Kevin Dayhoff - Soundtrack Division of Old Silent Movies - www.kevindayhoff.net - Runner, writer, artist, fire and police chaplain. The mindless ramblings of a runner, journalist, and artist: National and International politics. For community see www.kevindayhoff.org. For art, writing and travel see www.kevindayhoff.com
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Annual Veterans Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Annual Veterans Day. Show all posts
WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 2011 – One of the best ways Americans
can honor the nation’s veterans this Veterans Day is by giving them a job,
three senior government officials told reporters today.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, Labor Secretary
Hilda L. Solis and U.S. Small Business Administrator Karen G. Mills praised
initiatives under way to support returning combat veterans, including those
President Barack Obama announced yesterday.
[…]
Shinseki noted that 850,000 veterans are unemployed. For
veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, the unemployment rate is 12.1
percent -- 3 percent above the national average, he said.
Flags fly proudly on Veterans Day at the Westminster Longwell Family Center – old Armory Building on Longwell Avenue in Westminster, Maryland on November 11, 2009. By Kevin Dayhoff
The flag flies proud in the gray cold rainy weather at the National Memorial Arch in Valley Forge National Historical Park.
According to the National Park Service, “The United States Memorial Arch, located at the intersection of Outerline Drive and Gulph Road, was erected to commemorate the arrival of General George Washington and his Continental Army into Valley Forge.”
Construction began on the arch in 1914 and it was dedicated on June 19, 1917.
Wednesday 11-11-2009: Honoring Veterans Westminster's Veteran's Day Ceremony will be held Wednesday, 4 p.m. at the City Recreation and Parks Family Center, Old Longwell Armory, 11 Longwell Ave.
Hosted by Carroll Post 31 American Legion, the event honors veterans.
Open to all. Call 410-857-7953 or 410-848-9071.
20091111 Westminster to honor Veterans Day this Wednesday at 4 PM
At this point approximately 1.5 million men and women in uniform have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. For me, I’m a free speech kind of guy and I do not give a rat’s ass if you are for, or against the war.... Just remember this....
To paraphrase a quote that is attributed to Zell Miller:
It is the Soldier, not the agitator, who has given us the freedom to protest.
It is the soldier, not the reporter, who gives us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the preacher, who gives us freedom of religion.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer who gives us freedom to assemble.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who gives us the right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier, not the politician, who gives us the right to vote.
It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who makes all of this possible, day after day after day!
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who gives that protester the freedom to abuse and burn that flag.
20090524 SDOSM Memorial Day: It is not the reporter…
Kevin Dayhoff Soundtrack: www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/ Kevin Dayhoff Art: www.kevindayhoff.com Kevin Dayhoff Westminster: www.westgov.net
Kevin E. Dayhoff, USMCR, Top Row - First Right K Company, 4th Platoon, Marine Corps Development and Education Command, Camp Upshur, Quantico, VA 11 June - 21 July 1972 USMCR
19720611 to 19720721c K Co 4th Platoon Quantico Vasm.jpg 19720000 FB SDOSM Camp Upshur Group Pic K Co USMCR 20090524 SDOSM 19720000 Camp Upshur Group Pic K Co USMCR
THE PRESIDENT: As you can see, I have the honor of traveling with men and women who have volunteered to serve our nation in a time of war. Behind me are five outstanding Americans representing each branch of the military service. I am with them today because we are celebrating Veterans Day.
Veterans have inspired troops such as these. Veterans have inspired me. I was raised by a veteran. I appreciate the commitment to our country that the veterans have made. I am committed to making sure that today's veterans get all the health care and support they need from the federal government for agreeing to serve in a time of danger.
Our nation is blessed because our liberties have been defended by brave men and women in the past. And we are blessed to have brave men and women defend our liberties today.
The alarm has been sounded, “Starbucks is coming. Starbucks is coming.” No word yet as to whether or not a “coffee party” has been organized to dump coffee grounds into Carroll Creek.
Setting my brain from its usual position of reverse to forward, I elected to try to unravel the Nobel Prize in Economics. This was awarded to three Americans “for having laid the foundation of mechanism design theory.”
Serious literary authors and small-town journalists, we take care of our own. The death last week of Pulitzer Prize winning Norman Mailer earned lots of space, in national media as well as the local press.
I am a motorcyclist. For 37 of my 60 years I’ve been riding motorcycles. It all goes back to my youth in my native Cuba, where I spent summers riding horses at my godfather’s cattle ranch.
The past two weeks have involved a series of tax-raising schemes put forth by the O’Malley Administration and his minions. Unfortunately for taxpayers, there seems to be little resistance from moderate Democrats.
First, it was hailed as the most progressive re-write of a tax code in the nation. Liberal and progressive advocacy groups celebrated Gov. Martin O’Malley’s planned income tax revision as a just and responsible shift of the tax burden away from the working poor and onto the backs of the wealthy.
When it was announced that Ocean Downs raceway had been selected as a location for a slots parlor, local rich hotel-condo and real estate owners had an angina attack.
This year Veterans Day is also the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in ConstitutionGardens adjacent to the National Mall in Washington. The Memorial, well known as “The Wall,” was dedicated November 13, 1982.
Lisa O’Hare stars as Eliza Doolittle with Christopher Cazenove as Professor Henry Higgins in the Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theater presentation of “My Fair Lady.” (Photo by Joan Marcus)
Dear Governor O’Malley, The Guinness Book of World Records lists Teflon as the slipperiest substance on Earth. In a few short months Maryland’s citizens will witness that you are the slipperiest governor in the United States; because nothing will stick.
(Editor's Note: Columnist Kelly recently toured Russia. This is her third of three parts recounting her adventure.) Our senior guide in St. Petersburg, Masha, was the daughter of intellectuals. During Soviet times, her parents traded their historic, central apartment for a Khrushchev apartment farther out, so that they could send Masha to kindergarten without a 6-year wait. Apartment developments are named after the leader of the time they were built. Stalin’s were the best.
Of late, I have gotten responses to my columns that fall into two camps; some have told me they were a nice, condensed view of facts surrounding issues and others have said I need to lighten up and write to a lower level of education. While I appreciate receiving input, (good or bad) it is this latter perspective I would like to tackle.
Most Americans prefer personalized war. They need heroes to admire; but most of all they want villains to hate. Hitler was a perfect example. He was a demon long before the United States entered World War II.
This year Veterans Day is also the 25th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, in ConstitutionGardens adjacent to the National Mall in Washington. The Memorial, well known as “The Wall,” was dedicated November 13, 1982.
“Remembering Vietnam – The Wall at 25,” is the subject of a stunning original Smithsonian Channel Documentary. The program will be simultaneously web-streamed on the Smithsonian Channel Website (www.smithsonianchannel.com) with its on-air broadcast to DirecTV subscribers on Channel 267 this evening at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Heidi Schroeder, my colleague at The Westminster Eagle, and I were provided an advance copy of the documentary. We had been contacted for research information by Lynn Kessler-Hiltajczuk last summer.
Ms. Kessler-Hiltajczuk is a writer-producer for Alexandria-based LK Productions and served as an independent producer for the program. She was looking for additional information on Lance Cpl. Muriel Stanley Groomes, a Carroll Countian who was killed in Vietnam November 2, 1968.
[…]
Veterans such as CarrollCountyState’s Attorney Jerry F. Barnes, a former FrederickCounty assistant State’s Attorney who choose to forego what would have been an easily available draft deferment in May 1968 and joined the Army.
It was in that month that the 1966 WestminsterHigh School graduate received his draft notice. According to a biographical sketch written by former Maryland State Delegate Carmen Amedori, Mr. Barnes joined a number of draftees from Carroll County “on a school bus at the (Westminster) Post Office downtown,” and headed to Fort Holabird in Baltimore – and then promptly to Fort Bragg, NC.
There Mr. Barnes opted to eschew being drafted for two years and enlisted for three years. At first he wanted to be a helicopter pilot, but after a series of events, he signed up for Special Forces – the Green Berets.
Mr. Barnes’ Vietnam experience was one of a number of sketches by Ms. Amedori which appears in a new publication from the Historical Society of Carroll County: “Tours of Duty – CarrollCounty and the Vietnam War,” by Gary D. Jestes and Jay A. Graybeal.
Lisa O’Hare stars as Eliza Doolittle with Christopher Cazenove as Professor Henry Higgins in the Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theater presentation of “My Fair Lady.” (Photo by Joan Marcus)
Dear Governor O’Malley, The Guinness Book of World Records lists Teflon as the slipperiest substance on Earth. In a few short months Maryland’s citizens will witness that you are the slipperiest governor in the United States; because nothing will stick.
(Editor's Note: Columnist Kelly recently toured Russia. This is her third of three parts recounting her adventure.) Our senior guide in St. Petersburg, Masha, was the daughter of intellectuals. During Soviet times, her parents traded their historic, central apartment for a Khrushchev apartment farther out, so that they could send Masha to kindergarten without a 6-year wait. Apartment developments are named after the leader of the time they were built. Stalin’s were the best.
Of late, I have gotten responses to my columns that fall into two camps; some have told me they were a nice, condensed view of facts surrounding issues and others have said I need to lighten up and write to a lower level of education. While I appreciate receiving input, (good or bad) it is this latter perspective I would like to tackle.
Most Americans prefer personalized war. They need heroes to admire; but most of all they want villains to hate. Hitler was a perfect example. He was a demon long before the United States entered World War II.
With their eyes firmly fixed on the next (2009) elections, four Frederick aldermen stepped backwards on the noise issue. They let be known their views that neighbors could judge when someone gets too loud.
Christmas season, my favorite time of the year, is about to begin. This also means the start of another fast and furious season of shopping madness. I guess that it takes all of that pain and suffering to achieve a memorable holiday, but rarely is "getting there half the fun" when it comes to preparing for Christmas or finding those presents to buy.
Congressman Sam Johnson served in the U. Congressman Sam Johnson served in the U.S. Air Force for 29-years as a highly decorated pilot. He flew combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was a prisoner of war in Hanoi for nearly seven years. Then, in 1991, he embarked on a new mission of service - representing the people of Texas' third district in the United States Congress.
_____
20070216 Always Faithful by Congressman and former POW Sam Johnson
Sam Johnson, former POW: “The pain inflicted by your country’s indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors”
Today U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson (3rd Dist.-Texas) delivered the following closing statement on the floor of the House during the 36-hour debate on Iraq.
A 29-year Air Force veteran, Johnson served in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Johnson spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War, more than half of that time in solitary confinement.
Coincidentally, this week in 1973 as one of the longest held captives, Johnson finally left Hanoi on February 12, 1973 and returned home to Texas on February 17, 1973.
Earlier this week on Monday, Johnson spent the anniversary of his release pleading with a House panel to accept his amendment to support and fully fund the troops for the 36 hours of debate on the troop escalation in Iraq.
Johnson’s floor statement follows:
“You know, I flew 62 combat missions in the Korean War and 25 missions in the Vietnam War before being shot down.
“I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force for 29 years, attending the prestigious NationalWarCollege, and commanding two air bases, among other things.
“I mention these stories because I view the debate on the floor not just as a U.S. Congressman elected to serve the good people of the Third District in Texas, but also through the lens of a life-long fighter pilot, student of war, a combat warrior, a leader of men, and a Prisoner of War.
“Ironically, this week marks the anniversary that I started a new life – and my freedom from prison in Hanoi.
“I spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam, more than half of that time in solitary confinement. I flew out of Hanoi on February 12, 1973 with other long-held Prisoners of War – weighing just 140 pounds. And tomorrow – 34 years ago, I had my homecoming to Texas – a truly unspeakable blessing of freedom.
“While in solitary confinement, my captors kept me in leg stocks, like the pilgrims… for 72 days….
“As you can imagine, they had to carry me out of the stocks because I couldn’t walk. The following day, they put me in leg irons… for 2 ½ years. That’s when you have a tight metal cuff around each ankle – with a foot-long bar connecting the legs.
“I still have little feeling in my right arm and my right hand… and my body has never been the same since my nearly 2,500 days of captivity.
“But I will never let my physical wounds hold me back.
“Instead, I try to see the silver lining. I say that because in some way … I’m living a dream…a hope I had for the future.
“From April 16, 1966 to February 12, 1973 – I prayed that I would return home to the loving embrace of my wife, Shirley, and my three kids, Bob, Gini, and Beverly…
“And my fellow POWs and I clung to the hope of when – not if – we returned home.
“We would spend hours tapping on the adjoining cement walls about what we would do when we got home to America.
“We pledged to quit griping about the way the government was running the war in Vietnam and do something about it… We decided that we would run for office and try to make America a better place for all.
“So – little did I know back in my rat-infested 3 x 8 dark and filthy cell that 34 years after my departure from Hell on Earth… I would spend the anniversary of my release pleading for a House panel to back my measure to support and fully fund the troops in harm’s way….and that just days later I would be on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives surrounded by distinguished veterans urging Congress to support our troops to the hilt.
“We POWs were still in Vietnam when Washington cut the funding for Vietnam. I know what it does to morale and mission success. Words can not fully describe the horrendous damage of the anti-American efforts against the war back home to the guys on the ground.
“Our captors would blare nasty recordings over the loud speaker of Americans protesting back home…tales of Americans spitting on Vietnam veterans when they came home... and worse.
“We must never, ever let that happen again.
“The pain inflicted by your country’s indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors.
“Our troops – and their families – want, need and deserve the full support of the country – and the Congress. Moms and dads watching the news need to know that the Congress will not leave their sons and daughters in harm’s way without support.
“Since the President announced his new plan for Iraq last month, there has been steady progress. He changed the rules of engagement and removed political protections.
“There are reports we wounded the number two of Al Qaeda and killed his deputy. Yes, Al Qaeda operates in Iraq. It’s alleged that top radical jihadist Al-Sadr has fled Iraq – maybe to Iran. And Iraq’s closed its borders with Iran and Syria. The President changed course and offered a new plan …we are making progress. We must seize the opportunity to move forward, not stifle future success.
“Debating non-binding resolutions aimed at earning political points only destroys morale, stymies success, and emboldens the enemy.
“The grim reality is that this House measure is the first step to cutting funding of the troops…Just ask John Murtha about his ‘slow-bleed’ plan that hamstrings our troops in harm’s way.
“Now it’s time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home – and those who fought and died in Iraq - so I can keep my promise that when we got home we would quit griping about the war and do something positive about it…and we must not allow this Congress to leave these troops like the Congress left us.
“Today, let my body serve as a brutal reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past… instead learn from them.
“We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them. We must support them all the way…To our troops we must remain…always faithful.
Sam Johnson returned home to Texas after serving in the U.S. Air Force for 29-years as a highly decorated pilot. He flew combat missions in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars and was a prisoner of war in Hanoi for nearly seven years. After his military career, he established a home-building business and served in the Texas legislature. Then, in 1991, he embarked on a new mission of service- representing the people of Texas' third district in the United States Congress.
Dubbed a "Top Texan" by USA Today, Johnson is the highest-ranking Texan on both the prestigious Ways & Means Committee and the Committee on Education and the Workforce. On these committees, he is able to influence the key issues of economic security, health care and improving our children's education. As one of a few Members of Congress who has fought in combat, Johnson serves as an informal advisor on military readiness issues.
He has consistently advocated smarter government, lower taxes, cutting wasteful spending, and pushing for a simpler, fairer tax system.
On the Education Committee, Johnson continues to work to return control of education to parents, teachers, and local school boards-where it belongs. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, Johnson is one of three Members of 535 who has authority over retirement, health and labor issues.
After growing up in Dallas and graduating from Southern Methodist University, Johnson began his 29-year career in the U.S. Air Force, where he served as director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and flew with the Air Force Thunderbirds precision flying demonstration team. In the Korean War, he flew F-86s in 62 combat missions.
In the Vietnam War, Johnson flew F-4s. While flying his 25th combat mission in 1966, he was shot down over North Vietnam. He spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war, half of that time in solitary confinement. Fellow POW Capt. James Mulligan, USN (Ret.) recalled the day Johnson was allowed to return to a joint cell. He walked into the room with the two other detained American officers, "stood at attention with tears in his eyes, and said simply, 'Lieutenant Colonel Sam Johnson reporting for duty, sir'...after he had not talked to or directly been with an American for three full years." Johnson recounts the details of his POW experience in his autobiography, Captive Warriors.
A decorated war hero, Johnson was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals, and three Outstanding Unit Awards.
Sam Johnson is married to the former Shirley L. Melton, of Dallas. They are proud parents of three children and ten grandchildren.
Today is Veterans Day.With respect to current discussions on the War in Iraq, and in a time of contentious political change:
“With the great traditions of the past and with an eye for the future, one thing we can all hopefully agree upon is that today is a time to pause to remember and celebrate all of our nation's men and woman in uniform. We all appreciate their past and present sacrifices for our great nation.
One thing to be sure is that the only thing consistent in our world is constant change. Over the last 100 years, we have witnessed tumultuous elections, pestilence and plague, and many social, political, government and economic upheavals and changes.
One thing that has not changed is that it is a man or woman in uniform that has steadfastly stood guard so that our nation and our community may have the security and comfort to address the changes and challenges of our times.
The above is taken from my Tentacle column for Veterans Day 2006.The rest of the column can be found here: “Veteran's Day” Saturday, November 11, 2006 by Kevin E. Dayhoff…
Last year’s 2005 Tentacle column can be found here: November 11, 2005
“My family is going to go to Gettysburg on Veterans Day. What’s Veterans Day?” The words come from a little sandy-haired child as I was leaving an elementary school in Westminster after giving a talk to two third grade classes on “Living in CarrollCounty.”
This Saturday is Veterans Day, a day originally set aside to pay our respects to the veterans who fought in World War I.
Veterans Day commemorates "the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918, when the guns of World War I went silent, ending the horrors of the first modern war-making ... [Read full story]
President George W. Bush’s Veterans Day proclamation is pasted below…
Through the generations, America's men and women in uniform have defeated tyrants, liberated continents, and set a standard of courage and idealism for the entire world. On Veterans Day, our Nation pays tribute to those who have proudly served in our Armed Forces.
To protect the Nation they love, our veterans stepped forward when America needed them most. In conflicts around the world, their sacrifice and resolve helped destroy the enemies of freedom and saved millions from oppression. In answering history's call with honor, decency, and resolve, our veterans have shown the power of liberty and earned the respect and admiration of a grateful Nation.
All of America's veterans have placed our Nation's security before their own lives, creating a debt that we can never fully repay. Our veterans represent the best of America, and they deserve the best America can give them.
As we recall the service of our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen, we are reminded that the defense of freedom comes with great loss and sacrifice. This Veterans Day, we give thanks to those who have served freedom's cause; we salute the members of our Armed Forces who are confronting our adversaries abroad; and we honor the men and women who left America's shores but did not live to be thanked as veterans. They will always be remembered by our country.
With respect for and in recognition of the contributions our service men and women have made to the cause of peace and freedom around the world, the Congress has provided (5 U.S.C. 6103(a)) that November 11 of each year shall be set aside as a legal public holiday to honor veterans.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim November 11, 2006, as Veterans Day and urge all Americans to observe November 5 through November 11, 2006, as National Veterans Awareness Week. I encourage all Americans to recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers. I call upon Federal, State, and local officials to display the flag of the United States and to support and participate in patriotic activities in their communities. I invite civic and fraternal organizations, places of worship, schools, businesses, unions, and the media to support this national observance with commemorative expressions and programs.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.
“Next Monday, CarrollCounty will commemorate Memorial Day.The tradition of the Memorial Day parade and ceremony in Westminster began in 1868. That year, Mary Bostwick Shellman followed General ...”
Monday is Memorial Day. It was almost 140 years ago that the tradition of setting aside a day to honor our country's fallen heroes began with Gen. John A. Logan's May 5th, 1868 General Order No. 11 to adorn the graves of Union soldiers with flowers.
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