Veterans Day 2008

[blackwolfe]

I am not a Veteran but want to thank all of those who are.  Thank you for your service and sacrafices you have made.  I especially admire the courage of those that have joined since 9-11.  They know. 

[Teresa Heilevang]

It wasn't the Yankees who wrote the thing - it was Julia Ward Howe, an admirer of John Brown - the terrorist.  If you like history and the Civil War, here's a webpage entitled "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" What It Really Means:
 
http://www.plpow.com/Atrocities_BattleHymn.htm

Some have never read anything like this and some are going to connect for a further understanding.

[m25operator]

Called Dad and Dad in law, my dad, vet from Korea, but was stationed in Alaska and whitehorse Canada, radio operator, watching the russkies, and my dad in law, ww2, stationed in the Phillipines as an MP. Today is Dad in laws birthday. Thanked them both, and I need to thank all you guys and gals that fight the good fight, thanks to Ksail, our newly adopted son.

I just finished watching " To Hell and Back " for the 50th time, Just seemed appropriate.

[Teresa Heilevang]

And before the day is over.........................

THE HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY

1918
World War I, then normally referred to simply as The Great War (no one could imagine any war being greater!), ended with the implementation of an armistice [temporary cessation of hostilities_in this case until the final peace treaty, the infamous Treaty of Versailles, was signed in 1919] between the Allies and Germany at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November, 1918.

  1919
November 11: President Wilson proclaims the first Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations_" The original concept for the celebration was for the suspension of business for a two minute period beginning at 11 A.M., with the day also marked by parades and public meetings.

1920
On the second anniversary of the armistice, France and the United Kingdom hold ceremonies honoring their unknown dead from the war. In America, at the suggestion of church groups, President Wilson names the Sunday nearest Armistice Day Sunday, on which should be held services in the interest of international peace.

1921
Congress passes legislation approving the establishment of a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. November 11 is chosen for the date of the ceremony. According on October 20, Congress declares November 11, 1921 a legal Federal holiday to honor all those who participated in the war. The ceremony was conducted with great success.

1926
Congress adopts a resolution directing the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the observance of Armistice Day. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, most states establish November 11 as a legal holiday and at the Federal level, an annual proclamation is issued by the President.

1938
Congress passes legislation on May 13 making November 11 a legal Federal holiday, Armistice Day. The United States has no _actual_ national holidays because the states retain the right to designate their own holidays. The Federal government can in fact only designate holidays for Federal employees and for the District of Columbia. But in practice the states almost always follow the Federal lead in designation of holidays.

1941- 1945
1950- 1953
World War II and the Korean War create millions of additional war veterans in addition to those of the First World War already honored by Armistice Day.

1954
On June 1, President Eisenhower signs legislation changing the name of the legal holiday from Armistice Day to Veteran_s Day.

1968
 Congress passes the Monday Holiday Law which established the fourth Monday in October as the new date for the observance of Veteran_s Day. The law is to take effect in 1971.

1971-1975
The Federal observance of Veterans Day is held on the fourth Monday of October. Initially all states follow suit except Mississippi and South Dakota. Other states changed their observances back to November 11 as follows: 1972- Louisiana and Wisconsin; 1974- Kentucky, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, West Virginia; 1975- California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming

1975
Legislation passed to return the Federal observance of Veteran_s Day to November 11, based on popular support throughout the nation. Since the change to the fourth Monday in October, 46 states had either continued to commemorate November 11 or had reverted back to the original date based on popular sentiment. The law was to take effect in 1978.

[tombogan03884]

It wasn't the Yankees who wrote the thing - it was Julia Ward Howe, an admirer of John Brown - the terrorist.  If you like history and the Civil War, here's a webpage entitled "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" What It Really Means:
 
http://www.plpow.com/Atrocities_BattleHymn.htm

Some have never read anything like this and some are going to connect for a further understanding.

Just a LITTLE bit slanted M'ette, While it's REASONABLY accurate, "Yankee vandals" ? Please. And it wasn't "The South" that hung John Brown, It was the US government, By chance, the Captain entrusted with suppressing JB WAS of southern birth (Robert E. Lee) He was an Officer of the FEDERAL Army not a state of Virginia militia officer and the troops he led were a Company of US Marines, Federal not state troops.

[Sponsor]

[Teresa Heilevang]

Ahhhhhhhhh.. I didn't write it.. nor did I know.. I just posted it..

THAT... is precisely why I love you Tom... You are a political scholar....and I depend on you more than you know for.. "more than you know".. 

Thanks for the corrections.

[tombogan03884]

Ahhhhhhhhh.. I didn't write it.. nor did I know.. I just posted it..

THAT... is precisely why I love you Tom... You are a political scholar....and I depend on you more than you know for.. "more than you know".. 

Thanks for the corrections.

It isn't really WRONG on anything just the tone.
Darn, M'ette, now I have to let my hat out a notch, maybe two 

One  thought that came to mind was that the intent of the Founding Fathers was that the army was supposed to remain small, dominated by State militias, it's only purpose was intended to be the defense of America IN America. If a service was to become large and be deployed overseas it was intended to be the Navy, with it's integral land force the Marines. It was not really practical to deploy the Army as they did not have their own transport, If they needed to rely on the Navy for mobility, why not just use the Marines who were already familiar with Navy methods and were already aboard ships.