Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Honoring America's Veterans


"On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month ..."


image from mediabistro.com

"Armistice Day (also known as Remembrance Day) is on November 11 and commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning - the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" 1918."

After World War II the name of the day was changed to Veterans Day, and we celebrate those who served this nation on this day. May God bless them forever.

Borrowed from DeconLabel (images and quotes):
But the freedom that they fought for,
and the country grand they wrought for,
Is their monument to-day, and for aye.
~Thomas Dunn English



It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Author unknown, sometimes attributed to M. Grundler

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. ~José Narosky

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

But fame is theirs - and future days
On pillar'd brass shall tell their praise;
Shall tell - when cold neglect is dead -
"These for their country fought and bled."
~Philip Freneau

Freedom is never free. ~Author Unknown



I think there is one higher office than president and I would call that patriot. ~Gary Hart

When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep? ~George Canning
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul. ~Michel de Montaigne

I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?" ~Eve Merriam
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. ~Cynthia Ozick

Lord, bid war's trumpet cease;
Fold the whole earth in peace.
~Oliver Wendell Holmes



How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes! ~Maya Angelou

When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them. ~Chinese Proverb

The most persistent sound which reverberates through men's history is the beating of war drums. ~Arthur Koestler, Janus: A Summing Up

The more we sweat in peace the less we bleed in war. ~Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit

Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die. ~G.K. Chesterton



How far that little candle throws his beams!
So shines a good deed in a naughty world.
~William Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice, much later adapted to "So shines a good deed in a weary world" by David Seltzer for the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. ~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935
taken from : quotegarden.com


Just for those who don't know why it's important to remember Veterans, and their sacrifices, perhaps this quote from George Orwell needs to be remembered as well:
"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."


Always On Watch posts about Veterans Day: keep Mr. AOW (he suffered a stroke in Spetember) and his wonderful wife (AOW) in your prayers and thoughts!

Bookworm posts about Veterans Day

Gateway Pundit posts about Veterans Day

Neo-neocon posts about Veterans Day

3 comments:

camojack said...

Speaking as a veteran, I wish I had the day off...although sacrificing that (along with several other "minor" holidays) allows me to have Christmas Eve through New Year's Day off with pay.

I can live with that... ;-)

Always On Watch said...

Benning,
Thank you for mentioning what Mr. AOW and I are going through right now.

My grandmother (b 1898) wished, in the years after WW2, that November 11 would be celebrated by pausing for silence and meditation at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. She felt that the day had much more meaning in that way. Also, she decried the store sales for Veterans Day because she felt that such commercialism demeans the day. I agree!

Buttercup said...

Hi Benning,

Rec'd your email. Thanks! Might be just the kick I needed. Time will tell. :)

Couldn't find an email for you on any of your blogs or profile so writing here.

--Carol