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.
This link to this story was sent to me by a very close friend who works as a trauma nurse in the Military Hospital System. These facts, these faces, and this life is what she lives every day at work and I am sure she lives it at home.
It is a long story, but if you truly care and are concerned about our wounded warriors, you will take the time to read it. I am not a big fan of the Huffington Post, but bravo to them for doing a great job on this story.
They not only tell the story of Tyler but also present a lot of facts about our wounded coming home
About 45,000 American troops in all have been wounded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan in ways that have been seriously enough to warrant their evacuation to a hospital.
Within that group are roughly 16,500 who have been severely or catastrophically wounded, meaning they have lost the use of at least one limb and have other debilitating injuries.
These include 1,350 amputees and about 6,800 other men and women whose limbs are so mangled that their injuries will “affect their ability to function for the rest of their lives,” said Ficke.
In addition, the Defense Department currently has on its books 310 cases of spinal cord injury, 2,043 troops with deep burns, 130 with the loss of at least one eye, 3,573 with severe penetrating head wounds, and 2,235 with severe traumatic brain injury. More than one fourth of military casualties suffer deep facial wounds. Some of these wounded troops are recorded in two or more categories: It is common, for instance, to see patients with multiple amputations and burns. On average, the wounded are being carried off the battlefield with 4.8 wounds each.
Separately, the Department of Veterans Affairs has on its rolls 6,500 severely wounded veterans under its care. VA officials expect that number to double to 13,000 within four years as the severely wounded retire from active-duty Defense Department care to the VA.
The VA accounts each year for the number of veterans who begin to receive disability payments. New cases of veterans receiving compensation for mental disorders have leaped from 32,838 in 2006 to 60,535 new cases in 2010.
To read all of Tyler story of what happened to him and where he is now, check out:
www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/10/beyond-the-battlefield-part-1-tyler-southernn999329.html?page=1
I love Hockey, and I love the US Army and soldiers, so it makes sense why I love this story.
This season, the Phoenix Coyotes backup goalie is using his mask to pay tribute to someone he never met yet holds a great deal of respect for: NFL star turned war hero Pat Tillman.“To see him, as a professional athlete, stop doing what he had worked his whole life toward to do something he thought was right – join the Army and go over and do what he did – is a pretty amazing thing,” LaBarbera said. “Nobody else can say that. It’s a pretty special thing he did, so this is a representation of what he did and everyone that’s fighting over there.”
I think it is awesome for him to do this as a tribute to the NFL Football player, turned fallen Ranger. To check out a picture of his goalie mask and read the whole story see:
www.military.com/news/article/nhl-goalie-honors-pat-tillman-with-mask.html
I first heard about SFC Cashe and his superbly heroic actions over at Blackfive.net (www.blackfive.net/main/2011/09/sfc-alwyn-c-cashe.html). Lately he has been back in the news as there is finally talk of upgrading his Silver Star to the Medal of Honor. However it seems his name is back int the news for another reason.
Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe was awarded the Silver Star six years ago for running into a burning Bradley multiple times to save his fellow soldiers. Friends and family believe that he deserves the Medal of Honor, and have been pushing for that recognition for years.
But amazingly, as top Army officials consider whether to upgrade that honor, Cashe’s grave site doesn’t even reflect the award he did receive. Instead of the Silver Star, his headstone lists only the Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Read the whole story at www.military.com/news/article/heros-grave-displays-wrong-military-award.html
There is nothing wrong with a Bronze Star as it is a very honorable recognition. However the guy earned a Silver Star (actually I think he deserves the MoH also) and after several years you would think the Army could somehow find the time to fix this and give SFC Cashe’s gravesite the recognition it deserves. How long does it take to do the right thing?
The mistake is just the latest headache for the hero’s family, who have also struggled to get their deceased soldier’s awards records and medical files, as well as reimbursement for some funeral costs.
Does it take a call to a Congressman to start an inquiry? That seems to always get the Army moving. Not that I am saying you should call a Congressman but hey if you happen to have their number on speed dial and have nothing else going on…..
I found this video today thanks to David himself. I had no idea that someone had created a re-enactment of one of his actions in Iraq in 2004. Not just any action but the one for which he was and still is recommended for the Medal of Honor. David is a friend and I am glad to call him such.
I talked about David’s book, House to House, which has this one incident documented in great detail along with a whole lots more from this tour. You can read that posting at: www.bouhammer.com/2010/09/my-own-return/
Take a minute and listen to David talk about this one particular day as they show the re-enactment and then go check out the book at: www.amazon.com/House-David-Bellavia/dp/1416574719 because you won’t be disappointed in reading it.
A great video here of young men from 3/4 Marines in Afghanistan looking back on where they were 10 years ago today and why they are where they are in 2011. This is a testament to the fortitude, patriotism and loyalty that many of our young warriors have today.