Lethal here-
We are posting our Memorial Day issue today so as to be able to enjoy the holiday with our friends and families and have the time to render appropriate honors and thanks to the fallen.
Ok settle down! Lets try to conduct this with the dignity and solemnity the occasion warrants shall we? There will be time enough for the picnicking, Frisbee throwing, sunburn getting and Indy Race watching later.
Impish and I decided to split the duty for this issue then I pulled rank on him after he agreed. I took the opening, he got the Last Word and we both threw a few things into the the rest of the blog.
Today’s issue will be marked by a lack of several things, humor, bawdy jokes/graphics, witty sarcastic comments by me, jokes at the expense of either of us, political commentary, regarding the upcoming election, blunt honest discussion of the many pressing issues of the day – you know the usual stuff you look forward to and have come to expect from us.
This is not a normal issue, this is one of two issues a year where we honor our Service Men & Women. On Memorial Day we honor the Fallen, those who paid the highest price the high cost of our Freedoms can demand. Come November we will do this again on Veterans Day to honor those who served and by the Grace of the Devine managed to survive. Unlike Veterans Day, the reason behind this holiday is oft overshadowed and lost in the myriad of festivities and events of a three day weekend which is seen traditionally as the first weekend of summer. Impish and I see it as our duty to remind you of the TRUE reason for the holiday and to aid in some small way in remembering our Fallen Military Heroes.
Take some time this weekend and reflect on your freedoms and how many men gave up freely all of their tomorrows, so that you could have your today and enjoy the freedoms that you have… Find a veteran and thank them for their sacrifice, and then thank them for the sacrifice of their friends who never came home or are still missing in action…
God of our fathers, known of old—
Lord of our far-flung battle line—
Beneath whose awful hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!
Recessional, First Verse by Rudyard Kipling
And give thanks to live in the greatest country on Earth, regardless of our feelings about its problems or those in power currently, our nearly 236 year experiment in Democracy while oft imitated has never yet been equaled or surpassed. Just remember we are here to make that boast because of those we remember and honor this day.
Here is the most brilliant statement ever made without a word being said!!!!!
This guy was told by his Homeowners Association that he could not fly the American Flag in his yard……
This is his response:
Is this not one of the biggest “Up YOURS!!!”, you’ve ever seen?
Today seemed an fitting day to honor several new inductees into the rolls of The Knights Most Impish of the Leprechaun’s Legion of Loyal Troop Supporters for their selfless service in support of our troops.
We require that Sharon Hyland, Maria Hyland, Wayne Lutz, Michele & Tim Rooney & present themselves before us.
Sharon Hyland started out alone, standing with a flag at Philadelphia International Airport.
She watched for service members returning home to their families. When she saw one, she offered her thanks.
Seeing shock, gratitude and humility in their eyes, Hyland said, she was hooked. “You get addicted to that feeling,” she said, “and want to do it again and again.”
Hyland is the founder of A Hero’s Welcome, which mobilizes volunteers to welcome home returning soldiers, Marines, sailors, airmen and Coast Guardsmen, and now has chapters around the country. She was inspired after she realized that the Vietnam veterans in Pottstown, Pa.’s annual Fourth of July parade seemed to carry themselves differently than other vets.
“I thought, ‘Shame on us that we ever let our heroes come home from a war without our thanks.’”
Hyland, then 25, began A Hero’s Welcome in 2007. Less than a year later, Vietnam era veteran Wayne Lutz founded the Warriors’ Watch Riders, a “motorcycle-centric group” of veterans and nonveterans who escort returning service members to celebrations.
Today, the Pennsylvania groups both have chapters around the country and often work together. A Hero’s Welcome is the lightning, Hyland said, and the Warriors’ Watch Riders “bring the thunder with their motorcycles.”
“The only thing that draws attention more than a motorcycle,” Lutz said, “is a lot of motorcycles.”
Lutz said the men and women he’s welcomed are “always the same. They’re always extremely humble, [saying] ‘I don’t deserve this.’“ But he tells them, “You do deserve this by the very fact of raising your hand.”
‘It’s amazing.’ When Hyland created A Hero’s Welcome, the U.S. was involved in an unpopular war. She did not want the group to veer into politics. “I wanted people who were out to support the troops, and that was it.”
In September 2007, she organized the first of what would become more than a thousand large-scale welcome home celebrations.
Two young Marines were cheered by hundreds as they stood at the Pottsgrove High School football field in Pottstown, Pa. for the coin toss at a Friday night game.
Aaron Martin, a 2001 graduate of Pottsgrove High School, and Patrick Smith, a 2005 graduate of nearby Boyertown Area High School, had both recently returned from Iraq.
“I thought it was just going to be a bunch of friends at my house. Then I came here, and people are coming out of the woodwork,” said Martin, who had been picked up at the airport hours before the kickoff. “It’s amazing,” he said that night. “I’m enjoying every bit of it.”
Quieter homecomings. The welcome was colder for those who returned from Vietnam. Service members were discouraged from wearing their uniforms in public, Lutz remembers.
“The hatred that that generation had for the war, they transferred that directly to the soldier and blamed him for that,” Lutz said. “No matter what, those troops were giving their lives for a country that didn’t give a damn about them. … It’s a horrible thing for any young kid — and you’re talking young, 18-, 19-year-old kids — to go through that kind of scorn and derision.”
That’s the memory he keeps in mind during every welcome home he joins.
Lutz, of Glenside, Pa., joined the Army in 1972 at age 18 and served for about 10 years, the first six in Germany. He had intended to go to Vietnam, but by the time he finished his training, the war was over.
He said one of his most profound welcoming experiences occurred as he waited for an arriving soldier at Philadelphia International Airport. The Warriors’ Watch Riders and members of A Hero’s Welcome were “lined up on the escalator,” holding a gauntlet of flags.
Lutz spotted a uniformed officer in the next baggage area and went to talk with him. The staff sergeant was escorting the parents of a fallen soldier from Tennessee to Dover, Del., to pick up the body of their son.
“Here we are, greeting a live soldier coming home,” Lutz said, “and on the other side was a soldier coming home in a very different way.”
At the request of families, Hero’s Welcome and the Warriors’ Watch Riders have rallied at the funerals of veterans and those killed in action.
Some soldiers, Lutz said, are unable to handle an exuberant welcome.
“You sit in the arrival area of these airports and you see these soldiers, these children in uniform, they may literally have the dust of Afghanistan on their boots,” Lutz said.
“They’ve come from this sun-bleached, hot environment, where most everyone they meet may want to kill them. The transition home is jarring, and it can be hard for some of them to take.”
‘Sign us up.’ Michele Rooney worried throughout her son’s first deployment in 2008. When he came home, she got just 48 hours of notice that he was flying in from Iraq.
Rooney, of Gilbertsville, Pa., had Hyland’s card on her refrigerator and called her. The women had met by chance months earlier, while helping with a candidate phone bank.
And when Marine Gary Anoushian arrived, he was met by several motorcycles and a large group of supporters from the Warriors’ Watch Riders and A Hero’s Welcome, who had driven through a December snowstorm to honor him.
“To see those people at the airport that were so willing to give of their time and be there to welcome home my son, I immediately felt like, ‘sign us up,’” Rooney said.
Her husband, Tim, owned a motorcycle but had put it up for sale, influenced by her concern for his safety. But seeing the Warriors’ Watch Riders, she decided, “OK, Tim can keep the bike.”
If he helped with the welcome home efforts, “maybe God would protect him because he was riding for such an important cause,” she thought.
The Rooneys began volunteering, and Tim Rooney has since become a ride captain, leading the way for Warriors’ Watch Riders who escort returning service members to celebrations.
On Father’s Day in June 2011, he led dozens of motorcycles that welcomed home his stepson, Anoushian, who was returning after seven months in Afghanistan, his third deployment. Cpl. Anoushian is now serving at Camp Pendleton in California.
Seeing people gather to greet your hero feels amazing, Rooney said, paralleled only by being part of a welcome for someone else’s child.
Her son’s second deployment overseas, for eight months in Afghanistan, was during one of the most deadly periods for U.S. service members. She again feared for his safety, but helping others made a difference.
“We had avenues to focus our energy,” she said. “We felt like we were making use of our time and doing something for our troops.”
Inspired to serve. Hyland, the daughter, sister, granddaughter and niece of Marines, had gone through officer candidate school in 1999 and 2000. But she was injured and sent home before graduation.
Inspired by those she met in the early months of A Hero’s Welcome, she thought, “OK, I’m still young enough and able-bodied enough to serve.”
She re-joined the Marines.
Her mother, Maria Hyland, decided the mission of A Hero’s Welcome was too important to be left undone. She took the baton and ran.
A mother of four, she juggles the requests for celebrations and for help opening new chapters with working full-time in the family business, Hyland Technologies, in Frederick, Pa. She coordinates with Warriors’ Watch Riders for homecomings throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“The thing that keeps me going is when you see the hero uniting with their family,” said Hyland, who sometimes goes to such reunions five or more times a week, jetting from city to city or even from state to state.
Now a first lieutenant, Sharon Hyland-Keyser is married to an Army staff sergeant and serves as director of public affairs at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, S.C. She’s delighted by how A Hero’s Welcome has grown since she stood alone five years ago.
Because the service of America’s military is never-ending, so too is the work of A Hero’s Welcome and the Warriors’ Watch Riders, Maria Hyland said.
“A lot of people think the war is over; it’s not over,” she said in her Gilbertsville, Pa., home. “We’re here to support the troops, so as long as there’s military, we’re here to support them.”
The Riders have grown to include more than 5,000 members, from New Jersey to Florida to California. Lutz said he disagrees with service members who say they don’t deserve celebrations — and urges them to take his place someday.
“I always tell them, when I’m dead and they’re old and gray, to pay it forward. You and I know that 40 years from now, there will be another war” — and more men and women laying their lives on the line who will need to be welcomed home.
A Hero’s Welcome: No one should come home without our thanks
http://www.americanhomecomings.com/news/2012/05/03/a-hero%E2%80%99s-welcome-no-one-should-come-home-without-our-thanks/#registercitizen
In recognition of thy selfless service to the support of our troops we hereby bestow upon Sharon Hyland, Maria Hyland, Wayne Lutz the title of Knight Most Impish of the Leprechaun’s Legion of Loyal Troop Supporters Arise Dames Sharon & Maria, arise Sir Wayne go ye forth and be thou all good and chivalrous knights, stalwart and steadfast in thy support of our troops and their families. Continue thy good and noble works that none may return from battle in foreign lands and think themselves unappreciated for their noble sacrifice.
Michele & Tim Rooney for they lesser more in keeping with support than vanguard rolls, we doth name you both Noble Squires to the Knight Most Impish of the Leprechaun’s Legion of Loyal Troop Supporters continue in your fine works that one day we might raise you to the ranks of Dame and Knight.
We require that Chuck “Pappy” Barshney present himself before us.
The Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) is a motorcycle club whose members attend the funerals of US armed forces members, firefighters, and police at the invitation of the deceased’s family. Patriot Guard Riders’ representatives state that they are not a chartered motorcycle club, but a group of with an “unwavering respect for those who risk their lives for America’s freedom and security”
The group was established in Mulvane, Kansas at American Legion Post 136 in 2005 by Chuck “Pappy” Barshney, to shelter and protect the deceased’s family from protesters such as the Westboro Baptist Church, who claim that the deaths of American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are divine retribution for American tolerance of homosexuality. PGR members position themselves to physically shield the mourners from the presence of the Westboro protesters by blocking the protesters from view with their motorcade, or by having members hold American flags. The group also drowns out the protesters’ chants by singing patriotic songs or by revving motorcycle engines.
Although initially founded by motorcyclists, the organization is open to anyone, regardless of political affiliation, veteran status, or whether they ride or not. The only prerequisite is “a deep respect for those who serve our country; military, firefighters, or law enforcement”.
In recognition of thy selfless service to the support of our troops , the defense of their dignity when they cannot defend it themselves and for the protection of their loved ones from a most foul and craven enemy in their hour of sorrow we hereby bestow upon the title of Knight Most Impish of the Leprechaun’s Legion of Loyal Troop Supporters upon Chuck “Pappy” Barshney.
Pray thou remain kneeling Sir Chuck as we have one more honor for thee. In recognition of your mobilization of Protect and Defense for the Families of Fallen Soldier and insuring their burial with honor as well as thy tireless Battle to thwart the minions of evil called the Westboro Baptist Church we name thee Our Captain-General of the Knights Most Impish in the Defense of the Fallen & Their Families. Arise now our Captain General Sir Chuck go forth and be be thou ever vigilant, a good and chivalrous knight, stalwart and steadfast in thy defense of our troops and their families.. May thy shield barrier of Flags and your might roar of thy Iron Stead never falter in defense of our fallen heroes.
Finally it pleases use to make two further appointments, Will the Board of Directors/Officers for the groups known as ‘A Hero’s Welcome’ & ‘ The Patriot Guard Riders’ approach the dais and receive recognition on behalf of their respective groups?
Both groups are hereby awarded entrance to the rolls of the Hospitaliters Draconis of the Leprechaun’s Legion of Loyal Troop Supporters.
We on behalf of the returning troops- living, wounded and departed, as well as their families, do thank your for your innumerous selfless acts of devotion to them. Go thou forth now, to continue in thy good works in support of our returning wounded hero troops and their families that they may never have cause to doubt our support or gratitude for their service.
The True Meaning of Memorial Day
R.I.P. Colonel Van T. Barfoot USAR
Van T. Barfoot died at the age of 92 on 2 March 2012.
Remember the guy who wouldn’t take the flag down?
You might remember a news story several months ago about a crotchety old man who defied his homeowners association and refused to take down the flagpole on his property and the large flag that flew on it. Now you can find out who, exactly, that old man was.
On June 15, 1919, Van T. Barfoot was born in Edinburg — probably didn’t make much news back then. Twenty-five years later, on May 23, 1944, near Carano , Italy , Van T. Barfoot, who had enlisted in the US Army in 1940, set out to flank German machine gun positions from which fire was coming down on his fellow soldiers. He advanced through a minefield, took out three enemy machine gun positions and returned with 17 prisoners of war.
If that wasn’t enough for a day’s work, he later took on and destroyed three German tanks sent to retake the machine gun positions.
That probably didn’t make much news either, given the scope of the war, but it did earn Van T. Barfoot, who retired as a colonel after also serving in Korea and Vietnam , a Congressional Medal of Honor.
What did make news was a neighborhood association’s quibble with how the 90-year-old veteran chose to fly the American flag outside his suburban Virginia home. Seems the rules said a flag could be flown on a house-mounted bracket, but, for decorum, items such as Barfoot’s 21-foot flagpole were unsuitable.
He had been denied a permit for the pole, erected it anyway and was facing court action if he didn’t take it down. Since the story made national TV, the neighborhood association has rethought its position and agreed to indulge this old hero who dwells among them.
“In the time I have left I plan to continue to fly the American flag without interference,” Barfoot told The Associated Press. As well he should. And if any of his neighbors still takes a notion to contest him, they might want to read his Medal of Honor citation. It indicates he’s not real good at backing down.
No this isn’t at odds with the tone we have set, this is a break, a half time show an intermission. With out one this would soon become mind and emotion numbing. Besides realistically for most of you this is more about the partying than the Fallen Heroes and we recognize that.
Besides honoring/remembering or picnicking/partying ya still gotta eat right? Might as well be tasty.
Since this is posting on Saturday and Memorial Day isn’t until Monday with Sunday being the top picnic day of the weekend (Saturday having been sent dragging all the summer stuff [most importantly that grill!] out of storage & Monday being for Parades & resting up) You should have plenty of time to whip up a batch of these beans!
Bandito Baked Beans
From: Campbell’s Kitchen
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Here’s a great side dish for your next barbecue, open house or buffet…and it’s ready to go in just 20 minutes. Picante sauce is the ingredient that makes these baked beans especially good….give them a try.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon spicy-brown mustard
1 can (about 15 ounces) pork and beans
1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
Directions:
Heat the oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it’s tender.
Stir the picante sauce, molasses, mustard, pork and beans and black beans in the saucepan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook for 5 minutes or until the mixture is hot and bubbling.
It’s Memorial Day. Tradition demands we serve certain mandatory foods including hotdogs and hamburgers. This next recipe takes the oh-hum burger to new heights, and uses the remainder of the picante sauce from the beans up for you if you’re not a picante sauce fan.
Spicy Onion Burgers
From: Campbell’s Kitchen
Prep: 10 minutes
Grill: 10 minutes
Serves: 6
Ordinary hamburgers get kicked up with the simple addition of dry onion soup mix and prepared salsa. Try them…they’re easy to make and really delicious.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup Pace® Picante Sauce
1 envelope (about 1 ounce) dry onion soup and recipe mix [I use the Beefy Onion variety]
6 Pepperidge Farm® Farmhouse™ Premium White Rolls with Sesame Seeds
Lettuce leaves
tomato slices
Avocado slices [Not a fan of avocado? Too pricey where you live? I use those sandwich pickle slices instead]
Directions:
Mix thoroughly the beef, picante sauce and soup mix. Shape firmly into 6 burgers, 1/2-inch thick each.
Lightly oil the grill rack and heat the grill to medium. Grill the burgers for 10 minutes or until desired doneness, turning the burgers over halfway through grilling.
Serve on rolls with lettuce, tomato, avocado and additional picante sauce.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Values per Serving
Using Pace Picante Sauce: : Calories 339, Total Fat 15g, Saturated Fat 5g, Cholesterol 69mg, Sodium 742mg, Total Carbohydrate 27g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Protein 25g, Vitamin A 1%DV, Vitamin C 0%DV, Calcium 5%DV, Iron 17%DV
Finally tortilla chips, Cheetos and Potato chips are good (Doritos are the best), but the best accompaniment for a burger in my book is fries hands down. Here’s some that you can do up a head of time and grill when ready with no clean up!
Cheddary Pouch Potatoes
From: Campbell’s Kitchen
Pep: 5 minutes
Grill: 25 minutes
Serves: 4
Fire-up the grill to make these scrumptious cheese fries that cook in foil packets on the grill. They’re a favorite side for grilled steak or chicken.
Ingredients:
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell’s® Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
4 cups frozen steak fries
Paprika [Use Taco, Chili seasoning, or Cayenne pepper for a bigger kick]
Directions:
Stir the soup, milk, garlic and onion in a large bowl. Stir in the potatoes.
SPRAY THE FOIL WITH ONE OF THOSE COOKING SPRAYS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURES OR FOR GRILLING! Trust me I learned this the hard way when all mine were stuck to the foil! Alternative is to wipe the foil with a canola or peanut oiled paper towel.
Place the potato mixture on 4 (14-inch) squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Sprinkle with paprika. Fold the foil to make packets.
Heat the grill to medium. Grill the packets for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Recipe Tips:
Tip: To bake in the oven: Place the packets on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F. for 25 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional Values per Serving
Using Campbell’s Cheddar Cheese Soup: : Calories 200, Total Fat 7g, Saturated Fat 3g, Cholesterol 4mg, Sodium 442mg, Total Carbohydrate 30g, Dietary Fiber 4g, Protein 4g, Vitamin A 7%DV, Vitamin C 12%DV, Calcium 4%DV, Iron 0%DV
Dessert? That’s on you guys! However I recommend a walk though your local Veteran’s Cemetery or a visit to your local veterans memorial to walk off some of that lunch before dessert!
Armed Forces Medley: 2011 National Memorial Day Concert
The American Battle Monuments Commission strives to remember those who gave all overseas and never made it home.
Its website tells all about the cemeteries honoring our fighting men and women overseas, in places such as the Ardennes, Belgium, and Manila, Philippines. Those who were never recovered are commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing.
You can order an arrangement of flowers to be placed at one of those sites to honor a friend or loved one. You can also purchase a lithograph of the cemetery or memorial featuring your loved one through the Andrews Project.
It’s a great way to thank those brave members of the military for their service.
www.abmc.gov
Memorial Day – Arlington
Washington’s Seldom Seen Memorials
Special Tributes To Honor and Bravery
Working with the Smithsonian’s Office of Imaging, Printing and Photographic Services and the National Museum of American History’s Division of Armed Forces History, a team of volunteer Smithsonian Associates led by Smithsonian Photographer Jeff Tinsley assisted the Institution in the photographic documentation of Washington’s Military Memorials.
Over a Memorial Day weekend the team photographed monuments and statues large and small. Many were the well-known symbols of the Nation’s Capitol. But there were also others, usually smaller, lesser known and seldom seen in official guide books. A selection of these special memorials is presented here.
“The Hiker”,
a memorial to those who served in the Spanish-American War. This statue depicts an American Soldier of the time, and was erected by veterans of the war. Smithsonian Photo by William McGehee.
The Seabees Memorial
at Arlington Cemetery. Seabees is the nickname for the U.S. Navy Construction Battalions (CB’s). Formed during World War II, they were trained in both construction and combat, and built living quarters and naval facilities in the Pacific. Smithsonian Photo by William McGehee.
Military Nurses Statue 
in Arlington Cemetery dedicated in 1971, “to commemorate devoted service to country and humanity by Army, Navy and Air Force Nurses”. The small American Flag by the statue was placed there in honor of Memorial Day. Smithsonian Photo by Lindsay Downs.
The Battleship Maine Memorial 
in Arlington National Cemetery. The Maine was sunk in the harbor at Havana, Cuba, in February, 1898 and helped precipitate the start of the Spanish-American War. This monument of the ship’s mast is near the Amphitheater and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Smithsonian Photo by Lindsay Downs.
The memorial to the Second Division.
Located on Constitution Avenue just off the Ellipse in Washington, this flaming gold sword is passed by thousands of tourists each year. In this photo Memorial Day wreaths honoring those who served have been placed in front of the sculpture. Smithsonian Photo by Dr. Bella J. May.
The Space Shuttle Challenger 
memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. Dedicated to the crew of The Challenger was destroyed in a fireball shortly after launch in January 1986. This memorial, near the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, depicts the faces of all seven crew. Smithsonian Photo by Dr. Bella J. May.
NOTE: The Photograph at the top of this is of the Custis-Lee House in Arlington Cemetery as seen at dawn from across Memorial Bridge in Washington. This is the main entrance to Arlington Cemetery. Established in 1864, this 200-acre site contains the remains of those who died serving the United States. Smithsonian Photo by Sallie Sprague.
“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” General George S. Patton Jr.
If You’re Reading This
[Each one of those triangles with 3 stars represents a folded burial flag of a fallen soldier]
Memorial Day Scams Target Military, Families, Supporters
Now pardon my ‘sarcastic & bitter’ attitude and the salty language about this, but shit like this just plain takes a fecking FLAMETHROWER to my relatively short burning fuse!
Memorial Day is a time to honor those who serve and remember those who have died in war. But sadly, it has also become a key opportunity for scammers to target those who are serving or have served their nation, especially elderly veterans. BBB is urging consumers and donors to be on the lookout for deals that seem too good to be true, and for disreputable charities.
“The unique lifestyle of our service members makes them prime targets for scammers,” notes Brenda Linnington, Director of BBB Military Line. “It’s imperative that we educate our service members and ensure that the support we give to them equals the effort they make every day on behalf of us.” Linnington said scams can include those that target service personnel and their families directly, but also those that appear to be helping military members via charities.
“Donors need to watch out for questionable charities that raise funds on behalf of military organizations,” adds Art Taylor, President and CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance. “When you make a donation, always check http://www.give.org to see that the group meets BBB charity standards, especially around Memorial Day. Too many solicitors that fail to meet BBB standards call and say they help veterans, service members or their families, and little of the money donated will serve that purpose.”
Among the scams to watch out for:
· Posing as the Veterans Administration and contacting veterans to say they need to update their credit card, bank or other financial records with the VA;
· Charging service members for services they could get for free or less expensively elsewhere, such as military records;
· Fraudulent investment schemes that convince veterans to transfer their assets into an irrevocable trust;
· Offering “instant approval” military loans (“no credit check,” “all ranks approved”) that can have high interest rates and hidden fees;
· Advertising housing online with military discounts and incentives, and then bilking service personnel out of the security deposit;
· Trying to sell things like security systems to spouses of deployed military personnel by saying the service member ordered it to protect his or her family;
· Selling stolen vehicles at low prices by claiming to be soldiers who need to sell fast because they’ve been deployed;
· Posing as government contractors recruiting veterans and then asking for a copy of the job applicants’ passport (which contains a lot of personal information);
· Posing on online dating services as a lonely service member in a remote part of Iraq or Afghanistan, and then asking for money to be wired to a third party for some emergency.
BBB advises service members, veterans and all consumers never to give personal identification information (Social Security, bank account, military identification or credit card numbers, etc.) to anyone who contacts you by phone or e-mail, and to be wary of any solicitations that involve purchasing something or transferring money. Consumers can check out businesses and charities for free at www.bbb.org.
For more information, visit www.bbb.org/us/military-line.
See what I mean? We made war on the Veterans Administration last year over getting all Commie Liberal PC at Veterans Cemeteries interfering with and/or prohibiting religious observances during burials and we won. This year we need to take these scamming parasitic leeches on and do such a job on them that they would serious consider conning a drug cartel or the mob before ever trying us again!
IF you get one of these called note the number and as much info as you can. Then report it to every law enforcement agency who will give you 5 minutes of ear time. Report them to the BBB. Call your Attorney General’s office your local radio stations, television stations and newspapers and tell them. If one of them isn’t interested make sure to mention how you’ll include their indifference to the plight of Veterans when you tell your other local medias about the story. Lastly write to us and tell us we’ll see it gets posted her and passed to several other bloggers we know.
Lets drag these cockroaches into the bright light, stomp them and do the twist on their dead bodies!
Rolling Thunder in HD – Memorial Day Parade, Marines Vigil in Washington D.C.
John Philip Sousa’s March, “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
Keep Me in Your Heart, Warren Zevon
That’s all any of them ever asked, to be remembered
Dining in
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dining in is a formal military ceremony for members of a company or other unit, which includes a dinner, drinking, and other events to foster camaraderie and esprit de corps.
The United States Army, the United States Navy the United States Coast Guard and the United States Air Force refer to this event as a dining in or dining-in. The United States Marine Corps refers to it as mess night. Other names include regimental dinner, guest night, formal mess dinner, and band night.
The dining in is a formal event for all unit members, male and female; though some specialized mess nights can be officer- or enlisted-only. The unit chaplain is usually also invited, if an invocation is needed. A unit’s dining-in consists of only the members of the unit, with the possible exception of the guest(s) of honor. An optional formal dinner, known as the dining-out may include spouses and other guests. The dining-out follows the same basic rules of the dining-in, but is often tailored to minimize some of the military traditions and be more interesting to civilian guests.
“Except for the annual celebration of the Marine Corps Birthday, no social function associated with the smaller of America’s naval services is more enjoyed, admired and imitated than the mess night.”
Formal toasts
Formal toasts are the heart of the formal dining in. A junior officer, known as “Mr Vice”, proposes a toast to the guests, at which the guests remain seated. After this, various parties will offer toasts to the Commander in Chief, to the heads of state of a visiting or host nations, to their branch of service, to the units, and to the fallen members of the military.
The final and most solemn toast is always to fallen comrades. Often this tribute is marked with a display, including an empty table with a white tablecloth, inverted glass, lit candle, blank dog tags, and a symbol representing tears (salt or lemon)
The Table and Place Setting:
- A small table,
- White tablecloth,
- Single place setting, preferably all white,
- Wine glass, inverted,
- Salt shaker,
- Slice of lemon on bread plate with a pile of spilled salt,
- Small bud vase with a single stem red rose,
- RED ribbon tied around the vase,
- Candle – lit,
- Empty chair.
- Bible or other appropriate Book of Faith
- Blank dog tags
“You may have noticed the small table set for one that is off on its own – it is reserved to honor our fallen comrades in arms. This symbolizes that they are with us, here in spirit. We should never forget the brave men and women who answered our nation’s call [to serve] and served the cause of freedom in a special way. We are ever mindful that the sweetness of enduring peace has always been tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice. We are compelled to never forget that while we enjoy our daily pleasures, there are others who have endured the agonies of pain, deprivation and death.
I would like to explain the meaning of the items on this special table.
- The table is round – to show our everlasting concern for our fallen comrades.
- The tablecloth is white – symbolizing the purity of their motives when answering the call to duty.
- The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of our fallen comrades, and the loved ones and friends of these comrades who keep the faith.
- The vase is tied with a red ribbon, symbol of our continued determination to remember our fallen comrades.
- A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those who will never return.
- A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by the families of those who have sacrificed all.
- The Holy Book represents the strength gained through faith to sustain those lost from our country.
- The glass is inverted, they cannot toast with us at this time.
- The chair is empty because they are no longer with us.
Toast to Fallen Comrades:
“Let us give thanks for the many blessings we have received. Let us give thanks for the security of our Country and for the freedoms we enjoy and experience every day. However, let us also remember the great price that has been paid for that freedom too many times.
We knew them. They lived, they felt, they were as vibrant, as energetic, as immortal as you and I. They were brave. They fell for peace and for freedom in the service of their country. Many may argue about the futility of death and of war, but one should never forget that they died, not in vain, but in honor.
Many times down through the years our country has called, and many men and women have answered the call. Let us not forget our fallen comrades, but remember them always, for they have earned our respect and admiration with their lives.
We knew them, we’ll remember them, and they will not be forgotten.
Let us remember – and never forget their sacrifice.
May they and their families ever be watched over and protected.
To our fallen comrades!”
This toast we never drink.
Time to see Memorial Day from an entirely different perspective now.
Who ever titled this and made the comment ‘these Marines were being awesome’ is dead wrong. They were just being Marines. Showing their respect for and paying their tribute to a fallen brother.
Impish will now favor us with a few final thoughts on the subject of the true Memorial Day.
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service. There are many stories as to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen cities and towns laying claim to being the birthplace of Memorial Day. There is also evidence that organized women’s groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War: a hymn published in 1867, “Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping” by Nella L. Sweet carried the dedication “To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating the Graves of the Confederate Dead” (Source: Duke University’s Historic American Sheet Music, 1850-1920). (Hence the Decoration Day moniker.) While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day. It is more likely that it had many separate beginnings; each of those towns and every planned or spontaneous gathering of people to honor the war dead in the 1860’s tapped into the general human need to honor our dead, each contributed honorably to 
the growing movement that culminated in Gen Logan giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not important who was the very first, what is important is that Memorial Day was established. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all. (It’s not an excuse for a damn party!)(Unless, of course, it is a party in the tradition of the New Orleans Jazz funerals where you would throw a party and celebrate when a friend has moved on to a “better place”. Quite often the tradition of lifting a toast for absent friends or brothers in arms who’ve passed on before us has an extensive history in the military forces. I know for a fact in the corporate offices of Dragon and Leprechaun Laffs Electronic Media there will be more than one glass lifted in memory of fallen friends.)
Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 – 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), (because that three day weekend is so much more important than what the holiday is REALLY for!) though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis’ birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee. 
In 1915, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields,” Moina Michael replied with her own poem:
|
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
|
She then conceived of an idea to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who died serving the nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need. Later a Madam Guerin from France was visiting the United States and learned of this new custom started by Ms. Michael and when she returned to France, made artificial red poppies to raise money
for war orphaned children and widowed women. This tradition spread to other countries. In 1921, the Franco-American Children’s League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and Madam Guerin approached the VFW for help. Shortly before Memorial Day in 1922 the VFW became the first veterans’ organization to nationally sell poppies. Two years later their “Buddy” Poppy program was selling artificial poppies made by disabled veterans. In 1948 the US Post Office honored
Ms. Michael for her role in founding the National Poppy movement by issuing a red 3 cent postage stamp with her likeness on it.
Traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.
There are a few notable exceptions. Since the late 50’s on the Thursday before Memorial Day, the 1,200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place small American flags at each of the more than 260,000 gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery. They then patrol 24 hours a day during the weekend to ensure that each flag remains standing. In 1951, the Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of St. Louis began placing flags on the 150,000 graves at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery as an annual Good Turn, a practice that continues to this day. More recently, beginning in 1998, on the Saturday before the observed day for Memorial Day, the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts place a candle at each of approximately 15,300 grave sites of soldiers buried at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania
National Military Park on Marye’s Heights (the Luminaria Program). And in 2004, Washington D.C. held its first Memorial Day parade in over 60 years.
To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the “National Moment of Remembrance” resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans “To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to ‘Taps.”
The Moment of Remembrance is a step in the right direction to returning the meaning back to the day. What is needed is a full return to the original day of observance. Set aside one day out of the year for the nation to get together to remember, reflect and honor those who have given their all in service to their country.
But what may be needed to return the solemn, and even sacred, spirit back to Memorial Day is for a return to its traditional day of observance. Many feel that when Congress made the day into a three-day weekend in with the National Holiday Act of 1971, it made it all the easier for people to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day. As the VFW stated in its 2002 Memorial Day address: “Changing the date merely to create three-day weekends has undermined the very meaning of the day. No doubt, this has contributed greatly to the general public’s nonchalant observance of Memorial Day.”
On January 19, 1999 Senator Inouye introduced bill S 189 to the Senate which proposes to restore the traditional day of observance of Memorial Day back to May 30th instead of “the last Monday in May”. On April 19, 1999 Representative Gibbons introduced the bill to the House (H.R. 1474). The bills were referred the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Government Reform.
To date, there have been no further developments on the bill. Please write your Representative and your Senators, urging them to support these bills.
Memorial Day is a day to remember our fallen in arms.
Isn’t it?
Isn’t that what it said above? I could’ve sworn…let me go back…yup, that’s exactly right. “…a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.”
But, if you do a simple Google search for Memorial Day weekend you find a ton of sites like the Best of The Best Concert in Miami, 15 Ways To Celebrate Memorial Day Chicago Style, the opening of pools, beaches and the official start of the summer holiday season, and “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” the “Largest Outdoor Sporting Event”, yes, ladies and gentleman, I’m talking about the Indianapolis 500 car race! Such an important Memorial Day Event mustn’t be forgotten … because it’s … because it’s so … um… it’s so Memorial.
Yeah, right. If you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. Low mileage, hardly used.
Memorial Day is a time to remember those stalwart souls who not only wrote the check, but had it cashed, as well.
“What check?” you ask.
“Really?” says I. You’ve never heard the most favorite of quotes: A veteran is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount of “up to and including my life.”
The check was cashed, many, many times and it’s our responsibility, our DUTY to pay the interest on those checks. And one way we can do so is to take the one day of the year set aside for the purpose of remembering our fallen comrades and treating the day with the solemnity it deserves.
So, on 28 May 2012, at 1500 hrs local time (that’s 3 p.m. for you civilian types) I would like, and I request that each and every camper out there bow their heads for a moment of silence. Shut off the damn televisions, the radios, the stereos and the gab box affixed to the front of most of our heads. If you have the capabilities of playing taps then that would be mighty nice. [Taps is thoughtfully supplied for you by Lethal as provided by the Marine Corps band at the conclusion of Impish’s remarks]
And then, just to be special amongst ourselves, let’s do the same thing again on 30 May because that’s the day that it is supposed to be on. Maybe enough people following suit on the 30th might get it into the heads of the powers that be to change the day back to where it belongs.
The only way to make sure this day is brought back to what it was intended is for it to start somewhere. And if it’s going to start somewhere why not with us?
Why shouldn’t we be the ones to remember the day for what it is meant to be? Why shouldn’t we be the ones to shout it from the roof tops?
Tune in next week for a report on what we did for Memorial Day and please, write to us and tell us what you did to remember our fallen heroes.
Cheers my friends!
![Adult-Content-1_thumb1_thumb_thumb_t[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/adult-content-1_thumb1_thumb_thumb_t1.jpg "Adult-Content-1_thumb1_thumb_thumb_t[1]")
Good Morning Campers! Today’s Dragon Laffs is being brought to you from my back yard! Why am I not in my usual easy chair, lap top rakishly across my more than ample lap? Because today is National Get Outdoors Day! Everyone knows that our kids spend way too much time indoors thanks to all the new digital entertainment and toys at hand. It’s easy for all of us to spend too much time inside.![1_thumb9_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1_thumb9_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu21.gif "1_thumb9_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![Dragon-pic-2_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thum[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dragon-pic-2_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thum2.jpg "Dragon-pic-2_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thum[2]")
![01thug_thumb14_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb14_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.jpg "01thug_thumb14_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![01thug_thumb17_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb17_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.jpg "01thug_thumb17_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![01thug_thumb23_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb23_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.jpg "01thug_thumb23_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![01thug_thumb26_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb26_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb26_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![Fantasy-Pix_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/fantasy-pix_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb2.jpg "Fantasy-Pix_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb[2]")
![01thug_thumb35_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb35_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb35_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![01thug_thumb38_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb38_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb38_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
that’s not right either…)
![01thug_thumb41_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb41_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb41_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![01thug_thumb50_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb50_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.jpg "01thug_thumb50_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![1_thumb3_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1_thumb3_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.gif "1_thumb3_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![01thug_thumb56_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb56_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb56_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![01thug_thumb59_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb59_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb59_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![01thug_thumb62_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb62_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb62_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![01thug_thumb65_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb65_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb65_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![01thug_thumb71_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb71_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.jpg "01thug_thumb71_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![01thug_thumb74_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/01thug_thumb74_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.jpg "01thug_thumb74_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![last-word3_thumb1_thumb_thumb_thumb_[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/last-word3_thumb1_thumb_thumb_thumb_1.gif "last-word3_thumb1_thumb_thumb_thumb_[1]")
![1_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.gif "1_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![1_thumb7_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1_thumb7_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu11.gif "1_thumb7_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![1a_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_th[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1a_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_th2.jpg "1a_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_th[2]")
![1_thumb9_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1_thumb9_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu2.gif "1_thumb9_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[2]")
![Dragon-pic-2_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thum[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/dragon-pic-2_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thum1.jpg "Dragon-pic-2_thumb2_thumb_thumb_thum[1]")
![Fantasy-Pix_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/fantasy-pix_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb1.jpg "Fantasy-Pix_thumb5_thumb_thumb_thumb[1]")
![1_thumb1_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1_thumb1_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.gif "1_thumb1_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
![1_thumb7_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]](https://dragonlaffs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/1_thumb7_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu1.gif "1_thumb7_thumb_thumb_thumb_thumb_thu[1]")
Dragon Laffs 
