Seventy-seven years ago, the invasion of Normandy began. My Dad was an electricians mate aboard the USS Brooklyn light cruiser, whose 5 and 6 inch guns softened targets in France so the Allies could do their thing. Dad came back from the War, but many did not. Take a moment today to remember those selfless, brave men that chiseled out our victory in Europe.
Damsel and I took a spring vacation, probably back in 1986 or so, to the Washington D.C. area to see the sights in the area. A visit to Arlington National Cemetery was one of the major items on our list of things to do. We saw the Iwo Jima Memorial, JFK’s Eternal Flame, scores of important historical items and also a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
We were at the Tomb when the ceremony for changing the guard took place. It was one of those things that sent chills through your body what with the precision movements made by the Army Soldiers as they relieved the current guard with his replacement.
As for the contents of the Tomb, there are the remains of three unknowns; one from WW1, another from WW2 and a third from the Korean Conflict. These days, with DNA testing, there are almost no “unknown” personnel, so no more are expected to be interred at the Tomb.
On this Memorial Day, we remember all of those who never came home from the conflicts in our history. May GOD rest their souls and may they not have died in vain for the liberty and freedom we cherish. Amen.
Enjoy the holiday, but remember them.
Friday, September 11, 2020, marks the nineteenth anniversary of the Islamic terrorist attacks on US soil. On that day, the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia and possibly the US Capitol in Washington DC were under attack by nineteen Jihadist enemies of America. But in reality, the nineteen represented a majority of Islamic interests worldwide on that day who were attacking freedom in spirit. We saw the celebrations in Palestine and other Islamic areas on that day.
The fourth hijacked aircraft never made it to its target, potentially the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. Thanks to the brave souls aboard flight 93 that fought back against the hijackers, the fourth target was spared and, of course the passengers who fought back gave their lives in the effort. We must NEVER FORGET.
The entire Whitehouse Proclamation text can be seen at this link.
By a joint resolution approved December 18, 2001 (Public Law 107-89), the Congress designated September 11 of each year as “Patriot Day.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 11, 2020, as Patriot Day. I call upon all departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States to display the flag of the United States at half-staff on Patriot Day in honor of the innocent people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. I invite the Governors of the United States and its Territories and interested organizations and individuals to join in this observance. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in community service in honor of the innocent people we lost that day and to observe a moment of silence beginning at 8:46 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time to honor those victims who perished as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-fifth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
Happy Independence Day from the little flag-waving town of Wickenburg, AZ!
Our local American Legion Post religiously plants flags all over town on every holiday as seen in the background image above. That image was taken (credit Damsel) along the main part of Wickenburg Way (a.k.a. US 60) in the old historical part of town. I added the greeting with a graphics utility I use from time to time.
To celebrate the holiday, Damsel prepared Star Spangled Chili for dinner yesterday. The dish included a medium-hot chili base with lean ground beef, sliced Hebrew National kosher franks and chopped beef tenderloin chunks garnished with avocado, sour cream and an olive. It was pretty awesome.
The beef tenderloin chunks were leftover meat from a whole tenderloin I butchered myself. Once you separate the “chain” and the “wing” from the main tenderloin, I set those aside to be chopped into the aforementioned chunks.
I cut the rest of the main tenderloin into steaks, a couple of small roasts (Chateaubriand) and tenderloin medallions or small steaks. There is a bit of fat and silver skin that goes to waste, but most of the meat gets used in some form or another. Considering that butcher shop tenderloin steaks (Filet Mignon) are upwards of $20 per pound, butchering our own saves us a considerable amount of cash.
There are a couple of pretty good videos on You Tube (here and here) that guide you through the process of butchering a whole beef tenderloin.
In the meantime, despite all the COVID-19 and BLM/ANTIFA chaos, we’re having a nice holiday weekend here in our little piece of the good old USA and hope that everyone else will be able to enjoy it like we are doing. Happy Birthday America – may she keep on going strong!
We would have our USA flag up and flying today except that the winds are forecast to be gusts to 35 which is a bit much for our little flagpole and very hard on the flags themselves (we also fly the AZ state banner). Regardless, for the Flag Day occasion, I dug out this photo of our flag (proudly flying atop the pole) which I took last month with my little SL1 Canon Rebel and the EF 100-400 telephoto lens. Click on the image to enlarge.
We take this occasion to salute the Red, White and Blue, regardless of all the turmoil being reported in the media. Our little niche of desert space and the surrounding community are mostly in normal mode save for minor COVID-19 effects on some businesses and facilities. We have no riots, no looting, no edicts handed arbitrarily down from government bureaucrats and have enjoyed a nice relaxing environment here at home and in town. We thank God Almighty for those blessings.
On a different topic, Damsel and I were tested for our DNA through Ancestry and discovered our “roots.” The results weren’t much of a surprise since our sisters had already done this and shared the results, but it was an interesting experience to locate distant DNA matched possible relatives. I have been building my family tree and the links they provide are quite helpful. In the hobby sense, it is an interesting undertaking to find some of our closet “skeletons.” I have no intent of mentioning any of that here, but the whole genealogy quest has been sort of fun and interesting. YMMV
So, to those patriotic Americans who take the Flag Day occasion to revere and celebrate our Nation as envisioned by the Founders, enjoy the day for what it is – a celebration of our heritage, our legacy and, God willing, the future greatness of America and the Flag for which it stands.
Today marks the 76th Anniversary of the Allied invasion in Europe. The Patriot Post said it very well in this article:
Today marks the 76th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of France codenamed Operation Overlord, which commenced in the early hours of June 6, 1944. It was the beginning of the end for Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist Workers (NAZI) Party and its reign of terror across Europe — an epic battle in defense of American Liberty, and by extension, that of all mankind. On that day, and many bloody days that followed on the European and Pacific fronts, American Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines purchased Liberty for the next generation at a very heavy human price. It is our sacred responsibility now to extend that inheritance to the next generation.
We invite you to learn more about D-Day in Mark Alexander’s column, “D-Day at 75: Two Flags and a Son’s Promise Kept.” Take time to view D-Day — Freedom Is NOT Free.
Watch composer John Williams’ moving “Hymn to the Fallen” while taking a visual tour of the only real estate Americans kept after WWII — just enough land to bury our dead. Listen to Taps at Arlington National Cemetery.
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” —John 15:13
On this and every day, please pray for our Patriot Armed Forces now standing in harm’s way around the world in defense of our liberty, and for the families awaiting their safe return.
When Norman Rockwell painted this, he could not foresee past WW2 military action, so those conflicts are not included. We all know the conflicts after that only too well and some are still going.
Today, we salute the fallen and pray for those still active, especially those in harm’s way. God Bless Them All.
Artwork purloined from today’s Ace of Spades Art Thread
