11 November

[Albany Rifles]

Steve

May he rest forever in peace and God's love.

And I realized I did not mention 2 who have gone before us...

LCDR J E Buchanan, USN Flew combat mission in WW II, Korea and Viet Nam

NAP and direct commission 1935-1963

My uncle and the man whose name I carry

1917 - 2005


F1C Paul G Buchanan, USNR 1944-1946

Entered service on his 17th birthday, spent his 18th birthday at battlestations (and later awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his actions that day) and was honorably discharged 3 weeks before his 19th birthday

1928 - 2000 RIP Dad


And for all of the men who died to make other men free of the 43rd New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1865

[Shamus]

May they all rest peacefully in the far green fields.

[Officer of Engineers]

God Bless.

Present Arms.

[S2]

Thanks fellas- Colonel, John, Eric, Don, and Dave.

The words mean much. Needing to become used to this stuff and it's no fun. Soldiers and friends hold a high place in my heart. Losing one or the other's never good.

Losing a good soul who's been both a bit harder.

Nuff said.

[Prof]

Nov. 11:

The following is over in the thread "Stories", but is appropriate for yesterday. I really miss my old man. After the onset of dementia he turned into a sort of idiot saint (no disparagement intended; reference to Dostoevsky) & extremely easy to get along with. Wild about Mary, which just shows his good taste. Despite his short-term memory loss he had an excellent memory for what had gone on before, & was full of really good tales. We really appreciated his tenure in our house while it lasted.

I warned you...

My old man was a lawyer. He practiced in the now-obsolete field of Interstate Commerce Law, so while Perry Mason was comforting the afflicted & afflicting the comfortable (apologies to HLM) my Dad was filing suits against evil trucking companies with established routes who had the temerity to object to his clients' manifest need to obtain authority to haul the route in question or for excellent trucking companies who justly needed authority to haul a route in spite of those obviously unjust objections from previously established route haulers. From month to month, sometimes those in contention were the same companies. He didn't tell amusing stories about his Law practice.

He did tell amusing stories about his years in the USAAC during WWII as a tech Sgt. These were all in keeping with the V-mail cartoons he sent my Mother, & he was an excellent cartoonist. I'm prejudiced, but I put him in the Bill Mauldin class. The V-mails themselves have all disintegrated over time, of course, but he had them duplicated before they were gone, & later I had those duplications restored & duplicated themselves, so I have a nice little collection of very funny art.

His stories told of a war consisting of back-to-back amusing anecdotes, ranging from North Africa at the beginning to France & Germany by VE day. He was a radioman, & spent all his time on the ground, always apparently, by context, in the rear with the gear.

In the early '90s I started a software company developing products for diagnostic imaging. He became the treasurer. We were to compete in the '93Windows World Open. Microsoft wanted minibios of the officers. My Father, in his, asserted that he & some USAAC major were responsible for our initial development of close support tactical bombing doctrine.

He'd never suggested any such thing before. I didn't really want to call him on it, but he had been a little flaky since a bypass proceedure a few years before, so I watered down his statement some, making the assertion a little less cartegorical. We won the competition in our category but the company ultimately failed.

The years passed & he became increasingly flaky. He was a non-compliant type 2 diabetic, & developed pretty severe small vessel brain disease, leading to significant dementia manifested primarily by profound short-term memory loss. It got to the point that he couldn't take care of my Mother anymore, & she was developing what ultimately turned out to be completely crippling rheumatoid arthritis, complicated by COPD. We moved them into our house, where they had an aparment in our basement.

She died on New Year's Eve '99. He died in 2003. Got his service record for a VA headstone. Looks like he wasn't exaggerating much about his service record, although I couldn't completely confirm that bombing doctrine stuff. He had also won both the bronze & silver stars, plus a Heart, little somethings he forgot to mention, I guess. His commendations & wound were awarded for directing air traffic from exposed positions. Guess it might be true, after all. Got him a little shadow-box shrine, of sorts, now on the wall in the den.

Good for him. I don't know whether I want to kick his ass or give him a hug for keeping it secret.

The Prof

Prof

[pate]

A bit late I offer Vet's day and the day after Happy Birthdays to anyone who knows what I talk about...

[tankie]

r i p

[Capsoda]

I would like to post a thread on the 90th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War 1. I would welcome contributions from everyone who has knowledge of World War 1 to discuss how the conflict changed Europe and the World forever.

I would like to discuss how it changed the balance of power in Europe with the Austro Hungarian, Imperial German and Tsarist Russian Empires dissapearing.

How were Great Britain, France and the USA affected by World War 1?

My Grand Dad said it sure changed him. Said "Them French girls didn't speak no English but the could under stand what he meant". He saw some nasty stuff over there and was very disappointed that the world did not learn from it. He would say, "I guess the future is war and off we'll march to it".

he was a very smart man and I do miss him.

For Gramps, my Dad, my two older brothers and veterans everywhere...and I guess myself too....Thanks for the job well done.

[tankie]

Ours is still 11 November.

This song still hits a nerve

http://www.army.gc.ca/chief_land_sta...s/TKeng6mb.wmv

On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month, please give 2 minutes of silence.

I just have Col ,and again on Sunday , 11 / 11 /10 , Next year will be the best and maybe forgotten for the next time of 11 / 11/ 11 ,and most appropriate ? and now in full civilian/military attire , I will toast absent friends .

SALUTE .

[captain]

Today, as has always been the practice in my business, my staff and I stopped to remember.
As usual there are always a few who enter at that time who do not observe and have in past years shown their displeasure at having to wait.

Today, Vicroads which is a Victorian government department had issued an edict that they would not observe because it was culturally insensitive to some members of their staff and the multicultural society in general.

Due to public backlash the minister responsible was forced to reverse the decision.

Canadian, Terry Kelly says what I and many others think.

[Albany Rifles]

Thanks, Captain.

I lost this video when my old computer crashed.

In the US 11 November is Veterans' Day and honors and commemorates all who served. We have a separate holiday in on the last Monday in May called Memorial Day which honors all who have fallen in defense of our country.

Personnally, I think I like the way the Commonwealth does it better because it ties to a specific historical date.

That said, Happy Veterans' Day and Rememberance Day to all.

[S2]

My thanks particularly to those serving and, especially, those deployed to places where their lives are threatened daily by many who'd otherwise be threatening all of us. God love and protect them that they might do the same for the rest of us.

[Canmoore]

Remembrance Day 2010

In Flanders Fields
-John McCrae 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Lest we forget

[USSWisconsin]

Thank you to all have served our country, you have and always will have the undying gratitude of my family and myself


Here is a nice video about our veterans, it is worth watching, it brought tears to my eyes
YouTube - I Fought For You By The Sound Tank

[Kilo 2-3]

To all who serve and have served, God bless.

You are not forgotten.