Mr. Stokely sends us his Memorial Day thoughts. he
writes:

No doubt, as David recounted the other day,
Memorial Day has become anything but in the eyes of most. Plain and simple,
Memorial Day is about one group of people who share one common distinguishing
denominator - they are U.S. military peronnel who died in the line of duty,
serving with honor the country the America they loved. DUTY HONOR
COUNTRY.

This past week I have tried to think what is the proper approach to
Memorial Day. Obviously the word celebrate, at first glance seems to have the
wrong "theme", for how do you celebrate the death of a soldier, sailor or airman
in the line of duty? It should not be called a holiday for can it be proper to
have fun and leisure on a day when we are supposed to be remembering those who died in the line of duty so we can remain free and prosperous?

So, what should we do? Simple to me, REMEMBER, for when we remember, we
show respect for the sacrifice made on our behalf. For me, I will remember these
things about my son and how we came to be a family whose Memorial Day was
forever changed in an instant:

Read the Rest at The Thunder Run

Labels: Fallen Heroes, Gold Star families, Memorial Day, Robert Stokely, SGT Mike Stokely, The Thunder Run

CHICAGO (May 26, 2007) - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Mullen greets Sailors assigned to Naval Hospital Great Lakes, Ill., prior to a wreath laying ceremony in Daley Plaza, Chicago. Adm. Mullen was honored as this years parade Grand Marshal. Mayor Daley and Adm. Mullen also presented Illinois family members with Gold Star flags in remembrance of their fallen loved ones. Since World War I, family members of deceased veterans have hung a gold star in their windows to honor their sacrifice. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Labels: Gold Star families, Memorial Day, photos, US Navy

Memorial Day, USA. Parades, speeches, shows of support for the troops,
followed by backyard picnics, time with the family, perhaps even the beginning
of vacations and summer leisure.

Well, for some of us. On this Memorial Day the family of Deborah Johns
is celebrating and thanking God for the safe return from Iraq of her son
William. He has just finished his third tour there as a Marine and received a
well-deserved hero's welcome Saturday when he arrived in San
Francisco.

For my sister-in-law, my nieces, and our entire extended family, there
is a different mood, as this Memorial Day marks the end of my brother-in-law
David's first week in Iraq. His first tour as a U.S. Army pilot is just
beginning as is the long year of waiting and worrying...

Read the Rest at Winter's Soldier Story

Labels: heroes, Memorial Day, military families

Drawing the numbers for the Draft, World War I
Photo by USAMHI
"...and the number is 246..." Photograph shows the drawing of the first number for the Second Draft of men to serve in the US Army during World War I. Shown in the image is Secretary of War Newton D. Baker picking the first capsule out of the bowl. Left- to - right, starting with the second man: Captain Charles R. Morris, Major General Enoch Crowder, and Secretary of War Baker.

Labels: photos, WWI

News of Note
A Day to Honor Fallen Heroes
Hard Lessons on Memorial Day
PHOTO ESSAY: Somber Memorial Day
Bush to Pay Tribute at Arlington Cemetery
Military.com Op-Ed: Misusing Memorial Day
Military.com Visit a Military Cemetery Near You
My Father
Military.com Poll: Memorial Day Too Commercial?
Iraq's War Dead Live On - Online
Rolling Thunder Rumbles Into Washington
Indy 500 Pays Tribute to Military First
Pace Urges Reflection in Memorial Day Message

Operation Iraqi Freedom
Making Progress - U.S., Iran reach broad agreement after Iraq talks
OPINION: Don't Expect Miracle From U.S.-Iran Talks
Terrorists Hijack 2 Buses in Baghdad
Car bomb kills at least 21 in Baghdad
Troops free 42 Iraqis held by al-Qaida

Operation Enduring Freedom
Thirteen killed in Afghan protest: witnesses

Homeland Security / War on Terror / Hamas-Hezbollah Happenings
Alabama DHS Closes Web Site That Named Political Activist Groups on Terror List
Israel eyes escalation
15 arrested in Spain on terror charges

Supporting Our Heroes
Agent helps vets, honors Purple Hearts

Other Military News
Army adds lifesaving to basic training

Worldwide Wackos
Venezuela's Only Opposition TV Station Shut Down by Chavez
Iran Gives No Info on Man Believed Detained
Chavez's dealings with Venezuelan media
Timeline: U.S.-Iran relations
U.S. pressures firms away from Iran
Iran offers atom technology help
End sought to Lebanon standoff

Politics / Government
Japanese Cabinet Minister Commits Suicide
Blue Streak: Last Week a Tough One for Hillary Clinton
India, U.S. to hold nuclear deal talks this week
Bush should be open for G8 climate talks: Pelosi
Campaign tunes not so simple in campaigns
Russia calls for conference on CFE treaty
Democratic hopefuls woo superdelegates
Wolfowitz blames media for resignation

In the Courts / Crime and Punishment / Law and Order
Cop Arrested After Allegedly Attacking Teen

U.N. News
Darfur women describe gang-rape horror

Media in the Media / Bloggers in the News / Watching the Web
Fire Knocks NYC's WABC-TV Off the Air
Journalist who covered civil rights dies

Science / Medicine / Technology
Report: Soda May Seriously Harm Your Health
Triple Amputee to Graduate From Med School
Women's Brains React Surprisingly Quickly to Erotic Images
Low fat milk, straight from down "udder"
Food scares help China's nascent organic market
Herb enthusiasts often do not stick to indications
Researchers find big batch of breast cancer genes

Mother Nature
Oklahoma Floods Strand 1,500 Campers
Brink of extinction - Slideshow
Factbox: Asia's orangutans on the brink of extinction
Elephant herds found on isolated south Sudan island
Large ships could threaten 2 lost whales
Do trees make it OK to drive an SUV?
Report: Wildfire brings policy questions

Other News of Note
College Hoops Star Howard Porter Dies at 58
Britain asks Russia to extradite Litvinenko suspect

Fox News
Bonfire of the Ironies
Franchitti Wins Indianapolis 500 - PHOTOS
PHOTO ESSAY: Mears Takes Coca-Cola 600
Nicaragua Seizes Black-Market Toothpaste (from China - what a surprise)
Irish Magazine Calls Tiger Woods' Wife 'Filth'
'Game Show Fixture' Charles Nelson Reilly Dies at 76

Reuters: Top News
Qat draws water and life from impoverished Yemen
Swimmer plans record North Pole swim
Cannes pulls it off with top films, popular winner - Video
German artist Immendorff dies at age 61
China, Korea stocks hit records - Video
May jobs data to test stocks' rally - Video
Oil falls $1 after Nigeria oil strike ends - Video
European shares flat, activity hit by market holidays
OMX up on report of counterbid, analysts unsure
Gold bulls retreat on central bank sales
Subprime mortgage market "head fake"?
KKR, CVC exit group eyeing bid for Coles
Volvo tough on prices as eyes U.S. rebound
Rio Tinto eyeing bid for Alcan: report
Ranbaxy buys 13 Bristol-Myers brands: CEO
Thailand to override more patented drugs: minister
Russia may strip TNK-BP of Kovykta field on Friday

AP World News
'Pirates' nabs $112.5M, missing record
Venus Williams advances at French Open
Peace garden getting $32M makeover
LeBron soars high to get Cavs in series

Military.com
Why Pay for College?
Podcast: Is Al Qaeda Growing?
Military.com Career Fair Coming to Tampa on May 30th

CENTCOM: News Releases
SECRET CELL TERRORIST DETAINED IN SADR CITY

USJFCOM
USJFCOM testing Sense Through Structures capabilities - podcast
Liveblogging: Joint Urban Warrior 07
U.S. Joint Forces Command, Marines begin Joint Urban Warrior 07
Unmanned vehicle management system capability under evaluation - podcast

Multi-National Force-Iraq
Sadoun Street receives facelift in Baghdad
Acute Care Clinic cares for thousands
Coalition raids net 9 suspected terrorists
Warrior Battalion defeats 18 IEDs in 48 hours
IA, CF discover 41 individuals at suspected prison camp
Rashid clearing operations: Terrorist hunt moves to East Rashid
Detainee dies at Camp Cropper
Task Force Lightning Soldiers attacked

DefenseLink
Pace: Iraqis Must Step Up to Challenge
Iraqi Prime Minister Visits Anbar Province
Cheney: West Pointers Understand Need for War
Abizaid Reflects on West Point's Influence
Joint Organization Trains Troops to Defeat IEDs

More Headline News
Bush Applauds Bipartisan Supplemental Bill
Intel Leader Explains Pentagon's New Vision
Officials Confirm Identity of Missing Soldier's Body
Despite Violence, Iraq Better Off Without Saddam

Military News
Navy SEALs Share War Stories From Iraq
Sailor Brings Father Home from War, 37 Years Later
USS Anzio Rescues Stranded Ukrainian Sailors

America Supports You
Indy 500 Helps Build Homes
Actor Earns 'G.I. Spirit Award'
Indy 500 Parade Honors Troops
TAPS Helps Families Cope
CBS Highlights ASY
Video: CBS Highlights ASY

War on Terror
Forces Capture, Kill Terrorists
Coalition, Iraqi Forces Detain 28
Six Soldiers Killed
Coalition Forces Detain 15

Transformation
Biological Team Protects Airmen
Officials Stand Up Joint Space Office
Thinking Lean, a Must for Force
Navy Launches USNS Byrd

Face of Defense
Reserve Chief Is Business Savvy
Firefighter Lives His Dream
Soldier Shares Experiences

DefendAmerica
ON THE GROUND
Health Clinic Takes Care of Thousands in Iraq - Story
Army Paratroopers Share Thoughts on Surge - Story
Feeling the Heat: Medics Trained in Fire Rescues - Story
Marine Makes Tribal Connections in Al Anbar - Story

IN IRAQ
Al Qaim Detachment Plays Role in Iraq Transition
Security Brings Desired Results to Al Anbar
Sadoun Street Receives Facelift in Baghdad
'Battlefield Docs' Converge in Iraq to Hone Skills
Group Provides Direction for Buddhist Soldiers
Army Unit Gets New Patch During Ceremony

IN DJIBOUTI
New Water Drilling Rig Arrives In Djibouti
German Navy Donates Vehicles, Suppport
Joint Effort to Repair School Library in Africa
Task Force Showers Orphans With Supplies

IN AFGHANISTAN
Hard Work Creates Progress in Border Provinces
Coalition Forces Defuse Soviet–era Bomb

BACKGROUND
IRAQ
Renewal In Iraq
Iraq: Security, Stability
Fact Sheet: Progress and Work Ahead
Report: Strategy for Victory in Iraq
Iraq Daily Update
This Week in Iraq
Multinational Force Iraq
State Dept. Weekly Iraq Report
'Boots on the Ground' Audio Archive
Weekly Reconstruction Report (PDF)
Iraq Reconstruction
Maps

AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Update
Maps

WAR ON TERRORISM
Fact Sheet: Budget Request
Fact Sheet: Terror Plots Disrupted
Waging and Winning the War on Terror
Terrorism Timeline
Terrorism Knowledge Base

Weather
Afghanistan
Bost/Laskar Ghurian Herat Kabul Qandahar

Germany
Ansbach Aschaffenburg Berlin Berlin-Tempelhof Berlin/Schonefeld Bremerhaven
Darmstadt Frankfurt Frankfurt/Main Freiburg/Breisgau Garmisch
Garmisch-Partenkirchen Geilenkirchen Gelnhausen Giessen Kitzingen
Hanau Am Main Heidelberg Mainz Mannheim Nurnberg Stuttgart Trier
Wiesbaden Wurzburg

Gitmo

Guam
Agana Agana Heights Agat Andersen AFB Asan Barrigada

Iraq
Al Azamiyah Al Basrah Al Hillah Al Karkh Al Kazimiyah Al Kut
An Nasiriyah Baghdad Baqubah Mosul Najaf Nineveh Tall Kayf

Japan
Kadena Air Base Okinawa Tokyo Yokohama

This Day in History
1349 - In Breslau Silesia, sixty Jews are murdered.
1539 - Hernando de Soto lands in Florida.
1674 - German Parliament declares war on France.
1754 - George Washington defeats the French and Indians at Fort Duquesne (PA).
1774 - The first Continental Congress convenes in Virginia.
1830 - Congress authorizes Indian removal from all states to the western prairie.
1851 - Sojourner Truth attends the Women's Rights Convention.
1863 - The 54th Massachusetts, the first black regiment leaves Boston to fight in the Civil War.
1919 - Armenia declares its independence
1923 - The Attorney General says it is legal for women to wear trousers anywhere.
1940 - Belgium surrenders to Germany; King Leopold III gives himself up; British-French troops capture Narvik, Norway
1942 - 1,800 Czechoslovakians are murdered by the Nazis during their attack on Heydrich
1959 - Monkeys Able & Baker become the first animals retrieved from a space mission, after soaring 300 miles into space in a Jupiter missile.
1961 - After nearly eightly years, theOrient Express makes its last trip (Paris to Bucharest)
1964 - The Palestine National Congress forms the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in Jerusalem.
1971 - The first spacecraft to soft-land on Mars, the USSR's Mars 3, is launched.
1974 - Italians fascists bomb demonstrators in Brescia, killing 6.
1975 - Soyuz 18 launches.
1985 - David Jacobsen is taken hostage in Beirut, Lebanon.
1987 - The Civil War Ironclad Monitor is discovered by a deep sea robot
1991 - Ethiopian rebels seize Addis Ababa
1997 - Linda Finch completes the around-the-world flight Amelia Earhart failed to finish.

Birthdays
1371 - John the Fearless, Duke of Burgundy/warrior
1660 - King George I of England
1738 - Dr. Joseph Ignace Guillotin, French physician/inventor (guillotine)
1759 - William Pitt the Younger, English PM
1818 - Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard St-Bernard known by Confederates as the Hero of Sumter
1819 - Union Brevet Major General William Birney
1828 - Confederate Brigadier General Alpheus Baker
1830 - Union Major General George Lucas Hartsuff
1831 - Eliza Ann Gardner, underground railway conductor
1838 - Confederate Bridadier General Basil Wilson Duke
1914 - W. G. G. Duncan-Smith, fighter pilot
1940 - Thomas E Petri (Representative-WI)
1944 - Rudy Giuliani (Mayor-NYC)
1957 - Walter R Tucker (Representative-CA)

Passings
1259 - King Christoffel I of Denmark
1357 - King Afonso IV of Portugal
1863 - Union Brigadier General Edmund Kirby, Jr., of injuries
1864 - Union Brigadier Henry H. Giesy, in battle
1972 - Duke of Windsor, who abdicated British throne
1972 - King Edward VIII of Great Britain / Northern Ireland

Reported Missing in Action
1968
Hill, Joseph A., USMC (IL); Killed / BNR

Ingvalson, Roger D., USAF (MN); F105D shot down, released by DRV March, 1973 - retired as a Colonel - alive and well 1998
***After release, was awarded Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, of Merit, DFC with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters, POW medal ***

1971
Chavira, Stephen, US Army (CA) ; OH6A shot down (w/Urquhart) - KIA / BNR

Urquhart, Paul D., US Army (PA) ; OH6A shot down (w/Chavira) - KIA/BNR

Labels: Headlines, History