Well you finally got one thing right - I am anti-war and then there's you - all for the war but when it comes time to serve your country ("stand up for what you belive in") you're still cowering behind your keyboard. True American chickenhawk.

Too true.

azaf, thank you for serving. Yer not too bad for a crane fan. :cool:

tn: best of luck to your nephews.

[ May 27, 2005, 06:36 AM: Message edited by: GatorJamie ]

Hey Shipmate, what about me? Don't I get a USN shoutout over here? Kandahar was lovely in the springtime!

Seriously, though, it saddens me that simple gestures of respect get ripped through politics. Listen to AZaf -- take a few minutes during a holiday weekend to think, to pray, to honor. Remembering the war dead -- of this or any war -- isn't about the politics of those who got us there, it's about the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coastguardsmen who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Serving in Afghanistan without a doubt changed my life. Forever. But so did the day that I spent last fall walking the landing beaches of Normandy, standing atop Pointe du Hoc, and walking through the more than 9,000 graves at the American Cemetery there in Northern France. Its not just about this war, and its not about anyone of us -- its about those who laid down their lives, and their families.

As someone who volunteered to serve, who has "been there" and is ready and willing to go when the next call comes, I think I know what I'm talking about.

Backing away from my soapbox now...

Aye, aye sailor!

Welcome home.

Personally, I am glad that Ted K is reading the names and for the life of me, I just don't understand how anyone can see this as a bad thing or a political/liberal/conservative move. WTF?

I am thankful and grateful that my buddy AZAF made it back from Afghanistan alive and well. Thanks to you too, Penn State for serving and I'm glad that you made it back safely. It is unfortunate and sad that so many of our service men and women will get no chance to have a future. Who knows, some of those who have died may have even posted on this board. Reading their names and honoring them, whether you believe in the war or not, is the least we can do.

My cousin's fiance is in the reserves and has been over to Iraq as a transport driver. In fact, he has been there twice. When my mom told me that he went back for a second tour of duty, I couldn't believe it. I may not have been for the war, but I have the highest respect for him and believe him to be a "true american patriot". Thank goodness he made it back safely on both tours. My cousin said he could never tell her where he was for securtiy reasons, only that he was safe. She always feared the day when the call from him would never come. They are getting married later this fall. Had something happened to him, I know I would appreciate hearing his name on the tv. And I would have appreicated to hear the names of AZAF, or Penn State if something had happened to them.

So, on this Memorial Day weekend as I do every year, I will hang my American flag on my flag post because it's one of my ways of saying "Thank You" to all to those who have served, those who are serving, and all those who's lives were lost.

- MDB

Thanks PennState, Gater and Duck : )

Special props to PennState, Welcome home!!!!

Welcome Home, PS4E......good job, GJ...and AZAF, you know how I feel.

Congrats and thanks to you guys who actually serve instead of yapping.

Very touching show!! My eyes teared up several times, very touching and very respectful

As having spent this past weekend in Washington D.C., I have to say that the contradictions when it comes to politics and the military have never been so clear to me.

To begin, I think the whole meaning of Memorial Day has been lost. Not just in terms of the 'vacation' and bbq aspect, but how the day is celebrated officially. I was watching the beginning of the Indy 500 and all the pre-race ceremonies were directed at current troops and how great they are (with one only one mentioning of the soldiers from Indiana who have been killed). It would have been much more appropriate to have featured Veterans and not current soldiers.

Secondly, I got to experience the noisy and annoying Roll of Thunder in D.C. If you don't know what it is (and coorect me if I am wrong on anything) is that it's thousands of motorcyclists that come to D.C. to demand action on POW-MIA, benefits for veterans, etc. In DC, there seems to be a little resentment about the event because many bikers come just to join the big pack and rev their engine, instead of going for the real cause. And not just that, but I saw a person on TV speaking about the issue, and she was pretty much ripping the government about on these issues. And does anyone criticize and go after them? No. And when John Kerry criticizes these things, the whole Republican party thinks he's anti-American? Give me a break!

And the National Mall? The lawn wasn't even mowed on most of it.

One thing I always could not believe is the way D.C. keeps up with it's grounds. It is absolutely horrible and it makes D.C. look like a white trash town compared with the way other cities in the U.S. and over the world take care of their parks and memorials.

Veterans Day is for honoring veterans. Memorial Day is for honoring servicemembers who have died while on active duty.

I do not get Rolling Thunder at all. I don't see how it honors anybody. The whole Harley experience does nothing for me.

Upkeep of the parks and memorials is the responsibility of the National Park Service, not the D. C. government.

No, last year did not run commercial-free because I remember how the "Full Monty" touring production commercial seemed very out-of-place during that type of broadcast. Last night's was not commercial-free, either.

Another very well-done broadcast. If he was going to stick around at ABC and still be doing Nightline next year, he should have said, "We'll do this again next year." Because we know the killing will continue.