A Day in the Life of President Bush (photos): 5.30.05

Yahoo.com, Whitehouse.gov, Various ^ | Monday 30, 2005 | Snugs

[snugs]

Today is Memorial Day President Bush commemorated this solemn event by taking part in the ceremonies at Arlington Cemetery along with the Secretary of Denfense Donald Rumsfeld.

For further details of this event and Arlington Cemetery in general visit http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/

Yesterday 29th May 2005, Secretary of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld addressed a Memorial Day Rolling Thunder veterans rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, May 29, 2005. Earlier in the day, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Richard Myers had led thousands of the Rolling Thunder motorcycle riders into Washington for their 18th annual 'Ride for Freedom' and rally for veterans

The history of Memorial Day
Each year, on the last Monday in May, the USA celebrates Memorial Day. For many, this day carries no special meaning except perhaps an extra day off from work, a beach barbecue, the start of the summer travel season, or for merchants, the opportunity to hold their annual Memorial Day Weekend sale.

In reality, the holiday is observed in honor of the nation's armed service personnel who were killed in wartime (in the UK this is the 11th November – Remembrance Day at which on the 11th hour of the 11th month we have a minutes silence all over the Britain).

The custom of honoring the graves of the war dead began prior to the end of the Civil War, but the national Memorial Day holiday (or "Decoration Day," as it was originally named) was first observed on May 30, 1868, on the order of General John Alexander Logan for the purpose of decorating the graves of the American Civil War dead. With the passage of time, Memorial Day was extended to honor all those who died in service, from the Revolutionary War to the present. It continued to be observed on May 30th until 1971, when most states changed to a newly established federal schedule of holiday observance.

Confederate Memorial Day, once a legal holiday in many southern states, is still observed on the fourth Monday in April in Alabama, and the last Monday in April in Mississippi and Georgia. A National Moment of Remembrance

May of 1997 saw the start of what is becoming an American tradition recognized by the President and Members of Congress -- to put the "memorial" back in Memorial Day. The idea of a National Moment of Remembrance was born a year earlier when children touring Lafayette Park in Washington, DC were asked what Memorial Day meant and they responded, "That's the day the pools open!"

The "Moment" was initiated by No Greater Love, a Washington, DC-based national humanitarian organization. For the first time in U.S. history, on Memorial Day 1997 "Taps" was played at 3 p.m. in many locations and at events throughout America. This effort was repeated again in subsequent years.

The objective of the "Moment" is to raise Americans' awareness of the honorable contributions made by those who died while defending our nation and to encourage all Americans to honor those who died as a result of service to this nation by pausing for one minute at 3:00 p.m. (local time) on Memorial Day.

This History of Taps

http://www.west-point.org/taps/Taps.html

Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island which today a tribute to Memorial Day

[snugs]

Here is your Certificate

[anonymoussierra]

Be strong America good country!!!

[snugs]

That is where our remembrance day comes from which is to remember those who have fallen. At the service at the Royal Albert Hall they drop Poppy leaves at the end each leaf depicts a service person killed on active duty, so unfortunately each year the total of the leaves increases.

We have a moment of silence at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th Month and though now referred to as Remembrance Day it was originally called armistice day.

[snugs]

Thank you it was very interesting putting those past events together over the weekend.

[snugs]

I think the comment is don't judge a sausage by its skin

[luvie]

Blah, blah, blah! LOL! Congrats, toaster winner! :o)

[GretchenM]

That is beautiful (and so is today's thread).

Our Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) sell orange and red (paper) lapel poppies to commemorate the service and sacrifices of our armed forces on Veterans' Day.

[texasflower]

Gretchen I agree with every word you said. I'm amazed with our snugs as well!

[texasflower]

Wonderful montage of photos. Did you make those?

It must have taken forever.

[GretchenM]

U.S. Air Forces in Europe Elite Guard, Ramstein Air Base, Germany, as they prepare to present the colors at the Arc de Triomphe in downtown Paris, France, during the Memorial Day ceremony Sunday May 29, 2005.

It is impossibly pathetic but my first thought when I read that caption was a feeling of surprise that the French allowed American GI's on their property to present the colors.

I remember how the French denied some British survivors of D-Day the honor of setting foot on French soil to commemorate that event recently.

[snugs]

One toaster

[snugs]

Lovely photos Sara

[GretchenM]

When I see photos of the North Korean, Chinese, or Soviet armies in masses, parading with guns, I don't get the same feeling as I get from a photo of our guys. What I see here is strength under restraint, with honor and no bravado.

[JustaCowgirl]

snugs, what an awesome dose you put together today. Lots of Rummy pictures with some rough and ready Americans, and how about General Myers looking good in the motorcycle gear!!! I am blown away by that picture of him.

Did you put together those Memorial Day retrospectives yourself? If so, that's just incredible. In any case, just an awesome job. We thank you very much for doing this for us.

[luvie]

Beautiful pictures, Sara! Thank you for your loving support of our President and of our country!

[GretchenM]

Very nice! Fancy! Thank you. =) I was secretly hoping for a four-slicer.

[onedoug]

I just wonder how prevalent DD-214s are in that crowd.

[texasflower]

Wonderful pictures Sara. It's nice having you celebrating Memorial Day with us.

[snugs]

The poppy comes fields in Flanders which with the blood on them looked like fields of poppies. The Royal British Legion in Britain sell red poppies for about 10 days before the 11th and which most people refer to as Poppy Day which of course is what the wreaths are made of that are placed on the memorials throughout the country and the rest of the world, I will have to do a special on this in November.

[snugs]

Yes I did make them each one took I suppose 20 - 30 minutes the longest bit was finding the most suitable clipart.