Memorial Day Plans?

[crin63]

What do you all have planned for the weekend and Memorial Day?

We will be at our church Saturday night and Sunday both services. Sunday night we are having a dozen friends over for my chili, hamburgers, my coffee, and karaoke after the evening service.

Memorial Day we will go to the Veteran's Memorial. Have to see of they will be having ceremonies this year. They guy who is usually the organizer has been in the hospital for the last 2 months.

[Kathianne]

Working this weekend, no plans. I am getting ready to go visit family and friends for a week, leave Wednesday. Lots to do.

[Elessar]

A ceremony noontime at the local Vet's Memorial. Then perhaps a small bit
of libation since it's my birthday.

[Gunny]

A ceremony noontime at the local Vet's Memorial. Then perhaps a small bit
of libation since it's my birthday.

I'm thinking about just waking up. What I find ironic is we would have to parade around the grinder for a couple of weeks to prepare for a bunch of civilians to show up and make us have to stand in the sun and work half the damned day. Thanks for MY holiday.

[Kathianne]

A ceremony noontime at the local Vet's Memorial. Then perhaps a small bit
of libation since it's my birthday.

Happy Birthday in advance! LOL! Usually I'm doing belated, so thank you too!

[Kathianne]

I think it important to remind all of us that Memorial Day is to honor those who've died in service to our country:

http://www.history.com/topics/holida...al-day-history

Memorial Day, an American holiday observed on the last Monday of May, honors men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, at least, it marks the beginning of summer.

Veterans Day on the other hand is to honor all who've served:

http://www.history.com/topics/holida...f-veterans-day

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as “the Great War.” Commemorated as Armistice Day beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.

I'm with Gunny though, especially regarding Veterans Day. Mike Royko also agreed.

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2004/1...ns_day_pa.html

I just phoned six friends and asked them what they will be doing on Monday.

They all said the same thing: working.

Me, too.

There is something else we share. We are all military veterans.

And there is a third thing we have in common. We are not employees of the federal government, state government, county government, municipal government, the Postal Service, the courts, banks, or S & Ls, and we don’t teach school.

If we did, we would be among the many millions of people who will spend Monday goofing off.

Which is why it is about time Congress revised the ridiculous terms of Veterans Day as a national holiday.

The purpose of Veterans Day is to honor all veterans.

So how does this country honor them?

By letting the veterans, the majority of whom work in the private sector, spend the day at their jobs so they can pay taxes that permit millions of non-veterans to get paid for doing nothing.

As my friend Harry put it:

"First I went through basic training. Then infantry school. Then I got on a crowded, stinking troop ship that took 23 days to get from San Francisco to Japan. We went through a storm that had 90 percent of the guys on the ship throwing up for a week.

"Then I rode a beat-up transport plane from Japan to Korea, and it almost went down in the drink. I think the pilot was drunk.

"When I got to Korea, I was lucky. The war ended seven months after I got there, and I didn’t kill anybody and nobody killed me.

"But it was still a miserable experience. Then when my tour was over, I got on another troop ship and it took 21 stinking days to cross the Pacific.

"When I got home on leave, one of the older guys at the neighborhood bar — he was a World War II vet — told me I was a ----head because we didn’t win, we only got a tie.
"So now on Veterans Day I get up in the morning and go down to the office and work.

"You know what my nephew does? He sleeps in. That’s because he works for the state.

"And do you know what he did during the Vietnam War? He ducked the draft by getting a job teaching at an inner-city school.

"Now, is that a raw deal or what?"

Of course that’s a raw deal. So I propose that the members of Congress revise Veterans Day to provide the following:

- All veterans — and only veterans — should have the day off from work. It doesn’t matter if they were combat heroes or stateside clerk-typists.

Anybody who went through basic training and was awakened before dawn by a red-neck drill sergeant who bellowed: "Drop your whatsis and grab your socks and fall out on the road," is entitled.

- Those veterans who wish to march in parades, make speeches or listen to speeches can do so. But for those who don’t, all local gambling laws should be suspended for the day to permit vets to gather in taverns, pull a couple of tables together and spend the day playing poker, blackjack, craps, drinking and telling lewd lies about lewd experiences with lewd women. All bar prices should be rolled back to enlisted men’s club prices, Officers can pay the going rate, the stiffs.

- All anti-smoking laws will be suspended for Veterans Day. The same hold for all misdemeanor laws pertaining to disorderly conduct, non-felonious brawling, leering, gawking and any other gross and disgusting public behavior that does not harm another individual.

- It will be a treasonable offense for any spouse or live-in girlfriend (or boyfriend, if it applies) to utter the dreaded words: "What time will you be home tonight?"

- Anyone caught posing as a veteran will be required to eat a triple portion of chipped beef on toast, with Spam on the side, and spend the day watching a chaplain present a color-slide presentation on the horrors of VD.

- Regardless of how high his office, no politician who had the opportunity to serve in the military, but didn’t, will be allowed to make a patriotic speech, appear on TV, or poke his nose out of his office for the entire day.

Any politician who defies this ban will be required to spend 12 hours wearing headphones and listening to tapes of President Clinton explaining his deferments.
Now, deal the cards and pass the tequila.

- Mike Royko

[darin]

I'm taking the kids and pups to the Black Forest for paragliding, mountain-coaster, and castle-lookin-at.


re: Memorial day vs Veterans day and all that.


A good friend said it best on fb - silver star awardee.

Just thought I'd share some perspective to those who care. For those about to complain about people "confusing" Memorial Day with Veterans Day, I ask you to think about something. At least people in our country think about us and thank us in some way, shape or form. At least we're not treated like Vietnam veterans were. I've been to other countries where veterans and those that did not come back didn't rate high on people's "give-a-shitometer".

Regardless of how people say it, the fact that they show gratitude should be enough.

[Gunny]

I'm taking the kids and pups to the Black Forest for paragliding, mountain-coaster, and castle-lookin-at.


re: Memorial day vs Veterans day and all that.


A good friend said it best on fb - silver star awardee.

I would LOVE to go look at those old castles. I'll hold y'all's coats while you paraglide though. And the coaster. I hate them things. I don't get sick and they don't bother me, but I get nothing out of them. To each his own though. Have a blast.

[darin]

here's the coaster we'll ride

[namvet]

off to see the Royals and White Sox play. probably fireworks after. unless this damned weather postpones another one

[Kathianne]

While we hadn't planned on an outing, one of my friends and I did have a sort of holiday outing yesterday-not quite Memorial Day, but both of us are working.

We went for an hour and half hike through Clear Creek, part of the Coconino National Forest. The sandy trails were really nice, not too many rocks to fall over. (Yes, remember I AM a klutz!) The Sycamore trees were huge and so beautiful. The really nice thing is there really is a 'clear creek' that the trail we were on follows, even a few small waterfalls-something I enjoy so much now that bodies of water are scarce.



Next we headed back towards Camp Verde, which is only a 25 minute drive from where I live. We took a couple of turns looking for water access, but never found the water. (Signage in AZ leaves a bit to be desired.) We did see some wonderful homes though! Very different than the look alike housing seen in most of this area. There was grass! Lots of horses. There's a lot of tribal lands in this area and down these roads there were trailers right next to rather large homes. I've seen this in other parts of the country and it always stuns me. This

Giving up on the search for access for kayaks or canoes, we headed for Montezuma's Castle. First though we got sidetracked by Fort Verde. This actually was the type of place I like to visit on Memorial Day weekend. http://azstateparks.com/Parks/FOVE/



A


The we were off to Montezuma's Castle, a very cool National Monument. This is one of the sites of cave dwelling natives in AZ. I'd love to use this as a field trip teaching, kids are always interested in hunters and gatherers. It's a shame that people can't go in, but there was too much looting and wear and tear when it was allowed. Still, there was a lot to learn.







Leaving the park, we decided to make one more stop before getting some dinner:



I won $20 and that was put towards our dinner tab.

All in all a good day.

[aboutime]

Noticed how pleasant it is to see Obama OUT OF THE COUNTRY, again, on Memorial Day Weekend? It prevents thousands of Veterans from wishing he was somewhere else, when the Wreath is placed at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers...(who probably spin when Obama is there)

[gabosaurus]

[crin63]

Me and the Mrs spent the day in the mountains going to yard sales and hanging with our friends. Nice ribeye steak and eggs for dinner. It was a very nice day.

[Gunny]

Me and the Mrs spent the day in the mountains going to yard sales and hanging with our friends. Nice ribeye steak and eggs for dinner. It was a very nice day.

Ribeyes going on here. Gunny's firing up the grill.