USA Veterans Day & Canuck Remembrance Day

[Canuck Don]

Nov. 11 is only a few days away..USA Veterans Day and our Rememberance Day here in Canuck land.
I have been wearing my red poppy for a week now.I always observe this date.I am going on the 11th to the park here with my cousin to the war memorium statue is located..The handfull of vets from WW2 will be laying down wreaths and the pipper will be playing..I am so proud of the men that served and especially the USA and our military people that lost their lives in all the past and present conflicts.
My cousin and I were talking today about this..how a shame it is that the young kids of to-day have no knowledge of WW1. WW2, Korea and some even Nam. I shed tears when I see an old war vet .I respect them so much.
and shed more tears for the people who did not come back home or came back home all shot up and such.My Uncle Mike was in WW2...He was in a little ditty called Dieppe....He stepped on land mine..broken back and lost one lung..Spent 5 months in Hosp. in England before comeing home...He died few months ago..I see him often but I always make it a thing to call him on Rememberance day and say..Uncle Mike ..thank you for what you did over their and for comeing home to us..I have called him every year since 1960. I'm saddned now. because I cann't call him and tell him how I feel..
So ,,,please folks.,,,on the 11th...take a sec or so to remember these special people who never made it home to us.
Thank you for takeing the time to read this...sorry so long.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Gotta give a big shout out and salute to all our vets and vetettes. Thanks for your service..............

[claude]

Terry Kelly video

This video was forwarded to me this morning.

Here's the backgrounder:

A Timely Video for Remembrance Day

On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a Shoppers Drug Mart store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the store's PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to participate in two minutes of silence, in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the store's leadership role in adopting the Legion's "two minutes of silence" initiative. He felt that the store's contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable. When eleven o'clock arrived, an announcement was again made asking for the "two minutes of silence" to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terry's anger towards the father for trying to engage the store's clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was later channeled into a beautiful work called, "A Pittance of Time".

[Monte Smith]

The day was instituted to remember the vets of the Great War and I heard on NPR that there are just fourteen living American WWI vets and the youngest one is 106!

Big thanks to our veterans of all wars.

[Canuck Don]

[Enforcer]

Thank you to all our war veterans.

[Dan G]

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

The day was instituted to remember the vets of the Great War and I heard on NPR that there are just fourteen living American WWI vets and the youngest one is 106!

Big thanks to our veterans of all wars.

I think we are down to 2 WW1 vets in Canada. Even WW2 vets are getting pretty old. My father just turned 81, and he is the youngest member of his local Legion (what's the US version, VFW or something like that) who served overseas. Soon there won't be too many of them left either.

[Gary Sisco]

The Legion is the equivalent of the American Legion here. Some guys are members of both and there is sometimes cooperation across borders because some Americans volunteered and signed up with the Canadians in both WW1 and WW2, because Canada got into each quicker than did the US.

In the 70s, I had two great drinking buddies who were both WW1 vets. They were great guys and I still miss them. Both died while I was out west, in 1979. They are few and far between now, WW1 vets, but there is still the occasional one, who's managed to stay alive that long.

One of them joined up with the Canadians, so it took some doing to get him set up with his vet's benefits as an old man, since he was a Yank but had served with the Canadians. It did get worked out eventually.

I'll be headed down the Legion post here, tomorrow evening, for the ritual gathering. Some of the old guys, that's the only time I see them all year. Or on Memorial Day. WW2 guys are becoming a rarity, too, more each day. There's an obit or two almost every day, here.

One not long ago was the father of the kid who played guitar in my high school band. Another of those quiet guys who never said a word to my knowledge about the war. WW2. Turns out he was awarded the Silver Star as a young Lt., in the Euro war, for leading a bayonet charge. Yikes. No wonder he was quiet. That shit is getting personal, right there. Nuff respect.

Those guys, volunteers or conscripts (mostly conscripts), literally did save civilization from its worst-ever threat.

[clinthopson]

It hit me over the w.e. that it's been 52 years since I took off my khakis.

[Monte Smith]

Welcome home, Clint! (Belatedly).