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Well I know it has been a couple of days since I posted but to be quite honest, there was no time. Following me on twitter at www.twitter.com/bouhammer was the place to watch in order to get real-time updates. The reality was that I was there and back in less than 48 hours. I accomplished a lot in that amount of time. Matt Goss put on two great shows between Friday and Saturday nights, entertaining hundreds of people, to include around 90 Veterans and their guests. Not only did they get an awesome free show, but Caesars Palace provided a free dinner to the Veterans and their guests in the Lago Restaurant.
Needless to say many of those that were Matt’s and my invited guests those two night were extremely appreciative for the opportunity. There were current Active Duty Army and Air Force Veterans, National Guard Veterans, people who served a few years and others that retired after more than 20 years. One couple had just got married in Las Vegas the night before.
There were Korean War, Vietnam War, Desert Storm and Global War on Terror Veterans. Most were from the Las Vegas area or nearby, with the furthest traveling Veteran coming from Massachusetts. Matt had me open up both shows by explaining a little about why we put this event together and then introducing him and his band. As always he put on an awesome show and is one I can’t recommend enough if you go to Las Vegas. On both nights he repeatedly gave shout-outs to the Veterans in the audience. I am pretty sure those in the audience who were not Veterans saw first hand that he was sincere and cares about our warriors. Continue reading →
So here it is, Veterans Day is on us again. This year is an extra-special one because of the significance of the date, 11/11/11. Veterans Day is all about the number eleven. The cease-fire to the First World War (which was supposed to be the war to end all wars) was signed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month.
It was nice to think that WWI would be the last war ever, but that was a little too optimistic for this planet. Our allies across the world like Britain, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and many others still celebrate this day based on how it originally started as Remembrance Day.
Our country changed it to Veterans Day in order to honor and recognize all Veterans. Due to its origins, many countries celebrate this day as a sort of Memorial Day for them, however we have Memorial Day already.
It is a day we take in this country to honor all Veterans that have ever or are still serving this country in order to protect and guarantee our freedoms as a country. Being a Veteran does not mean they had to serve in combat. It means they stepped up (or were drafted) to protect all that we hold dear.
The other day I was talking to a retired Army guy in Nevada and I was saying how that without Veterans Day we would have no Independence or Memorial Day. He replied “actually we probably would not have any holiday that we observe today, because we would probably be observing some other country’s holiday instead”. That kind of made me think. He was completely correct.
If we didn’t have warriors willing to stand watch in Fulda Gap, the Canal Zone, the South Pacific, over the Alaskan skies, or anywhere else that our Country’s finest have deployed to in order to keep our enemies at bay, who knows where would be today. Many did this for 20+ years and never saw actual combat during the cold war, but were more than willing to do it. This day is as much for them as it is for the Iraq vet amputee, the Vietnam Vet suffering from Agent Orange, the forgotten Korean War vet, or the men and women from across all services who have multiple tours in combat.
I know those of us in the 1% of the nation who have served and our families who have served in silence get it, I just pray that the other 99% of America who are not lucky enough to be in the 1% category can wake up, open their eyes and get it too.
This is why my good friend Matt Goss and I have joined forces to not only show appreciation to our Veterans this weekend in Las Vegas, but why we plan to do this every year, Lord willing.
We want Americans across this country to join us in showing our appreciation of our Veterans whom are around us every day in life. We also want America to get on board with our Allies around the world by showing their conscious recognition of this day. We would like America to help us accomplish both of these objectives by showing a public display of their support for this day. This can be done by wearing a red poppy on Veterans Day as millions of people do around the world. Lets get America to wear red poppies on this day like they have never done in the past. They can get them easily enough at their local American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars post. Both of these great veteran organizations have small hand-made red poppies for sale. These aren’t just hand-made, but hand-made by Veterans, not made in China or Taiwan.
So will you join us America? Will you truly take a moment in your ever-busy life to pause, look around and recognize our Veterans and what they have provided to you. I am not asking for much, at a minimum just wear a red poppy today.
In Flanders Fields By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Today, I stood in a field of flags and watched as my small group of Cub Scouts walked through the cemetery gently placing a flag at every headstone. I watched them as they moved in pairs from grave to grave. As I watched I noticed two small Cub Scouts about four rows away from the other scouts. What caught my attention was the gentleness I saw in them. As they approached each grave they kneeled beside the headstone and gently brushed away the leaves that were covering it with their gloved hands. After they finished removing the leaves, they measured with their fingers before they placed the flags. Then they took a step back and straightened their uniforms before they snapped to a salute. As I stood there I heard a faint whisper come out of their mouths “thank you for your service…” I was so touched that I had to turn away from them to pull myself together. I really didn’t want them to see me cry.
I stood there so proud of my little group of boys. The time we spent out in the cemetery passed so quickly not one boy asked ” how much longer?” or “when can we go?” They were so serious and carried themselves with a purpose that I haven’t witnessed before. I was constantly scanning to keep track of all of the boys. When my eyes fell on the two boys again, I saw them standing near a row of flags and chatting to each other about something that appeared to be serious to them. I walked close to see what they were so serious about. As I approached them and asked what was wrong, they informed me that the flags along the two closest rows to them were placed wrong. The flags were placed behind the headstone instead of in front of them. They asked me for permission to move the flags to their proper placement and of course I gave it to them.
My attention was quickly drawn to a large group of ROTC Cadets from a local college, who had begun gathering and chatting loudly between each other. Moments later the Commander in charge of the Cadets came to me and asked me “Do the boys over there belong to you?” Of course, I admitted that they were my boys. He then proceeded to tell me that my boys were messing with the flags that his cadets had placed and it was disrespectful and I needed to control them. I called the boys over even though I knew what they were doing. I wanted them by my side in case one of the cadets approached them. When the boys arrived at my side I looked to them and asked the boys to “please tell this nice man why you are moving the flags that his cadets placed on the graves.” The boys turned from me to face the Commander and told him “Because the flags were placed wrong so we are moving them so that they are in their proper place.” The Commander looked at the boys and said “Boys, you should never play with the flags that are on the graves, it is disrespectful. The flags are not placed wrong.”
At that point, one of the two boys stated “but Mister the flags were placed wrong because a soldier never turns his back on the flag!” The Commander stood there staring at the boys as if to ask them what they meant by that statement. The boys almost in unison, explained that the flags had been placed behind the headstone instead of in front and that they knew the placement of the flags should be in front of the headstone because “a soldier never turns his back on the flag”, which was why they had so painstaking cleaned the tops of every headstone prior to placing each flag because they wanted to make sure that the soldier buried in that grave could see the flag. The Commander stood there looking at the boys in amazement. At that point, I bent down to the boys to face them at eye level and told them thank you for making sure that we were honoring our veterans properly. Before the boys walked away they made eye contact with the Commander and said to him “thank you for your service”. The Commander smiled at the boys and said the only word he could muster “thank you”.
(This piece was written 9 years ago today. I held onto it in my journal and from time to time I have recalled the story. This story is special to me and has always touched my heart. I do not often share stories of my Cub Scouts but these two were very special to me because one was my son and the other his good friend. Nine years later, my heart is still full of pride for these two guys. One is a “knob” (freshman) at The Citadel and the other a Senior in High School who will be receiving his Eagle Scout soon. When I look at these two guys I still see the same love and respect for our service men and women. I have no doubt that one day they will be doing great things for our nation.)
BOUHAMMER NOTE-This morning, just like the last 11 Veterans Days, the Cub Scouts from this pack are at the same cemetery placing flags at Veteran’s graves. Now it is our youngest son who is walking from stone to stone with his fellow scouts making sure that the Veterans NEVER turn their back on the flag.
The number of businesses just keeps on climbing. Now there are over 200 companies that are doing a little something for our Veterans on their day, tomorrow. The folks over at Brads Deals have compiled a list of the 200+ stores. You can get to the list easily on their blog at www.bradsdeals.com/blog/2010/09/22/160-stores-with-military-discounts/ which they are continually updating.
In reviewing the list, I think there is something there for everyone. From Advance Auto Parts to Zaxby’s and everything in between.
Bravo to these businesses for offering these deals and to Brads Deals for putting this list together.
On this day in 1775 in Philadelphia at a place called Tun Tavern, the Marine Corps was born. Samuel Nichols was the founder at the time.
I have never been a Marine but I have stayed in a few Holiday Inn Express hotels and I have many Marine friends besides working with them a lot during my military career.
So to the Corps I say Semper Fi and Happy Birthday!
The poem below is what started the whole concept of the Red Poppy as the internationally recognized and accepted symbol of Remembrance Day, which is known as Veterans Day here in the USA.
As Per Wikipedia….
Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty since World War I. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth countries. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918; hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice (“at the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 a.m.)
The day was specifically dedicated by King George V on 7 November 1919 as a day of remembrance of members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I. This was possibly done upon the suggestion of Edward George Honey to Wellesley Tudor Pole, who established two ceremonial periods of remembrance based on events in 1917.[1]
The red remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem “In Flanders Fields”. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.
In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
