Memorial Day - a Rememberance

[TomVal]

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Grandson rubbing name of Capt Ron Ashe. Ron was a downed B-52 pilot during the Vietnam War. Remains never located.

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Major Troy Lee Gilbert - Downed wreckage located by U.S. Iraqi's had removed Troy from wreckage but never returned remains.

[jimpappas]

Tom,

Great idea and awesome postings.

My sympathies to those folks families and a HUGE Thanks for their service!

I don't have a picture but if I could I'd like to remember my roommate all thru A School and then on to our Duty Squadron VT23, HE will always be 19.

John Noble of Yorba Linda CA. Even 35 years later I still miss him and remember him fondly.

All of my family, 8 of them that served in WW2 and came home but have since passed of old age.

And, lastly, Nacy Romano, WW2 aboard the USS Wisconsin, kamikazee'd twice and in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the surrender, who passed just this last week. He was a a great man as they all were.

I taught my girls that Veterans Day was for all of us who served, including my youngest the Army Cpt (Gen 4 of service), but Memorial Day is reserved for those that gave "the last full measure of devotion" as Lincoln said.

God Bless them all!

[Michael White]

Always in my heart and on my mind...

[NASA515]

My heart too.......

http://www.rbogash.com/Stories/TomBlevins.html

Bob Bogash
RV-12
N737G

[N395V]

From an article by By ROGER SCHLUETER ? News-Democrat




According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, exactly 16,112,566 Americans served in World War II, of whom 405,399 died in service and 670,847 were wounded. As of November 2011 -- the latest figures available -- an estimated 1,711,000 were still living. That means only 10% of those who served remain with us today
But that number is far less now. Some 270,000 veterans died in 2011, so, with more than 800 passing away every day, that number may drop to just over 1.4 million by the end of the year.

It is estimated that so far in 2013 1,100 WWII vets are dieing every day and this number is accelerating.
If it's any consolation, we'll likely still be honoring living World War II vets for at least two more decades. Basing their estimates on both history and longer life expectancies, the government projects that 855,000 still will be alive on Sept. 30, 2015, 57,000 on Sept. 30, 2025 -- and 370 on Sept. 30, 2036.


It may surprise you, but the last veteran of every war the United States has fought (except the Mexican) lived past 100. These included the Revolutionary War's Daniel Bakeman, who died at 109 on April 5, 1869; the War of 1812's Hiram Cronk, who died at 105 on May 13, 1905; the Civil War's Albert Woolson, who died at 109 on Aug. 2, 1956; and, most recently, World War I's Frank Buckles, who died at 110 on Feb. 27, 2011.

Imagine no more living veterans from a war fought in some of our lifetimes. (in my case my parents lifetime.)

If you're wondering about other wars, there are still an estimated 2,275,000 surviving veterans from the Korean War, 7,391,000 from Vietnam; and 2,245,000 from Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

By the way, as of September 2011, there were still two children of Civil War veterans still on the government's veterans benefits rolls.


Some final numbers to reflect on today: In all wars involving the United States from 1775-1991, nearly 42 million served, more than 1,190,000 died and another 1.4 million were wounded. Counting both times of war and peace, there were an estimated 22,234,000 veterans living as of last November.

_________________________

[dealfair]

God Bless them all...

[N395V]

In reading my e mails and posts on some forums I frequent as well as talking to friends and relatives I get the impression that many (sometimes myself included) tend to confuse and or combine Memorial Day and Veterans Day. This is not a bad thing but something that should be thought about when we celebrate these 2 days.

Memorial Day

A day in which we honor those who gave their lives while serving our nation. Not necessarily those who died in combat but ALL who died while serving, whether from a bomb, bullet, vehicle accident, or disease.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

Veterans Day

This is a day to honor all who have served in the armed forces of the United States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veterans_Day

What is a veteran?

Often there is some confusion as to exactly who is entitled to be labeled a veteran. The answer may surprise some.
It is contained in:
The definition of "veteran" is in Title 38, USC, 101. It says, in part:
The term ?veteran? means a person who served in the active military, naval, or air service, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable.
The key words above are ?in part? and some of it may surprise you.
Included are Active and reserve duty members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and the respective National Guardsmen) as well as commissioned officers of the National Public Health Service, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
While I could not find reference to them I also suspect it includes Merchant Marines who served during specific time periods. It is also my impression that the term veteran for the purposes of memorial and Veterans Day is applied to Civil war Veterans from both sides.

There is also a Confederate Memorial day. It is officially recognized and celebrated in 9 States.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_Memorial_Day

In the Wikipedia article you can see that Confederate Veterans are included in our current celebration of Memorial Day.

Also key is that anyone who received a dishonorable discharge is not entitled to consider themselves a veteran.

While the above may seem to some as trivial minutiae it is food for thought on this day as we drink beer, munch barbecue and pay tribute to America?s fallen heroes?

[GLPalinkas]

I miss my friend, John Frazier. Agent Orange got John a few years ago. I never got to give him that RV ride I promised him.

Like mentioned previously in this thread, Memorial Day - "It's not just national BBQ day". It's real to a lot of us.