Damsel and I often speak of our visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On this day we recall the memories of that visit and the overwhelming sanctity of the tomb and the solemness of the soldiers guarding it. May the spirit of our fallen soldiers be remembered on this day.
I hope everyone in the USA and all Americans enjoy the weekend and Memorial Day holiday. We started out a day early and ran some errands before commencing our weekend. One stop today found us at the flower concession in the local supermarket where I snapped this photo of the beautiful, patriotic bouquets all ready for the weekend ahead.
And please remember that if you’re planning to travel over the weekend that this weekend is statistically one of the highest-fatality weekends, so please, drive carefully!
In March, we wrote about Tom Heidenberger’s memorial bike ride to honor the memory of the 33 flight crew members that were killed on 9/11/2001. Tom and his riders have now completed their journey.
Bike riders travel 3,800 miles to honor 33 victims of 9-11
The cyclists made the pilgrimage from Los Angeles to the three crash sites to raise money and awareness of the Sept. 11 memorials.
Thomas Heidenberger ended his cross-country bike ride this month the same way he started: asking himself what the heck he was thinking.
He knew, of course. He had done it for his wife, Michele, a flight attendant killed aboard a hijacked airplane on Sept. 11, 2001. He had done it for all 33 airline crew members killed that day.
The ride had taken him and four other riders from Los Angeles to a wind-swept field in Pennsylvania, a gaping hole in Manhattan, the scarred Pentagon in Washington. They did it to raise money and awareness for Sept. 11 memorials, and they dedicated each day of their ride to one of the crew members.
Image: Cyclists complete journey arriving at Pentagon.
[ . . . ]
The Airline Ride Across America was supposed to raise $300,000 for the Sept. 11 memorials in Pennsylvania, New York and Washington. It has raised about a third of that so far, and Heidenberger hopes to raise the rest with his Web site, www.airlineride.org.
He’s working on a book about the ride, and talks about dividing it into 33 chapters, each with a short biography of one of the crew members killed on Sept. 11. He thinks he may call it Why I Rode My Bicycle for 3,800 Miles.
“It’s a good story, a happy story,” he said. “It’s a story about life continuing on.”
This is a very touching story where each day the riders dedicated their ride for that day to one of the 33 crew member victims. The last day’s ride was dedicated to Tom’s wife, Michelle, Read the whole story.
Celebrating Armed Forces Day is a long-standing tradition in Torrance, California. There are numerous events taking place throughout the day. There is a parade in the afternoon with military units, equipment, and bands, punctuated with flyovers of military aircraft at one point.
Later, there will be static displays of equipment at the local mall, and two concerts (free) by the U. S. Army Band. This year, Torrance high school students tied yellow ribbons around trees lining the parade route in recognition of our brave men and women serving throughout the world.
More images from the 2005 parade can be seen at this website.
Here’s an excerpt of an article from the local newspaper website:
Torrance to honor military with parade on Saturday
The 47th annual Armed Forces Day event singles out Army for special recognition. It’s the longest-running military-sanctioned parade in U.S.With its phalanx of tanks, jets and hundreds of military personnel, the invasion of Torrance is ready to begin. The annual Armed Forces Day Parade is once again hitting town Saturday.
After 47 years, the parade is an enduring tradition. And this year’s salute to the military will continue the custom.
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Michael Yon has inaugurated a new feature on his weblog to enhance coverage of the War on Terror – FRONT LINE FORUM.
Greetings,
Today we open a new frontier. My site gets much traffic and exposure, making this an excellent venue for our people in harm’s way to tell their stories. Please click here http://flf.michaelyon-online.com/ for our first story from a soldier in Iraq. The story is well written and complete with photos.
If you know someone at war who would like to submit a story to FLF, many people are waiting to read it. Photographs are encouraged.
Please spread the word about the Frontline Forum–there are graphic links and related resources in the Press Room off the FLF main page.
Respectfully,
Michael Yon
(Clarification: Many people have assumed I am in Iraq. I am in Afghanistan. My first dispatch from Afghanistan will be published in about two days.)
Michael Yon
UPDATE: The first article in the new forum is a hit! A home run actually! Blogger TF Boggs submitted an excellent story about some Iraqi kids and families.
“The doors of this library are open now and all are welcome. The judgment of history is left to you, the people.†— Ronald Reagan, Remarks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Dedication (November 4, 1991)
Damsel and I finally took the opportunity to visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library which is about an hour’s drive from here. We arrived mid-morning and began our long-overdue tour. We were greeted by a passenger shuttle van in the parking lot the moment we got out of the car. A very nice gentlemen drove us to the front door of the library. When we got inside, we saw the gift shop. Near the entrance to the shop was this portrait of President Reagan – not in oil or watercolors, but entirely out of jelly beans!
We toured the galleries and saw a virtual history of president Reagan as well as other things that interested him. We learned things we never knew about the life and interests of President Reagan. We also saw an exhibit of the Oval Room as it appeared in Reagan’s tenure. A number of docents stationed throughout the galleries answered questions and called our attention to special attractions. Left: The tail section of former Air Force One
As we emerged from the galleries, we walked into a giant hangar where we saw Reagan’s Air Force One aircraft, a former Marine One helicopter, Reagan’s Presidential limousine, another gift shop and an Irish Pub!
We walked out into the garden on the west side of the library; a bigger-than-life bronze bust of the Gipper smiled down on us as we approached the Berlin Wall monument. An actual segment of the infamous wall stands tall and awe-inspiring in spite of the panoramic vista in the distance. A replica of the White House Lawn and walkway lead to the Reagan Family Tomb where one of the best presidents ever to hold the office lies in repose.
We sure had a great day visiting the library and museums! We’re already planning our next visit since there is always going to be those little things you may have missed the first time through. We give this place two thumbs up and five stars on our places to recommend that you visit.
We’ll close this article with an excerpt from the Gipper’s timeless Berlin Wall speech:
Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall!
And now the Soviets themselves may, in a limited way, be coming to understand the importance of freedom. We hear much from Moscow about a new policy of reform and openness. Some political prisoners have been released. Certain foreign news broadcasts are no longer being jammed. Some economic enterprises have been permitted to operate with greater freedom from state control.
Are these the beginnings of profound changes in the Soviet state? Or are they token gestures, intended to raise false hopes in the West, or to strengthen the Soviet system without changing it? We welcome change and openness; for we believe that freedom and security go together, that the advance of human liberty can only strengthen the cause of world peace. There is one sign the Soviets can make that would be unmistakable, that would advance dramatically the cause of freedom and peace.
General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! (Click to read the entire speech.)
All photos courtesy and © Damsel
Every once in a while, I read something in the blogosphere that is worth giving special mention here, even though it’s on other blogs. Today, while surfing around the ‘sphere I ran across an interesting and inspiring piece from Rick Roberts, a conservative radio personality. You can read it in it’s entirety on Rick’s blog on the KFMB website at I Want My Country Back.
This is an excerpt from Rick’s article:
“I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!â€- By Rick Roberts
And I want America to be America. All of those opportunities, all of those things that made her great, I want those returned to the forefront. If you want to come to this country we welcome you with open arms. We simply ask that you abide by our laws. I don’t want you to snub your nose at our laws, then take advantage of our opportunities, and then cling to the constitution most of which you can’t even read because you don’t speak the language.
Picture credit: KFMB/Rick Roberts
Via Big Dog’s Weblog