Memorial Day Message From Lt. Col Oliver Nortth

Dear Proud American,

Thank you to all those who have worn this country's uniform and have served in our Armed Forces. We especially pay tribute to those whose lives were lost in defense of this country.

Memorial Day, is a special time for all of us to remember that America enjoys freedom today because of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, Guardsmen and Marines who have sacrificed their lives for the defense of our nation.

In Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, I’ve seen these heroes make that final sacrifice for our country. It’s never easy. What makes it more difficult is to know that this American’s dying prayer is for a loved one back home.

Their last appeal is to us – their fellow countrymen – to care for the families they’ve left behind.

That is what we do here at Freedom Alliance – we care for the families they have left behind. Our Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund honors the bravery and dedication of our servicemen and women, who have sacrificed life or limb in defense of our country, by providing educational scholarships for their children.

One of our scholarship recipients is Andrea Padgett, who just graduated earlier this month from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina. Andrea’s father, Chief Warrant Officer Elmer Padgett, flew helicopters for the United States Army.

Sadly, Andrea’s father was killed in a helicopter crash just before her first birthday. Even though she barely knew him, his life is an inspiration to her today: “I have grown up aspiring to achieve the level of courage, bravery and dedication that my father achieved while serving in the United States Army. He has not only shaped my entire life and choices through his service, he has also touched many other people’s lives. Because of his choice to follow his dream of becoming a pilot, I have gained the courage and inspiration to follow my own dream of being a veterinarian, even though people have told me of the challenges involved.”

We cannot bring Andrea’s father back to her, but we are deeply honored that the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund has helped make her father’s dream of a college education for her, come true.

Providing scholarships to the children of our heroes is our way of honoring their service and sacrifice. Will you help us in this cause with a special Memorial Day contribution to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund? Please GO HERE to make your most generous, tax-deductible gift to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, a “Living Memorial to America’s Military Heroes.”

Through the generosity of many patriotic Americans, the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund has awarded $2.5 million in scholarships to hundreds of young Americans all around this great country. However, the need for our Scholarship Fund is ever-increasing. More than 4,900 American servicemen and women have been killed during Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, leaving behind thousands of young children who deserve our help.

With your special Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Scholarship Fund, these children will not only attain a college education, but they’ll know that their parents are heroes – not because of the way they died, but because of the way they lived. Please GO HERE to make your gift now.

I also invite you to join me in honoring our brave defenders of freedom this Memorial Day by supporting the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program. This year-round outreach honors members of our Armed Forces – those who have been wounded in combat and are recuperating at military hospitals throughout the United States – as well as those currently serving on the frontlines.

The Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program regularly receives requests to help wounded troops who are recuperating in Wounded Warrior Transition Units and military hospitals all around the country.

Thanks to the generosity of many patriotic and generous Freedom Alliance supporters, we recently were able to help two combat-wounded veterans, Master Sergeant Dexter and Specialist Doug, by flying them from Fort Bragg in North Carolina out to Guide Dogs of the Desert in Palm Desert, California to meet and train with their new, seeing-eye dogs. MSG Dexter lost his sight during a demolition training accident while gearing up for deployment and SPC Doug lost his sight when he was hit by an IED during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After returning home with their dogs, Freedom Alliance received this thank you from SPC Doug: “Just wanted to thank you for all your help in getting us, Dexter & me, out to Palm Desert to receive our guide dogs. It was a great and moving experience. Here is a photo of our class at the war dog memorial. My dog’s name is Zihn. Thank you again!!”

Please GO HERE to make your most generous Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program. Your support NOW will enable us to continue providing grants to our combat-wounded heroes, and also provide support to our troops on the frontlines.

Freedom Alliance continues to send care packages, which include thousands of cards and letters of appreciation, to those risking their lives on battlefields all over the world. Recently, at a Freedom Festival in Jackson, Tennessee, hundreds of patriotic Americans collected more than 3,000 pounds of goodies and much-requested items for Gifts from Home care packages that Freedom Alliance shipped to Iraq and Afghanistan, just in time for Memorial Day.

So, I come to you, with an urgent appeal to open your heart with your most generous contribution to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program.

Having made 11 trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, I can tell you how much these Gifts from Home mean to these courageous men and women, who are so far away from home and their families.

This year, Freedom Alliance has hosted Troop Appreciation Dinners and other special events for service members in 10 different states. Many more Support Our Troops events are planned throughout the rest of this year to thank our troops for their service and sacrifice for our country and to give them an enjoyable time out with their friends and families.

Please GO HERE to make your most generous, tax-deductible and special Memorial Day gift to the Freedom Alliance Support Our Troops program.

Will you please join with me and Freedom Alliance to pay tribute to our front-line warriors and their families? May we count on you, as together we honor and thank them for the sacrifices they have made for our country and please keep them in your prayers.

Semper Fidelis,

LtCol Oliver L. North, USMC (Ret.)
Founder and Honorary Chairman
Freedom Alliance

P.S. Join me in celebrating Memorial Day by flying Old Glory and saying “Thank You” to our troops and their families.

Posted:  Ask Marion – Daily Thought Pad

Thoughts For The Day For Veterans Day Observed

“All of us who served in one war or another know very well  that all wars are the glory and the agony of the young.”

     - President Gerald R. Ford

History of Veterans Day

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day to remind Americans of the tragedies of war. The fighting in World War I had ended a year earlier, at 11 A.M., November 11, 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month).

Two years later on Armistice Day, an unknown American World War I soldier was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., in the Tomb of the Unknowns.

Thousands of people came to watch the elaborate ceremonies that took place. Similar ceremonies had taken place the previous year in England and France: an unknown English soldier was buried in Westminster Abbey in London, and an unknown French soldier was buried at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

In 1926, Congress passed a resolution calling for the observance of Armistice Day in schools, churches, and other suitable places. Twelve years later the day was designated as a national holiday. In 1939, a year after Armistice Day became a national holiday, World War II broke out in Europe. The start of this war ended the idealistic hopes that World War I was “the war to end all wars.” Over four hundred thousand American troops died in World War II.

After the Korean War (1950–1953), during which over 36,000 Americans died, Congress considered making Armistice Day a day to commemorate veterans of all wars, not only those who served in World War I. In 1954, President Eisenhower signed a bill proclaiming the holiday a remembrance of all wars and changing its name to Veterans Day.

A law passed in 1968 moved the Veterans Day celebration to the fourth Monday in October.

However, the original date, November 11, was historically significant to many Americans, and ten years later the observation of Veterans Day returned to its original date.

In 1958, two more unidentified American soldiers were laid to rest next to the unknown soldier of World War I. One of the soldiers was killed in World War II, and the other in the Korean War. In 1984, a fourth unknown serviceman was added to the tomb. He had died in the Vietnam War.

However, in 1998, the identity of the Vietnam War soldier was discovered through DNA testing, and his remains were returned to his family. The crypt reserved for the unknown soldier from the Vietnam War is now empty.  Veterans Day celebrations include parades and speeches held in towns and cities throughout the United States. The focal point for national ceremonies, however, continues to be the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery and the amphitheater surrounding it.

Every year, special services begin at 11 A.M. with two minutes of silence. After the playing of “Taps,” the president places a wreath at the tomb. A color guard procession and several speeches, one of them usually by the president, follow it. Approximately 5,000 people attend the ceremony annually.

Today marks the anniversary  of the armistice that ended World War I, a day now  known in the U.S, as  Veterans' Day. I never served in the military, for which I am sure they are  thankful. Like many others, I certainly have not approved of all the military adventures in  which our nation has participated, but I honor those who have served. On this day I say, "Thank you!" 

“However horrible the incidents of war may be, the soldier who is called upon to offer and to give his life for his country is the noblest development of mankind.”   …General Douglas MacArthur, 1880 - 1964 

 

Veteran’s Day Recipe:  Navy Bean Soup 16 ounce package dried navy beans water 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes 1 onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 pound chopped ham 1 cube chicken bouillon 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley salt & pepper to taste 1 bay leaf Soak beans overnight in enough water to cover the beans but an inch or so. Drain. Combine beans, vegetables, ham, seasonings and enough water to cover in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover, and simmer for two hours.  Add more water 2-3 cups or as much as needed. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for another 2 hours. Discard bay leaf before serving.

Please add our troops and their families to your Christmas and Thanksgiving prayers!  Remember, whether you support the present war or not… We are at war and we have troops giving their lives almost daily~

 

Also… yesterday, November 10, 2008 was the 233rd birthday of the United States Marine Corps. 

Marine Corps Tribute

 God Bless Our Troops Everywhere!!