hoping we would all disappear yesterday. Didn't happen! Now they have to finish the job they got elected to do.
Friday, December 7, 2012
PEARL HARBOR DAY
This post is to honor my deceased dad and two uncles that served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and my 89 year old father-in-law who served in the Army Air Force in England. None of them were at Pearl Harbor, but I think that day, “The Day That Would Live In Infamy”, December 7, 1941 was their inspiration for serving their country. For those not familiar with the date, the Japanese orchestrated a surprise attack on the Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii killing over 2400 service men and women including civilian children. The United States declared war on Japan the next day and the United States was officially involved in WW II. We had been neutral to the conflict that had began two years prior, but Pearl Harbor was the catalyst for what I feel was one of the few just wars.
16,000,000 men and women served during WW II, 290,000 killed in action and 640,000 were wounded. Sacrifices were also made on the home front by the majority of those that could not serve. They referred to it as the “War Movement,” consisting of “Victory Gardens” rationing and women going to work in factories because of all the men that had gone off to war. This was also economically hard on the population of the United States because the Great Depression had just ended about two years prior to Pearl Harbor.
The are refereed to as the “Greatest Generation” because they showed true patriotism in a truly United States, suffered the emotional consequences of being in combat and came back to re-build the United States into the most prosperous and greatest country in the world.
I was born in 1947 so the above is from what I’ve read and heard from people that participated in WW II either as civilians or military personnel like my parents, grandparents, other relatives and WW II vets I have met through my participation in the VFW. I only hope it doesn’t take another day like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 to get the citizens of this country back on track, working together for a truly United States. I think we have to remember the famous quote of the late President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country!” Volunteer if you can.
Isn’t it time for us, Democrats, Republicans and Independents, to become more aware of each others needs and stop being so rigid about party lines. We are lucky to live in the best country in the world, partly due to the efforts of “The Greatest Generation.” With cooperation and concern for those less fortunate this country cold be even better. No one in this country should have to go without food, shelter or medical care, but we should establish programs to educate and train those that feel they don’t have to in some way work for these benefits if physically able.
Thank You WW II vets for your service! We can only hope to live up to your example.
16,000,000 men and women served during WW II, 290,000 killed in action and 640,000 were wounded. Sacrifices were also made on the home front by the majority of those that could not serve. They referred to it as the “War Movement,” consisting of “Victory Gardens” rationing and women going to work in factories because of all the men that had gone off to war. This was also economically hard on the population of the United States because the Great Depression had just ended about two years prior to Pearl Harbor.
The are refereed to as the “Greatest Generation” because they showed true patriotism in a truly United States, suffered the emotional consequences of being in combat and came back to re-build the United States into the most prosperous and greatest country in the world.
I was born in 1947 so the above is from what I’ve read and heard from people that participated in WW II either as civilians or military personnel like my parents, grandparents, other relatives and WW II vets I have met through my participation in the VFW. I only hope it doesn’t take another day like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 to get the citizens of this country back on track, working together for a truly United States. I think we have to remember the famous quote of the late President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country!” Volunteer if you can.
Isn’t it time for us, Democrats, Republicans and Independents, to become more aware of each others needs and stop being so rigid about party lines. We are lucky to live in the best country in the world, partly due to the efforts of “The Greatest Generation.” With cooperation and concern for those less fortunate this country cold be even better. No one in this country should have to go without food, shelter or medical care, but we should establish programs to educate and train those that feel they don’t have to in some way work for these benefits if physically able.
Thank You WW II vets for your service! We can only hope to live up to your example.
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