Remembrance Day

[panjs]

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.

- John McCrae

[HV]

I just got back from my Fathers Grave... took my Poppy off and put in on his grave... he was a WW11 Vet... Never Forget

[09WGULTRA]

A moment of silence for all our fallen veterans and a special thought to all who returned broken in body and/or mind.
WE SALUTE YOU ALL!!!!!

[70weight]

A moment of silence for all our fallen veterans and a special thought to all who returned broken in body and/or mind.
WE SALUTE YOU ALL!!!!!

[RKTonyC]

My father was a Veteran of WWII. He enlisted in the Army before he was of legal age. He was based out of Fort Bragg, and was in the 9th Infantry Division. He was attached to the Howitzers, and when the guns were set up, he was one of the first to dig in, and one of the last to leave. He traveled through France, Belgium, England, Italy, Sicily, Spain, North Africa and Germany. The 9th was one of the very first combat units to begin offensive ground assaults in WWII. He was in the western task force during Operation Torch and invaded French Morocco. He was in Operation Husky which was the Allied invasion of Sicily in which Sicily was taken from the Nazi Germany and Italy. From there it was on to Normandy to take part in Operation Overlord. He was part of Operation Neptune which was the assault phase of Operation Overlord. He fought in the Rhineland and the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge. And nearing the end of the war, he was part of the closing of the Ruhr Pocket, which was one of the deciding defeats for the Germans and was the last crushing blow to the Nazi war effort where over 300,000 German soldiers were taken prisoner. He pushed forward through Germany with the 9th and held the line at the Mulde tributary on the Elbe river near Dessau, less than 80 miles from Berlin until the unconditional surrender of the German forces.

During his service in WWII he lost many, many buddies. He witnessed the brutality of mankind at their most evil. In one such instance, as they pushed through Germany, they over ran a concentration camp that had just been evacuated less than 1/2 hour earlier by the Germans. Trenches were dug, and bodies lined the bottoms of them, already covered in lime. He said that the bulldozers were still running, ready to fill in the trenches. They were ordered to remove the bodies to get an accurate count and for identification purposes as well. He said that as they removed corpses, gaunt arms would raise up from under the other bodies. Some people were actually falling into the trenches alive, with the hopes of digging themselves out if they could, rather than be murdered by the Nazi. My dad said this was the scenes that made the most toughest of men break down into tears, and wonder how any human being could do this.

He saw leadership from Generals Eddy, Craig, Westmoreland, Bradley and Eisenhower. He disliked and had no respect for General Patton. He was close personal friends with both Omar Bradley and Bill Westmoreland. And in a twist of fate actually saved Westmoreland life. He was a part time chauffeur for the brass out of combat areas, and during a strafing run on a narrow road in Germany, actually bounced Westmoreland out of the jeep onto the side of the road into a ditch before the bullets tore up the jeep. Later in life at a book signing Westmoreland saw my dad come in and stopped his interview to walk over and hug my dad, telling this very story to the reporters. He also did get in trouble with the brass because he refused promotion past Corporal, stating that he was a worker and wanted to be with the men rather than advancing past them.

The 9th infantry were brave men. They were nicknamed "Hitler's Nemesis", and the Boston Globe at the time reported:

"If any unit has earned the right to be called Hitler's Nemesis it is the U.S. 9th Div. Here is an outfit that really thrives on tough opposition. America has reason to be proud of this superb fighting unit."

I myself tried to enlist into the military before I was out of high school. But due to physical problems with my right leg I was denied entrance. I'm actually lucky just to be able to walk after all the surgeries. The motivation to join itself was in tribute to my father and all the others who fought bravely for freedom, and to those who had given the ultimate sacrifice and had given their lives in battle. These men were in my mind heroes to us all. I grew up with the memories of my father, and watched as the Vietnam war came and went, and was saddened by the fact that these men were also heroes, but were never treated as such. To me and my father, they damned sure were heroes and always will be. The wars in the Middle East and Afghanistan are also being fought by men and women whom I consider heroes as well. The landscape may be different, but the people are the same, selfless heroes.

I was asked many years ago when I was a kid, what I wanted to be when I grew up. I had only one answer... "If I could only be half the man my father is, then that's what I would like to be."

As I reflect on this day, I am a proud son, and very lucky to have been raised by such a brave man, a hero, a true patriot, a great father. I lost my dad in 1999. I was sad that he didn't get to see the year 2000, and that he didn't get to see the Red Sox win the World Series in 2004. One of the greatest moments in my lifetime was sitting at Fenway with my dad, drinking beers, eating hot dogs, and watching the Sox. He truly was the best, and I miss him every day.

To all the fathers, mothers, sons and daughters of those that serve or have served, I hope this day finds you well. My prayers and admiration gos out to you all.

[Panzer]

To my Dad, son, uncles, relatives and all that have served home and abroad, may God bless you all.
A big, BIG tip-O-the hat and a salute for the job you have done.
To all our brothers and sisters who have lent a helping hand abroad, fighting for world peace....................
                                THANK YOU ALL !!

Panzer