THANK YOU, VETS GENERATIONS PAID A HIGH PRICE, BUT SAVED OUR WORLD.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
They were kids, really, still teen-agers - not even old enough to vote or buy a beer. But they were old enough to fight in a war. They dropped everything when their country came calling - their jobs, school, dreams, and toughest of all, their worried families - to go off and fight a war with no end in sight. A lot of these soldiers never made it home, and we honor their sacrifice every Memorial Day. Today, on Veterans Day, we honor all the men and women who live and have lived among us - the band of brothers and sisters who stood tall and put their lives on the line to protect this country against its enemies. You know them. They're your neighbors, friends, uncles, aunts, fathers and mothers. Many are in the twilight of their years now, and I've had the privilege of chronicling some of their stories of heroism over the years. They never brag. On the contrary, you have to pull the stories out of them because they see no glory in war. There's only a lifetime of nightmares, scars and a lot of heartbreak. We can't ever repay them because how do you buy back years of teen-age innocence robbed from them by the horror of war? You can't. About the best we can do today is say thank you to some incredible people one more time. Thank you to Bill Aupperlee, George Keene, Joe Mariani, Ray Kuhlow, Leon Kolb, and all the guys in the San Fernando San Fernando, city, Argentina San Fernando (săn fərnăn`dō), city (1991 pop. 144,761), Buenos Aires prov., E Argentina. It is a district administrative center in the Greater Buenos Aires area. Chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association The Pearl Harbor Survivors Association, founded in 1958 and recognized by the United States Congress in 1985,[1] is an organization whose members were at or in the vicinity of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii during the Japanese attack of December 7, 1941. . You helped this country get off its knees at Pearl and become the mightiest fighting machine ever assembled. Thank you to Diana Peplow and all the Red Cross nurses; Betty Jane Williams Notable people named Jane Williams include:
Thank you to Martin Christie, the late Shelly Empol, and all the guys in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. chapter of American Ex-Prisoners of War American Ex-Prisoners of War is a service organization based in Arlington, Texas, which was founded in 1942 and chartered by the United States Congress in 1982. The organization attempts to assist the surviving POWs, many of whom are elderly and/or have psychic scars and longterm . You guys endured some of the worst torture and brutality of war, but never cracked. You came home with broken bodies that never healed right. You could have been bitter and turned your back on your country, but you didn't. You marched in every parade and waved the flag proudly every Veterans and Memorial Day. And when it came time to play ``The Star-Spangled Banner,'' you saluted with tears and pride in your eyes, just like everyone else. Thank you to all the guys and their wives in every VFW See Video for Windows. and American Legion American Legion, national association of male and female war veterans, founded (1919) in Paris. Membership is open to veterans of World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. post for keeping the memories and spirit alive, and giving each other a shoulder to lean on. Thank you to Korean War Korean War, conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korea from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into Soviet (North Korean) and U.S. (South Korean) zones of occupation. vets Joe Strifler, Roy Shiraga, and Clyde Queen. Often, the bravery and patriotism of the men you fought with - 54,000 of them didn't make it home - gets overlooked in this country, but you won't let us forget them. Thank you to paratrooper Mort Wolk, medic medic: see alfalfa. Harry Fingerroth, bomber pilot Wayne Downing, and his wife, Army nurse Norma Downing, for your bravery and service at Normandy on D-day. Thank you to Angel Perez and all the guys who served in Vietnam. This country still has to come to grips with the way you were treated coming home after that disastrous war. Hopefully, we'll see the healing in our lifetime. Thank you to all the men and women over at the Sepulveda VA for the service you gave to this country, and thank you to the paid and volunteer staff over there who takes care of them. Dedicated ex-GI's like Harry Eskenazi in the Center for Ambulatory Rehabilitation and Education unit, and Audie Murphy's widow, Pam Murphy, who works tirelessly to make sure every vet gets the treatment and respect he deserves from the VA. And thanks to entertainers Bob Hope and Johnny Grant Johnny Grant is a radio personality, television producer and the honorary mayor of Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, which is an unpaid and unelected ceremonial position with no legal status, given that Hollywood is not a city, but rather a district within the City of Los Angeles. , who went into every war zone from World War II to Beirut with the USO USO: see United Service Organizations. (UNIX Software Operation) AT&T's Unix division before it turned into USL. See Unix. to bring some needed laughs to our troops, and a message from home. The country was thinking about you, praying for you to come home safe. On this Veterans Day, more than 50 years after the beginning of World War II, we are praying for the safe return of a whole new generation of troops in the Middle East fighting terrorism. Most of them are no different than their fathers and grandfathers - kids, really, still teen-agers - not even old enough to vote or buy a beer yet. But old enough to fight. CAPTION(S): 4 photos, box Photo: (1 -- color) Survivors of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor are, from left, George Keene, Bill Aupperlee, Joe Mariani, Ray Kuhlow and Leon Kolb. (2 -- 4) Among those who did their part for our freedom are, left, Clare LaValley, one of the Rosie the Riveters who helped build B-17s during World War II; Martin Christie, a former Marine captain and ex-prisoner of war in Japan, above, left; and the late Shelly Empol, who had also been a prisoner of war PRISONER OF WAR. One who has been captured while fighting under the banner of some state. He is a prisoner, although never confined in a prison. 2. In modern times, prisoners are treated with more humanity than formerly; the individual captor has now no . Box: VETERANS DAY EVENTS |
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