The State of Tennessee has declared March 29 “Vietnam Veterans Day” and this weekend was the first celebration of our new State holiday. I was not able to attend any of the festivities happening in Crossville (where the first celebration was sponsored) due to a sick toddler and a very busy family schedule, but from what I have read it sounds like it was celebrated well.

While watching the local news this morning I saw parades, confetti, flags, bands, and the “welcome home” celebration that these Veteran’s did not get when they came home from the Vietnam War. A reporter asked one of the young children in attendance if she knew why she was there, and the child said “When the Veterans came home they were treated badly, so we are treating them the right way now!” The statement was poignant and right on track.

Continue reading below to hear how one Veteran fought for this day, and now other states are taking up the challenge to declare March 29 as their own day to celebrate our Vietnam Veterans. The following news excerpts are taken from the Chattanooga Times Free Press.

After suffering through name-calling in the early 1970s, and then the years of denial that followed, Roger Rahor finally is ready to own up to his Vietnam veteran status with pride.

The Signal Mountain resident plans to march as a veteran for the first time on Saturday, which marks a first for Tennessee and the nation: the first official Vietnam Veterans Day.

…

“When we came home, not only did we not get a welcome, but we were mistreated,” said Mr. Dunham, who recalls being called a “baby killer” upon his return from the combat zone. “A lot of veterans couldn’t get past it.”

So Mr. Dunham, who was deployed with the Coast Guard, has been working since February 2007 to petition for the new holiday. He got his wish in May 2007, when Gov. Phil Bredesen signed a proclamation declaring March 29, 2008 — exactly 35 years after the country’s last 2,500 troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam — Vietnam Veterans Day.

The proclamation was the first of its kind in the nation, said Mr. Dunham, adding that since then it has spurred a national movement as efforts have been launched in 26 other states to enact similar measures.

…

“It’s through their service that we are reminded once more that to each generation falls the duty of spreading liberty, of protecting democracy and of safeguarding our security,” the governor said during a Veterans Day ceremony last November.

The Proclamation that Governor Bredesen signed to acknowledge the day officially is worded as follows:

WHEREAS, thirty five years ago, on March 29, 1973, the last 2,500 troops were withdrawn from South Vietnam thus ending military involvement in what is now the longest war in our country’s history, and

WHEREAS, it is important and appropriate to honor the men and women who survived and the 58,195 brave souls who fought and died, were never given the respect and gratitude they deserved for serving their country, and

WHEREAS, 1,293 of the names listed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall are from the Great State of Tennessee, let us honor their memory and thank them for their unselfish devotion to duty.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Phil Bredesen, Governor of the state Tennessee, do hereby proclaim March 29, 2008 as

VIETNAM VETERANS DAY
in Tennessee and encourage all citizens to join me in this worthy observance.

…

Mr. Dunham said he expects from 50,000 to 100,000 veterans to attend, more than 600 of them from the Chattanooga area. Some will travel from as far away as Alaska and Hawaii, and one from Australia, he said.

…

Charlie Hobbs, president of the Chattanooga chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America — the largest chapter in Tennessee and third largest in the country — is leading a bus and four trailers to the event. Chapter members plan to set up their Tennessee Vietnam Memorial Wall, which pays tribute to the 1,291 Tennesseans killed in action in Vietnam.

“We’ve got a bond that won’t ever be broken,” Mr. Hobbs said. “Our founding principle is that never again will a generation of veterans abandon another.”

…

“This is going to be the most patriotic thing Tennessee has ever seen,” he said.

Believe me, Tennessee has a bend toward being pretty patriotic as it is, but I can only imagine how beautiful it must have been to see these Veterans, our sons and daughters, finally given the welcome home they deserved 35-years ago. Our Vietnam Veterans fought hard, lost many and came home to face the same! They did not come home and rest, they came home, fought hard and have lost many to the home front battle. I pray that as a Nation we will never allow another Veteran’s mistreatment to go unchallenged. We should always remember Coolidge’s words, that “A Nation which forgets its Defenders will itself be forgotten.”

There are currently other states on board. Here is a list I found on TN City Data page… is your state listed? If not, find out why! This list was posted in December of last year:

The following states are now in the process of going for proclamations making March 29th Vietnam Veterans Day.
Tennessee (the first to celebrate)
Alaska
Arkansas
Arizona
Connecticut
Georgia
Iowa
Indiana
Minnesota
Missouri
Mississippi
Montana
North Carolina
New Jersey
New York
Oregon
Texas
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Tags: American Flag, Army, Army Mom Posts, Army Wife Posts, Morale, Troop appreciation, combat, communication, deployment, history, holidays, memorial, military, politics, veterans, well wishes by Claire
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I hope that everyone has a most blessed and restful Sunday and a wonderful Easter. I thought I would leave you all with a couple of chuckles tonight.

First, one of my all time favorite Easter cartoons:

And, if you have a moment, please help me caption the following picture. I can’t decide if these bunnies are in a get away car or on a road trip… you probably have some even better ideas… Caption it, please:

(Caption This!)

Here’s my lame attempt:

“Little did Marge and Mavis know that they had unwittingly hopped
into a car with none other than the notorious bank robber Bugsy Malone!”

I hope you all have a wonderful time with your family. Rest and God bless. I will “see” you all on Monday.

Tags: family life, holidays, well wishes by Claire
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Happy Valentines Day!

From Wikipedia:

Hugs and Kisses is a term for a sequence of the letters X and O, e.g. XOXO, typically used to express affection or good friendship at the end of a written letter or email.

It is debatable which letter represents which act. The less common interpretation assumes that X represents the four lips of a kiss and O the four arms of a hug. For example, the Oxford English Dictionary states that X is “used to represent a kiss, esp. in the subscription to a letter.”^[1] A more common interpretation assumes X as the crossed arms of a hug and O as the puckered lips of a kiss. Also, the order is normally spoken “Hugs and Kisses” which would correspond to the order that the X’s and O’s are written. Additionally, there is a more simple interpretation, based on the pronunciation of the letters X (sounds like ‘kiss’) and O (sounds like ‘hold’, as in ‘I hold you’).

The use of XOXO goes back to the use of an X or cross, which was considered as good as a sworn oath in times before most people could write and therefore used the X in the same way a signature is used today — a mark of one’s word. An X at the end of a letter or document was often kissed as a seal of honesty, in much the same way one would kiss a Bible or kiss the fingers after making the sign of the Christian cross. Thus the X came to represent a kiss in modern times.^{[citation needed]}

The “X” was also the ancient Paleo Hebrew letter Tav, and was a symbol of the Seal of Hashem (God) and it represented truth, completeness, and perfection. (This previous sentence is somewhat disputed by the entry on x.)^[2]

The origins of the O as a hug are not generally known, although it is speculated that it may represent the arms wrapped around someone being hugged.

Tags: holidays by Claire
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Happy Flag Day! We celebrate today the symbol of our freedom and liberty; freedom and liberty that we know can not be granted without the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform! Below is some history on Flag Day, the American’s Creed, and then one of my all time favorite videos featuring Rick Monday foiling a would be flag burner at Dodger’s Stadium on April 25th, 1976!

A little on the history of Flag Day. The following excerpt was found at “The Website Dedicated to the Flag of the United States of America.”

The History Of Flag Day
(excerpt)

The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America’s birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as ‘Flag Birthday’, or ‘Flag Day’.

On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day. READ MORE

Also, on the same site please read the history of the American’s Creed:

The American’s Creed

“I believe in the United States of America as a Government of the people by the people, for the people, whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a Republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect Union, one and inseparable; established upon those principls of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my Country to love it; to support its Constitution; to obey its laws; to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.”

Every Time I see this I want to stand up and cheer! It is timeless!

And, last but not least… Happy Birthday Army! Today the Army Celebrates its 232nd Birthday! Hooah!

Army Celebrates 232nd Birthday

Army News Service | By Tony O’Bryant | June 14, 2007

WASHINGTON - Installations and commands all over the world will celebrate the Army’s 232nd birthday, today, June 14.

With the theme “Call to Duty - Boots on the Ground - Army Strong,” the celebration honors Soldiers answering the call to duty during one of the most dangerous periods in history.

“Today’s Soldiers symbolize the nobility of selfless service,” said Sergeant Major of the Army Kenneth O. Preston, reflecting the Army’s heritage. “Today’s Soldiers are motivated by an unwavering belief that they will be victorious on the field of battle, because we have fought this way since 1775 and always will.”

Tags: American Flag, Army, family life, holidays, military by Claire
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Wonderful blog entry at Badgers Forward. If you like insightful, intelligent, and witty discussion, I highly recommend this blog!

Badgers Forward: Memorial Day: Observed

Tags: holidays by Claire
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This was posted on RN. I thought I would pass it along here.

Home Depot, Lowe’s offer discount

Home improvement retailers Lowe’s and The Home Depot are once again offering discounts to the military community during the Memorial Day holiday period, from May 24-28.

The Home Depot is offering a 10 percent discount on purchases up to $2,000 at The Home Depot stores, The Home Depot Landscape Supply locations and EXPO Design Center locations. The discount is available for active-duty personnel, reservists, retired military, veterans and their families.

To receive the discount, individuals must present proof of military service to the special services desk, where they receive a coupon that can be redeemed at any register. Discount coupons are valid on a single receipt, in-store purchase only.

Lowe’s is offering a 10 percent discount on purchases up to $5,000. The discount is available to active-duty personnel, reservists, retirees and their immediate families, and a valid military ID must be shown. The discount can be used on purchases during any of the five days through May 28, as long as the cumulative total does not exceed $5,000, said Lowe’s spokeswoman Karen Cobb.

Tags: Troop appreciation, holidays by Claire
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Happy Mother’s Day! I hope all of you moms get to either see, or hear from, your loved one tomorrow for Mother’ Day.

Fast Fact: More personal telephone calls are made on Mother’s Day in the USA than on any other day in any other country.

A Mother’s Day Deployed

May 09, 2007
BY Pfc. Nathaniel Smith

(excerpted)

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, May 9, 2007) - “I’m going to explain to him that I was out defending our country, and taking care of my family and doing what’s right,” Spc. Jessica Bailey said.

To hear the young mother of one talk about her son, 2-year-old Caleb, her love for him is obvious. The unit supply specialist with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, is currently serving at Forward Operating Base Falcon in southern Baghdad and will miss spending her second Mother’s Day with Caleb.

While it is tough being away, she said she finds ways to keep in touch.

“I call him almost every day,” she said. “I talk to him so he can at least hear my voice. He looks around for me when he’s on the phone with me.”

Even for those mothers who have been away from their children for long periods of time, it doesn’t get any easier. Capt. Trisha Meyer, the personnel officer for the Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div., answered her nation’s call to serve in Korea for six months when her son, Crispin, was three months old.

Now, she is serving at FOB Falcon while Crispin, who is now two, waits with his sister, Savanna, who recently turned one, on Mom to come home.

“He kind of gets the whole ‘Momma’s across the ocean saving other little boys and girls,’” Capt. Meyer said. “He thinks it’s cool.”

Tags: Army, Morale, deployment, family life, holidays, military by Claire
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