Veterans Day/remembrance Day - How Do You Honor Your Dead?

[Margret]

I really should have started this thread yesterday, but I didn't think to so I'm doing it now. Saturday was Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance day in Canada, days when we honor our fallen war heroes, even those who died long after the war was over. So, if you celebrate this holiday, how did you do so this year? And who are your honored dead?

Mine include my father, all of my uncles on my father's side of the family, and, most recently, my dear friend Jim, who died in the V.A. hospital last winter. We have a National Cemetery in Denver, Fort Logan, and Jim and my uncles were all interred there (my mother kept my father's ashes), but I really don't like to visit it on Veterans Day. I don't feel as if that's where my loved ones are, just their bodies, which they no longer occupy. I only go there for the actual funerals, because funerals are a way to grieve with others who also loved the deceased. I did my grieving at home today, as I generally do, and then I did work that I know they would approve of, attempting to get a 28th amendment to the constitution that incorporates (or at least allows for) campaign finance reform.

Margret

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Our local community has a Veteran's Day parade. Afterwards, they honor the military and their guests with a meal at one of the local schools. No matter what the weather, we eat breakfast at McDonalds, then go for the parade. Yesterday it was very cold and windy. Most of our winter clothing is still store in bags on the top closet shelf. But I managed to find a pair of corduroy pants, socks, long sleeve shirt, undershirt, ankle boots and a hooded coat. We waited in the car until we could see them coming. Then we stood in the wind and clapped our handed to honor these veterans. We can never thank them enough for their sacrifice.
Veterans Day is a day set aside to honor vets who are still living. Our son served in the USMC. We have a granddaughter in the Air Force. There are many others in our family who have served time in the military. Whenever I see men or women dressed in uniform, I try to thank them for their service. Sometimes they act surprised.

Memorial Day is a day to honor the military who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives. There is a Memorial Day service held on the courthouse steps. We always attend this too. I have an ancestor who was killed at Spotsylvania Ct. House during the civil war. He was a colonel. Then there is another ancestor killed in World War II, a cousin of my dad.

At church, we always sing patriotic songs during these days that are set aside to honor our military and our country.

 

[mightyboosh]

My great uncle Thomas Whitham won the Victoria Cross in the first world war. For anyone that doesn't know, the VC is the highest award in the British army. There is a painting and his medal in Towneley Hall, just a mile from my place. We always think of him on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month.
That is not me in the photo, it's a Google image.

 

[neely]

My father served in WW2 and used to recollect some of his stories for my sister and I. Some were happy, others sad but all were memorable. He was very proud of his service and would sing many of the classic songs, e.g. I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy, This is the Army Mr. Jones, the Caisson song/Over Hill Over Dale, etc.

One of his favorite actors was Fredric March and so on Veterans Day I watch the movie, The Best Years of Our Lives which took place during WW2 and features Fredric March.

 

[Willowy]

Actually (yes I'm being pedantic). . .Veterans Day is to honor live veterans. Memorial Day is for memorializing deceased veterans.

The USPS gives little pins to veterans, and the local Post Offices can get extra gifts if they want. This year it was insulated coffee mugs, so that was nice for the veterans. And my mom made my dad go to Hy-Vee for breakfast because he ate for free .

 

[cassiopea]

I had to work that day - but thankfully the employer was mindful enough to stop everything to honour the two minutes of pause on the 11th hour.

And I brought two pics of my military family members to work. One was my great grandpa as a young man, who fought in the Finnish Civil War after against the Reds, after independence from the Russian Empire.

The other picture was of my great uncle as a young man too (My great granddad's kid/my dad's uncle) who fought in the Winter War where the Soviet Union invaded, and was sadly killed. His brother survived but suffered severe PTSD for the rest of his life and was taken care of by his sisters/my aunts.

It was nice having them there in uniform and gives perspective during a busy and tiring day at work, gets me to suck things up quite quickly and just chill.

Although also sort of humorous considering how many times people thought they looked "really hot", attractive wise....before realizing who they were

I do have members on the other family side, Irish, who also fought WWI, WWII and Korean War. No pictures of them though :/ but one of them was an explosives engineer during WWII, for example. He was my mother's uncle, who married a war nurse. Both sides of the family received medals, which I still have today, and really proud of them. I have other stories of course but will leave it at that!


Anyway I usually do go to a service or watch it on TV and of course wear the poppy.


It's such an important thing, I really value Remembrance Day. As the quote goes too "To learn nothing of what happened before you were born is to forever remain a child"

 

[Margret]

Veterans day may officially be for the living, but a lot of us honor the dead both at Veterans Day and Memorial Day. I do, and I saw a report on the news night before last about a couple who'd been busy putting flags on all the graves at Fort Logan National Cemetery and were seriously upset when the people who run it told them they'd have to take them all down.

Margret

 

[Margret]

It was nice having them there in uniform and gives perspective during a busy and tiring day at work, gets me to suck things up quite quickly and just chill.

Although also sort of humorous considering how many times people thought they looked "really hot", attractive wise....before realizing who they were

Actually, I think it's kind of cool that people think they look "really hot." In life, and in their youth, that's exactly what they were.

It seems that every generation has a bit of a shock when we suddenly realize that we didn't actually invent sex.

Margret

 

[EggSandwich]

My grandpa served in World War II. So did one of my great uncles on my mother's side. They both enlisted together.
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My great uncle died before I was born, but I would have loved to meet him. I've heard so many stories. Apparently, my cousins would jump around or clap really loudly and he'd scramble under the table and yell to take cover, that there were bombs going off.
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My grandpa survived, too, until the age of 95 or 96 - I can't remember now - and loved to tell stories. However, when I was very young, he was getting knee surgery. The doctors messed up his nerves and he couldn't walk any longer. It'd taken him a long time to start talking again, too. However, I know he'd used to play with me and my brother at very young ages - Legos, etc.
He'd give me quarters every time I did something for him.
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Really nice and respectable guys. I don't think I'll ever see such strength in my family again. They were what I like to call real men. Nothing like my older cousins who think they own everything of his after he'd passed. Nothing like my uncles; I have one who is known for getting banned from bars - and that says enough about him - and another who shoots innocent animals that do things he doesn't like.
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For Veteran's Day, we go up to the cemetery and I'll bury a quarter by my grandpa's grave. For my uncle, since I didn't know him well, I just go up to his grave to pay my respects. I wish we'd do something more, but I'm not sure what to do.

 

[Margret]

I think my grandfather served in WWI; I know my father and uncles served in WWII, and at least one served in Korea. And my friend Jim served in Vietnam.

My grandfather, I'm sorry to say, was an abusive , as were two of my uncles. The rest, however, were all good, kind men.

My father never wanted to talk much about the war. I have a letter he sent to my grandmother when he was stationed in France, and he was quite proud of the fact that he got busted back to a private for disobeying an order that would have gotten other G.I.s killed if he'd obeyed it (as far as I can tell he didn't actually see any of the fighting, he was in a support position helping to keep the supply and troop trains running), so disobeying a direct order was his one shining act of heroism, and I don't mean that sarcastically.

Margret

 

[dahli6]

I honor the dead by living well and free and treating others with courtesy and compassion. I also support my closest veteran(my hubs).

 

[cassiopea]

Actually, I think it's kind of cool that people think they look "really hot." In life, and in their youth, that's exactly what they were.

It seems that every generation has a bit of a shock when we suddenly realize that we didn't actually invent sex.

Margret

That is true! And can always feel flattered by the good genes too