Lest we forget!

[Z3 Stalker]

Remembrance Day

 

He was getting old and paunchy

And his hair was falling fast,

And he sat around the Legion,

Telling stories of the past..

 

Of a war that he once fought in

And the deeds that he had done,

In his exploits with his buddies;

They were heroes, every one..

 

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbours

His tales became a joke,

All his buddies listened quietly

For they knew whereof he spoke.

 

But we'll hear his tales no longer,

For old Bob has passed away,

And the world's a little poorer

For a Soldier died today.

 

He won't be mourned by many,

Just his children and his wife.

For he lived an ordinary,

Very quiet sort of life.

 

He held a job and raised a family,

Going quietly on his way;

And the world won't note his passing,

Tho a Soldier died today.

 

When politicians leave this earth,

Their bodies lie in state.

While thousands note their passing,

And proclaim that they were great.

 

Papers tell of their life stories

From the time that they were young.

But the passing of a Soldier

Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

 

Is the greatest contribution

To the welfare of our land,

Someone who breaks his promise

And cons his fellow man?

 

Or the ordinary fellow

Who in times of war and strife,

Goes off to serve his country

And offers up his life?

 

The politician’s stipend

And the style in which he lives,

Are often disproportionate,

To the service that he gives.

 

While the ordinary Soldier,

Who offered up his all,

Is paid off with a medal

And perhaps a pension, though small.

 

It is not the politicians

With their compromise and ploys,

Who won for us the freedom

That our country now enjoys.

 

Should you find yourself in danger,

With your enemies at hand,

Would you really want some cop-out,

With his ever waffling stand?

 

Or would you want a Soldier--

His home, his country, his kin,

Just a common Soldier,

Who would fight until the end?

 

He was just a common Soldier,

And his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us

We may need his like again.

 

For when countries are in conflict,

We find the Soldier's part,

Is to clean up all the troubles

That the politicians start.

 

If we cannot do him honour

While he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage

At the ending of his days.

 

Perhaps just a simple headline

In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,

A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

 

Patriotism – Pass it on!

 

YOU can make a difference!!!

[MHKflyer52]

To all of the Veterans and Active Duty Personal around the world that stand in harm’s way and protect the rights of others THANK YOU.

[lancylad]

Thank you to every last one of them. We owe them everything we have..............

[scannon]

The Sailor Pictured Below Is Navy Petty Officer, PO2 (Petty Officer, Second Class) EOD2 (Explosive Ordnance Disposal, Second Class) MIKE MONSOOR April 5th, 1981 ~ September 29th, 2009

 

He Was Awarded "The Congressional Medal Of Honor" Last Week For Giving His Life In Iraq As He Jumped On And Covered With His Body, A Live Hand Grenade Saving The Lives Of A Large Group Of Navy Seals That Was Passing By.

 

During Mike Monsoor's Interment At Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery In San Diego, California The Six Pallbearers Removed The Rosewood Casket From The Hearse. Lined Up On Each Side Of Mike Monsoor's Casket Were His Family Members, Friends, Fellow Sailors, And Well-wishers. The Column Of People Continued From The Hearse All The Way To The Grave Site.

 

What The Group Didn't Know At The Time Was Every Navy Seal (45 To Be Exact) That Mike Monsoor Saved That Day Was Scattered Through-Out The Column. As The Pallbearers Carried The Rosewood Casket Down The Column Of People To The Grave Side The Column Would Collapse Which Formed A Group Of People That Followed Behind. Every Time The Rosewood Casket Passed A Navy Seal He Would Remove His Gold Trident Pin From His Uniform And Slap It Down Hard, Causing The Gold Trident Pin To Embed Itself Into The Top Of The Wooden Casket.

 

Then The Navy Seal Would Step Back From The Column And Salute.

 

For Those Who Don't Know What A Trident Pin Is: After One Completes The Basic Navy Seals Program Which Lasts For Three Weeks And Is Followed By Seal Qualification Training Which Is 15 More Weeks Of Training Necessary To Continue Improving Basic Skills And To Learn New Tactics And Techniques Required For An Assignment To A Navy Seal Platoon Trainees Are Awarded The Navy Seal Trident Pin. With This Gold Pin They Are Now Officially Navy Seals.

 

It Was Said That You Could Hear Each Of The 45 Slaps From Across The Cemetery! By The Time The Rosewood Casket Reached The Grave Site, It Looked As Though It Had A Gold Inlay From The 45 Trident Pins That Lined The Top.

 

This Was A Fitting End To An Eternal Send-Off For A Warrior Hero!

[slngsht]

:flag:May he rest in peace

[lancylad]

The word Hero, is not enough.......

[escondidoron]

Scannon said:

The Basic Navy Seals Program Which Lasts For Three Weeks And Is Followed By Seal Qualification Training

 

There is a similar Army program for the Rangers (Rangers were the guys who scaled the 100' cliffs at Pointe Du Hoc on Omaha Beach on D-Day). Sometinmes called the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP) but is actually named Ranger Assessment & Selection Process (RASP). The program is designed to identify those who truly have the both the mental and physical characteristics to become a Ranger. The program begins at the Ranger Memorial at Fort Benning where the fresh candidates assemble to watch the previous training cycle's graduation. The new class is typically about 220 candidates. They stand at attention and try to comprehend the degree of difficulty that lies before them. The graduating class typically is reduced to only 20 - 25 of the original group.

 

As with the Seals, the program is intended to be so difficult that those with insuficient physical and/or mental stamina will drop out.

 

All of our service men and women deserve our respect and gratitude. Members of these elite forces have earned the honor of tackling the most difficult missions that we can ask.

 

The respect that these Seals demonstrated for PO2 Mike Monsoor is indicative of a quote of one of the D-Day Rangers that I recall from the Band of Brothers book, I think from Major Richard Winters. Sometime after the war, when asked if he was a hero, he relpied, "No, but I served with some."

[11Budlite]

I always feel that what ever I say can never express my true gratitude for everything that they've done and continue to do. Thank you and God bless. :flag: