Final Blog

To start with I would like to thank everyone who has read and responded to my blog during this semester.  I hope if nothing else that I have given you something to think about when it comes to what our soldiers go through on a daily basis.  In this final blog I am going to talk about a couple of important dates which are fast approaching.

Memorial Day is fast approaching.

But there's a problem.  Most people have come to look upon Memorial Day as a kickoff for summer, a time for picnics and barbecues.  Memorial Day is much, much more than that.

We need to remember and we need to offer our respect for those who paid the price for our freedoms; we need to hold in sacred reverence the memory of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.  We need to ensure that they are never forgotten.

Over the years, the original meaning and spirit of Memorial Day has faded from the public consciousness.

If it is considered a holiday, why?  I consider it to be a national day of mourning.  That is how we observe the day in our home.  Because of what that day represents, the rest of the days are our holidays.

Memorial Day is a day to stop and pay, with sincere conviction, our respects for those who died protecting and preserving the freedoms we enjoy, for they are owed more than we can ever repay.

On May 5, 1868, three years after the Civil War ended, the head of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union Army veterans, established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers.  Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30, a date believed to be chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

Unfortunately, when Congress made Memorial day part of a mandatory three-day weekend through the National Holiday act of 1971, it made it all that much easier for us to be distracted from the spirit and meaning of the day.

It wasn't until after World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wares.  In 1971 Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day.  It was then that it was also assigned to the last Monday in May, similar to other federal holidays relocated to Mondays.

These veterans lived and died, but not in vain, for they paused with us on their way to immortality--and our world is a better place for their efforts.

Let us never forget the sacrifices of those men and women--Our Patriots--who have paid the ultimate price to defend their country's freedom.

May they rest in Peace.

The perpetual light shines upon them.

This second part is actually a poem by anonymous titled "It is the Veteran"

Remember the Veteran on July 4th.

America's Independence Day is only so because of the courageous few who stood up on behalf of an oppressed people in the name of Freedom and still do today.

Freedom is NOT, and NEVER has been, FREE!

It is the Veteran, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the Veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Veteran, who salutes the Flag.
It is the Veteran, who serves under the Flag.
To be buried by the flag.
So the protestor can burn the flag.

Take a moment and thank those who have served and who are serving for the freedoms that you enjoy each and every day.

Thanks again for reading my blog during this school year.  Take care and good luck to you all.

Death

I know that this subject is taboo with some people.  I guess they think that if you don't talk about the subject then you will keep it at bay.  I was reading an aarticle today on Army Times and it was also on Yahoo about a Captain in Afghanistan who was talking to his wife on Skype (which he did every day) and she had the unpleasant experience of watching him die.  It was unfortunate (and the results of what caused his death have not been released) but his family is comforted with the fact that they had the opportunity to be together in his last moments.  I have experienced my share of loss in the last 10 years.  I quit counting the number of friends and people I knew who have died during our war on terror.  I live each day knowing that it could of been me at any time while I was deployed to Iraq.  I thank every person of our military who are serving, or have served and especially those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.  My blog next week will be the last one for this class assignment and I plan on writing about our next holiday.  Memorial day is fast approaching and I just want to give a little insight into that special day.

IRS

I read an article in the Army Times last week that really brought out the reasons that people so dislike the IRS.   This article was about the IRS seeking loan taxes from a family of a dead marine.  This marine paid the ultimate sacrifice for defending this country and the IRS goes after his mother and father regarding taxes on an education loan that the bank had forgiven.  The IRS considered this forgiveness as income and demanded to be paid for the taxes ($1000).  Hopefully with the help of Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn. who represents the families hometown we can ensure that this situation doesn't happen to other military families.  The Andrew P. Carpenter Tax Act, would exempt loan forgiveness as taxable income of anyone who dies while on active duty as a result of a service-connected injury or illness.  It would be retroactive to Oct 7, 2001, so that it would cover all the deaths since the start of combat operations in Afghanistan.  I guess it isn't bad enough that this marine was married with a child on the way and he never got the opportunity to see that child.  We have to compound the suffering of his family by demanding money for something that was forgiven by the lending institution.  Just makes you wonder doesn't it.