I have no idea who this idiot is, but, Chris Hayes, on MSNBC announces to the world that he’s uncomfortable with referring to fallen American troops as “heroes” because apparently it is “rhetorically proximate to justification for more war”;
So, basically, Hayes has thrown away the typical Leftist “support the troops and not the wars” meme. Hayes’ support for the troops is entirely dependent on the political aspects of their missions.
Hayes is a guy who produces words for the leftist publication “The Nation”, he’s hosted the Keith Olbermann show when it was on MSNBC as well as the Rachel Maddow show. He was going to replace Olbermann when he was canned until it was discovered that he also gave political contributions to the Obama campaign. His wife is a counsel to the Obama Administration.
If Hayes can’t judge the troops’ individual heroism under adverse conditions, why is he even on television? Obviously, he has nothing to contribute to the discussion of Memorial Day since he lets his politics interfere with a rational discussion.
The entire transcript of his remarks are at Newsbusters.
Admiral “Bull” Halsey once said “There are no extraordinary men…just extraordinary circumstances that ordinary men are forced to deal with.” And that is what this weekend celebrates. Ordinary men (and women) dealing with extraordinary circumstances, and although many of us who’ve known personally those men and women who have given the last full measure and we honor their memory every day, some Americans have to be reminded of their blessings of liberty and peace. That’s unfortunate, but at least they remember sometimes. That’s why I graciously accept their Memorial Day greetings, and their “thanks for [my] service” because this holiday is to remind them of the people who’ve sacrificed for them – because you and I don’t need to be reminded.
Among millions of others, we live with the sacrifices others have made for us and that is part of the burden we bear.
If it takes a holiday to remind Americans what has been done in their name, then I’m all for it;
I think that Halsey’s comment was valid in the context of his time, but in these days of an entirely volunteer military, there are extraordinary people who take time out of their lives to participate in something for the greater good rather than the selfish good.
Anyone who enlisted in the military after 2001 knew with near certainty that they would end up being a pop-up target no matter what their job was – truck driver, cook or infantryman.
It takes an extraordinary person to run towards the sounds of the guns while most of his countrymen, the ordinary people, merely hope that someone will, someone who is not them. In these days, it takes extraordinary people to confront extraordinary circumstances, and not a day goes by that I don’t thank my Creator that such people exist in these times.
The folks at NRA & Brownells sent us their latest video in the Life of Duty series. This one follows World War II veteran Norm St. Germain on his first visit to the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC;
As a bonus, here’s LOD’s “Patriot Guard Riders” and the expalnation and impact of their mission;
My cousin, Scott, has never spent a day in uniform, but he’s served his country and those of us in uniform as a member of the Patriot Guard Riders.
Country musician, Tim McGraw has announced that he will give away a house to 25 veterans on each of his tour stops this summer, according to Stars & Stripes/Associated Press;
“My sister’s a veteran, my uncle’s a veteran, my grandfather was a veteran, one of my best friends is a veteran,” McGraw said in an interview. “I’ve known people my whole life who are in service to America. And I think in my position to be able to do something like that is probably the ultimate thing. So to be able to go on tour and provide sort of a stable foundation for a veteran and their family is something I really look forward to.”
“It’s going to be a great opportunity to set a family on track that’s done so much for us and my family,” McGraw said. “So I can’t imagine a better thing to do on tour. It’s going to be fun – I mean every tour date we’re going to be out there.”
See, Hollywood, that’s how it’s done – stop complaining that you don’t pay enough in taxes and whining that the government doesn’t do enough. Pry some of your wallets open and DO something, for a change.
I try to avoid mentioning the so-called stars on this blog, because most of them have nothing of value to add to the discussion. But when they do good, especially when they don’t really have to, I guess I should, that’s why I’m mentioning Taylor Swift. I did notice that she did a really nice video, in regards to the troops, when she did “Ours”;
But this story from Fox News is better. it seems that Cpl Josh Marreel made a YouTube shout-out to Taylor about his friend, Sgt. Wade Wilson, who was killed recently in Afghanistan the video went something like this;
Marreel said in the May 15 video. “I know you have no idea who I am, but this video isn’t about me. This is about my good buddy, Sergeant Wade D. Wilson, who was killed in action Friday, May 11, 2012 in Afghanistan. Anybody that knew Willy knew that he worshipped you. He even slept with a poster of you in between our beds in Afghanistan.
“This guy was my best friend. I know a lot of people get on here and ask celebrities to go to dances with them … All I’m asking is for you to think about him.”
Well, I guess she, or one of her staff saw it and she sent flowers to SGT Wilson’s family with this note;
Taylor Swift reportedly told the family that she wants to wear Sgt. Wilson’s dog tags in her next video to show her support for his military service. Swift is currently shooting a music video in California.
I have some of her music on my Zune, and I’m going to have some more soon.
OK, let me try this again. Sorry it took so long, but uploading 200 pictures and a 28-minute video takes a while, I guess.
It was indeed a beautiful Spring day in Richmond yesterday as you can see in this video (by the way, my videographer, Shakey McShakes of Shaketown is now looking for work if you’re interested in hiring someone who can simulate a Zumba Fitness Party during an earthquake). The video is 28 minutes long and covers every bit of the parade.
Before the parade began, I walked the 1.5 mile route to see if I could root out any protesters, and the only ones I saw were were some Pro-Life zealots who were holding a prayer meeting on one corner. Yeah, I’m pro-life, too, but I don’t know what it has to do with a Welcome Home parade. Context, guys.
But here are some of the signs that greeted the troops when they marched;
The high point, for me, was the Grand Marshall of the parade, retired Marine Colonel Wesley Fox, a 43-year veteran, resident of Virginia and recipient of the Medal of Honor. Col. Fox held every enlisted rank except Sergeant Major (which is probably why he was so awesome) before becoming a commissioned officer.
Of course, he was accompanied by Marines;
While the Army rode;
There were several hundred bikers in the parade;
The VFW Ladies’ Auxiliary honored the local folks who had fallen;
They had some “vintage” vehicles in the parade, too. This one gave me flashbacks of all of the times I had MP jeeps with lights flashing and sirens blaring and coming right at me.
I could go on and on about the parade, but you’d probably rather see the 200 photos I took at My Flickr Photostream.
Afterwards, under the shadow of the World War I Memorial, local organizations set up a Veterans’ Resource Center and displayed what they offered veterans. In fact, if there’s anyone out there looking for work in Virginia, I can almost guarantee you a job, especially if you’re a school-trained instructor. One lady in particular was begging me to find her some veterans to work at Fort Lee. So, if you email me, I’ll send you her contact info.
Thanks to Concrete Bob for making me go to the parade. We had a great time. And I finally got to see Coby Dillard, a good friend who I haven’t seen since before the last election. It was a great day.
ADDED: I forgot to mention that I also met Cargo Squid. So I’m putting more faces to more names these days.
You may remember that TSO and I went to the Colors casing ceremony when the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) prepared to deploy to Afghanistan from Fort Knox. They’ve been sending us updates from their work there, and I’ve been delinquent in telling y’all about their doings. So let me catch you up.
First of all, they uncased their colors when they arrived and sent us this picture;
Their commander, Kristen French, made her star over there; (more…)
The New York Times tells the story of 92-year-old Hyman Strachman, a World War II veteran who, in 2004, reconnected with the military when he began shipping bootlegged DVDs to the troops almost as soon as the movies themselves were released. The Times says that “Big Hy” has sent more than 4,000 boxes of the DVDs at his own expense over the years;
“It’s not the right thing to do, but I did it,” Mr. Strachman said, acknowledging that his actions violated copyright law.
As for his brazen violation of domestic copyright laws, Mr. Strachman nodded guiltily but pointed to his walls, which are strewed with seven huge American flags, dozens of appreciative letters, and snapshots of soldiers holding up their beloved DVDs.
“Every time I got back an emotional e-mail or letter, I sent them another box,” he said, adding that he had never accepted any money for the movies or been told by any authorities to stop.
After Mr. Strachman’s wife of more than half a century, Harriet, died in 2003, he discovered a Web site that collected soldiers’ requests for care packages. He noted a consistent plea for movie DVDs and wound up passing his sleepless nights replicating not only the films, but also a feeling of military comradeship that he had not experienced since his own service in the Pacific during World War II.
Funny how we always succumb to that call of comradeship and commonality sooner or later. The Times estimates that “Big Hy” spent over $30,000 bringing a bit of home to the troops in 90 minute doses.
