Topic: Happy Memorial Day Weekend

[wxman1952]

Looks like quiet weather, generally this weekend. Hope everyone stays safe and has a nice holiday weekend. Great weather is in store for my area.
Michael

[Cutty Sark Sailor]

Just curious... who remembers what Memorial (Decoration) Day is all about, other than hamburgers and hotdogs?

[W3DRM]

Just curious... who remembers what Memorial (Decoration) Day is all about, other than hamburgers and hotdogs?

Well, as a child growing up during and after the war, and also living in Arlington, Virginia near Fort Myers, our family would make our annual trek to Arlington National Cemetery and place flags on the graves that didn't have them. That was a family tradition for many years and one that I will never ever forget. While, as a small child I didn't, at the time, fully understand the meaning of the act, it has certainly stuck with me for the rest of my life.

If you've never been to any of the national cemeteries around the country (and world) then you really should take the time to plan a vacation to visit one or more of them. It will wake up your senses and give you an understanding of exactly what our veterans did for you and me.

[BigOkie]

Just curious... who remembers what Memorial (Decoration) Day is all about, other than hamburgers and hotdogs?

Created as a holiday to remember the fallen soldiers in the Civil War, both Confederate and Union.

I remember it partly for the Memorial Day 1984 flood.  The end of my junior year in high school.  I'll never forget this weekend.

http://www.srh.noaa.gov/tsa/?n=1984may26_tulsamemorialdayflood

http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/photo-gallery-the-flood-of/collection_f1f14e11-8fa1-56c6-bb2f-2736215e4603.html?_dc=851628054166.2126

Changed our city forever.  For the good and the bad..

The bad..obviously fourteen lives lost, 7000 families lost their homes.

The good...out of it sprung one of the best flood mitigation programs in the nation.  When cities wanted pointers on how to manage floodwater, Tulsa was the benchmark.  And still is.

[AWL]

Yes, wonderful Memorial Day to everyone. In memory of those lost. I guess everyone has someone in their family to remember. I lost an uncle, I never knew, on the beaches of Normandy. No one in the family has ever seen the grave as he was buried overseas.

-Doug

[Farmtalk]

For anyone interested in an athlete's perspective, I thought this was a great article

http://bradracing.com/races/coca-cola-600/those-who-serve

Thanks to everyone here on the forum who sacrificed their lives to fight for their country, and to all the veterans out there. We wouldn't be able to live the way we do without ya 

[wxman1952]

I remember going to the cemetery with my Dad, putting flowers on his mother's grave (my Grandmother). I never knew her as she passed away when my Dad was only 13. He always called it "Decoration Day." I goggled and found this:.... The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from "Decoration Day" to "Memorial Day", which was first used in 1882.[34] It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by Federal law until 1967.[35] On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend.[36] The change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May. The law took effect at the federal level in 1971.[36] After some initial confusion and unwillingness to comply, all 50 states adopted Congress' change of date within a few years.
Mike

[George Richardson]

This is a wonderful piece in our "local" newspaper. I showed it to my wife and she told me Earl Love was her Mother's first cousin. Small world.

http://www.thefranklinnewspost.com/article.cfm?ID=27433

[ValentineWeather]

I lost my uncle over the North Sea after successful bombing of German fuel depot. http://www.adoptiegraven-database.nl/index.php/margraten/american-war-cemetery-margraten-f/38207-freed-warren-d

[SlowModem]

I haven't worked on it in a while, but I have a web site dedicated to those I knew during the Cold War over in West Germany just across the fence from the Soviet Bloc.

https://sites.google.com/site/11thacrfulda/home

I have a great friend from the Army over in Germany that I recently reconnect with after 30 some odd years.  He's writing a book about the mission over there and our experiences.  I'm anxious to read it.

My step-son spent a year in Iraq a few years ago and got pretty banged up.  He's 80% disabled now.  But he gets around well and we have a 10-month old grandson now. 

They're having a ceremony at our county courthouse Monday around noon.  I am going to try to attend.