Althouse: Memorial Day.

May 28, 2012

Memorial Day.

21 comments:

ndspinelli said...: Every year I tell the story of my friend, Chuck Manarel. Growing up in the 60's, kids played 20 pickup games to every organized game of baseball. I played w/ older kids, and it could get rough..testosterone and all. Chuck was several years older and was my mentor. He helped teach me how to play[he was an all conference SS] and how to handle older kids. The innocence of my youth ended when Chuck died in Viet Nam. I was in high school. I had been to funerals of my grandparents and they were tough. But this funeral was different. Chuck was only 19.; 5/28/12, 8:09 AM
pm317 said...: Is that Washington Monument? I could not tell from your photostream where this might have been taken.; 5/28/12, 8:19 AM
Anonymous said...: The Memorial Day all should thank our veterans for their service. We should also remember our Commander in Chief. He has the most difficult job.

I am convinced - and I am unanimous in that - that today is the beginning of the end of GOP and Romney.

Today, states like TX, SC, WV, IA, and, yes, WI, will show that GOP has no chance to winning.

The race is over. According to the CORE (COmmittee to Re-Elect) Memo for the POTUS, it is clear that Romney will not win even a single state, including his home states (MA, NH, UT, and CA).

He is finished. He is nothing. GOP is finished. GOP is nothing.

The NYT, NPR, and PBS have already accepted this fact. So, dear reader, so should you. Don't be the outlier. Join us.; 5/28/12, 8:44 AM
Rusty said...: I.d like to thank all those who have served or are serving now.
Without you none of what we enjoy today would be possible.
Thank you.; 5/28/12, 8:54 AM
Anonymous said...: I hadn't realized it initially, but AP is a celebrity and a card-carrying genius. I found some of his work online here. I salute you, sir!; 5/28/12, 8:57 AM
edutcher said...: A big salute to the Althousian vets, but a much bigger one to those who died in the service of their country.

It is for them we mark this day.; 5/28/12, 9:20 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "Is that Washington Monument? I could not tell from your photostream where this might have been taken."

Yes. It's an old photo of mine, taken on film, maybe 10 years ago when I was in Washington (probably doing appointments committee interviews for the law school).; 5/28/12, 9:21 AM
pm317 said...: Thanks Ann. I liked those pics that follow this -- playing with food with your son.; 5/28/12, 9:35 AM
The Drill SGT said...: Absent Companions!; 5/28/12, 9:38 AM
TWM said...: Remembering those who gave all for our freedom, and especially those from my old unit.

God Bless them all.; 5/28/12, 9:41 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Today I saw one of those marquee signs in front of a church.

"Don't forget to remember the men and women serving our nation."

Mission creep, I thought.; 5/28/12, 10:14 AM
ricpic said...: Translation of AP speak:

Me, myself and I am unanimous
That if we just repeat the propoganimous
About our duck billed platypusimous presidentulous
Being the greatest thing since sliced bread and butterus
We can fool the schmucks and gain total powerowerousimousisous!!!!!; 5/28/12, 10:14 AM
Jeff in Oklahoma said...: Godspeed to all you veterans out there.

Since 1937, 24/7, 365, the 3rd Regiment, "Old Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknowns.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EQ--Au-_lyw; 5/28/12, 11:14 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: I've said my piece, now it's back to the salt mines,...; 5/28/12, 11:43 AM
David said...: Thank you, Althouse.

My Dad: 317th Fighter Group, 325th Fighter Squadron, 306 Fighter Wing, 15th Army Air Force. North Africa & Italy, 1942-45. The Checkertail Clan. I attended their last reunion in 2003 representing my father. Do any still survive? The newsletter has stopped coming. They were so wonderful and welcoming.; 5/28/12, 2:06 PM
David said...: Mitchell said...
Today I saw one of those marquee signs in front of a church.

"Don't forget to remember the men and women serving our nation."

Mission creep, I thought.

Read your post, Mitchell. Creep with no mission, I thought.; 5/28/12, 2:10 PM
Ignorance is Bliss said...: A quick question for any Vets who might be reading-

AMC is running a War Movie Marathon, in honor of Memorial Day. One of their choices was Apocalypse Now. While it is certainly an interesting movie with some great quotes, do veterans consider this a good choice for honoring the sacrifices made by our soldiers?

LOL- first WV = officers; 5/28/12, 5:16 PM
sean said...: I would presume that by now, most of Prof. Althouse's colleagues don't speak to her anyway, so maybe she can put this picture up on her office door.; 5/28/12, 7:04 PM
JAL said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 5/28/12, 9:32 PM
JAL said...: My sister-in-law's father is buried in Epinal, France, at the American Cemetery.

Tonight we watched a documentary on the 60th Anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. It was followed by a 2009 documentary on a US Marine unit in Afghanistan -- which lost one of their members in the first few minutes of the film. War is ugly.

For those men and women who died in the service of our country in the military: My deepest respect and my deepest gratitude.

I love this remarkable country. May it be preserved.; 5/28/12, 9:35 PM
Methadras said...: To my father-in-law, who was a pearl harbor survivor and a survivor of the great depression, who was the youngest of a family of 11 and was unwanted. Who worked the coal mines of north carolina as a child, who joined the navy at 16, who saw his friends dying that day, but had the nerve to get on his ship with 100 other guys, get the engines started and get it out of the harbor (The USS Nevada). He did his 20 years and afterwards served his country again as a mailman for another 25. Who retired and tried to live as modest a life as he could. Weathered a divorce, two children, 3 grandchildren, a second marriage to a woman he buried in his 70's that died from Parkinsons carrying her with his bad hips and his bad knees from one doctors appoint to her bed daily without any help.

He would never ask for help. His pride wouldn't let him and I understood that. He was witness to the horrors of war, to the horrors of life, but was joyous that he still had lived to see things he would never have imagined and I reminded him that it was because of men like him that we could enjoy these things. He lived with us for 5 years before he passed away. We loved watching tv together and gabbing about all kinds of stuff, but football season was our favorite cause he loved it when I made him several bratwursts throughout the day with ice cold beers to follow. His chair is still here and it's empty and it sucks. And not only was he the father of my wife, and the grandfather of my daughter but he was also my very dear friend and I miss him. The good news is, is that he isn't alone and he's waiting.; 5/28/12, 10:26 PM