Memorial Day – 25 May 2020

George Rebane

On this Memorial Day we reflect on the words of General Jack Keane (Ret) about those who risked all - "None of them wanted to die, certainly. What's different about them is that they were willing to and they were willing to put at risk everything that they care about, you know, having a long life, having friends in your life, being a parent, having love in your life to love and to be loved, … People said, 'Why would they do that?' I've been around these troops forever and I think the answer is, it's pretty simple. ... It's out of a very simple yet profound sense of duty. And it's also because they do it for one another. And I think that's true honor. And we can never, ever take that devotion for granted."  (H/T to RR commenter)

Comments

[George Rebane]

Gentlemen - keep the comments under this remembrance post relevant to honoring those who gave their lives in the service of our country to preserve it as a free and sovereign nation-state.

[Bill Tozer]

That picture gets me everytime. Every time. KNCO has a nice tribute of remembrance to our fallen.

There is much written about our heroes who made it back. Less so for our unnamed soldiers. I miss ya, Fargo. I do wonder if your young bride ever remarried, if your folks are still alive and how they lived with the grief, how many decades your smile and jokes would have lit up a rooms when you walked in, what you would have become in civilian life........

“We impoverish ourselves by shunting these heroes and their experiences to the back pages of our national consciousness. Their stories are not just boys’ adventure tales writ large. They are a kind of moral instruction. They remind of something we’ve heard many times before but is worth repeating on a wartime Memorial Day when we’re uncertain about what we celebrate. We’re the land of the free for one reason only: We’re also the home of the brave.”

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2020/05/americas-honor-8.php

“There are no great men, there are only great challenges, which ordinary men like you and me are forced by circumstances to meet.” Bill Hadley.

[Don Bessee]

Go enjoy the day and that steak -

Willink told host and fellow veteran Pete Hegseth that Americans should always remember the men and women who gave their lives, but not be "somber" as they enjoy Memorial Day with friends and family.

"I know that my friends that gave their lives, they wouldn't want me to have a somber day. ... They want me to enjoy this great country that they made such a sacrifice for."

https://www.foxnews.com/media/jocko-willink-memorial-day-message-fox-friends

;-)

[George Rebane]

Amen gentlemen, Amen.

[Don Bessee]

https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/memorial-day-5-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-holiday

;-)

[Don Bessee]

RIP Lt. Murphy -

The Murph Challenge is a CrossFit workout consisting of a mile-long run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats and a final mile run — all while wearing a 20-pound vest or body armor.

The challenge’s namesake is Lt. Michael Murphy. He was a native of Patchogue, N.Y., and a dedicated New York Rangers fan. He also was an athlete and star student from Penn State who turned down offers to attend law school to join the Navy SEALs instead, as Fox News previously reported.
He died in a 2005 firefight in Afghanistan that left three SEALs dead in all. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor — “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life,” as the official citation read — and was spotlighted in the 2013 movie, “Lone Survivor.” He also was the first SEAL to have a ship named after him — the guided-missile destroyer Michael P Murphy was commissioned in summer 2011.

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/john-krasinski-dwayne-the-rock-johnson-murph-challenge-memorial-day

;-)

[Don Bessee]

Those sailors, Marines, soldiers, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen did not wear the cloth of the nation for accolades. They did it because they chose to answer their nation’s call - no matter the cost.
As we celebrate Memorial Day this year, I encourage you to remember those who carried our freedoms on their shoulders.

Remember those who answered the call of their nation, led a life of consequence and took action to support a cause far greater than oneself.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/memorial-day-remember-lives-tenacity-valor-adm-mike-gilday

;-)

[Todd Juvinall]

My fiance and I spent the day traveling to the resting places to our friends and family who made the sacrifices for us all. It was a somber day and one that all should reflect on. With the attacks on the freedoms we see every day now, I miss the strength these people howed in saving the planet from the bad.