Dear Folks, as is tradition here on The Patriot Woodworker, leading up through the days to Memorial Day, we recognize and honor the service and sacrifice's made by our fallen countrymen and women.

 

We'd like to invite and encourage you to submit your stories, images, and family and friends remembrances, of those in your life who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our nation. Feel free to share anything related to Memorial Day as well, perhaps you have some historical information regarding this very important holiday, or more important facts that are worthy of reading and viewing.

 

Memorial Day, May 29th 2017

A Memorial Day Message by John Morris (Founder of The Patriot Woodworker)
Memorial Day, a day of memorializing the men and women who died while in service. This is a solemn day, a day that, in a perfect world we should never have to recognize. But the reality is our country has been the tip of the spear in conflicts around the world since the time of our existence as a nation. And we have lost many Americans.

In today's challenging world environment it's even more crucial than ever to give our attention to the service members who have given all to our nation in order to ensure that the citizens of our nation can go about our daily lives, living and enjoying the fruits of labor that our military and the men and women who serve have provided, and continue to provide.

All too often many people in our nation will forget what this day is all about, the youth today are losing sight of what it means to give, to sacrifice, to put the person standing beside them first, instead of putting themselves first. As adults, we need to remind our youth constantly that we live in a very exceptional country, and they should take nothing for granted. We should teach them the importance of our military, and we should remind them that if for one day our military stopped working, that would be the day life as they know it would change in an instant. Our enemies would exploit the weakness, and over run our shores. Our military is a great wall, a barrier between us and the bad actors of the world. Sometimes our military has to take the fight to them, instead of letting them come here to our nation. And our men and women have given their lives on some far off piece of land in order to ensure our safety here at home. We need to drive that message home to our own kids, their friends, and even often times, the adults around us.

Lets enjoy the day off, lets enjoy being in the company of the ones we love, but the whole while, lets not let the feeling of solemness, and remembrance leave our hearts.
We owe those who are no longer with us, that. Just one day is all they are asking.
Memorial Day, May 29th 2017.

I pray that God will keep in a very special place those who died in service and long after, for they are the ones who gave of themselves selflessly, and they will be "Forever Young". And we'd like to ask all who read this to pray or offer a word of thanks at your barbecue for our troops both past and present, and set out an empty table setting over an empty chair at your dinner table, in memory, and in hope that our men and women serving today will always return home safe, and whole in mind and body.
 

Also may God Bless our great and very special nation, and may He protect those in harms way as they serve our country and its people today, and into the future.

 

Links of interest

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day
• http://www.usmemorialday.org/
• http://www.history.com/topics/holidays/memorial-day-history
• http://www.military.com/memorial-day

Thank you, John.

Thank you, John

Thank-you John for causing us to pause and remember!

The family tradition for my grown son and me is to attend the Indianapolis 500.  A major part of the pre-race events is honoring those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  Every year, as the crowd stands, Taps are played and every year I tear up.  250,000 people are in the speedway and at that moment you can hear a pin drop.  As a veteran and citizen, I hope that feeling of sadness/gratitude never leaves me.  I have experienced this feeling at a few other places.  The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown, the Vietnam Wall when I have friends and comrades memorialized and also at George Washington's tomb where I had the privilege of reciting Washington's prayer while standing beside his sarcophagus. 

1 hour ago, Ron Dudelston said:

The family tradition for my grown son and me is to attend the Indianapolis 500.  A major part of the pre-race events is honoring those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.  Every year, as the crowd stands, Taps are played and every year I tear up.  250,000 people are in the speedway and at that moment you can hear a pin drop.  As a veteran and citizen, I hope that feeling of sadness/gratitude never leaves me.  I have experienced this feeling at a few other places.  The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown, the Vietnam Wall when I have friends and comrades memorialized and also at George Washington's tomb where I had the privilege of reciting Washington's prayer while standing beside his sarcophagus. 

 

The City of Central Point puts on a PRCA rodeo the first weekend in June. My dad and I always go. Every night when they bring in the flag and  the announcer talks about "Old Glory", I also tear up. Saturday is veterans night.  They will have vets from WW2 to currently serving come into the arena to be honored. I tear up during this part too.

Thank you, John for causing us to think about the past and the reason we are celebrating the memories of those who allow us our freedom and lives.

I think that the most heart rendering memory I have of Memorial Day was when we had the chance to visit Belgium and Northern France and following the footsteps of our brave troops during WW II.  The attached video was filmed at one of the many US Cemeteries - the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery - Liege, Belgium.  

 

If the video looks a little shakey, it was me doing the shaking - almost lost it entirely thinking of what happened here.

 

https://youtu.be/saZOEOn_dyo

 

 

4 minutes ago, Fred Wilson said:

almost lost it entirely thinking of what happened here.

Thanks for sharing this, Fred. I don't think any of us could stand there and not be affected.

Honoring our Great Uncle First Sargeant Jeroid Merle Tate, 3rd Marines, USMC, Died July 24 1944. He received his wounds on the beach of Guam, later transported back to his ship where he succumbed to his injuries 3 days later. My father speaks of him often, he remembers their last Christmas together. Uncle Jerry as dad calls him, was a battle hardened Marine who served throughout the South Pacific before he was killed. He had been through various jungle campaigns before his division landed on the beach's of Guam.

 

We proudly named our son Jeroid, after our Great Uncle, we wanted to name him with a meaningful name.

 

As a side note, his mother did not get the news of his passing for an entire month, news just moved slow back then.

 

Thank you Uncle Jerry, without you and your generation, our nation would not be. You are the reason we have what we have today. And thank you to all service members past and present, as a nation we stand on your shoulders, enjoying the freedoms and lifestyle we have, we often take for granted why we live as we do, but it is only, and only because of you we do enjoy our security and livelihoods. Without our nations military, our shores would be over run by the bad guys, and life as we know it, would cease to exist. You are our wall, our blanket of protection, we owe everything to you.

 

 

Thanks for posting John.

Herb