When I was teaching, I always stopped what ever lesson was in progress on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and asked my students to remember any family member or anyone else they may know who had served in the military.
No one in the family talked about their experiences. The only one I ever heard was my grandfather was a pharmacist in The Great War (WWI). During training on evacuating wounded soldiers from the ship, a metal stretcher strap broke . It and the soldier fell, my grandfather stepped forward to stop the fall and it sliced into his tibia. He never regretted stepping forward to save the soldier’s life even though his leg never quite healed. It did save him, however. The next day his military group shipped out and no one returned.
Sometimes I wish we could post pictures. Instead we have to send people to sites to see them. The pictures I would like to share are actually well know my many. Sailors… loving their ship cats… showing off the hammocks they made for their favorite felines. To me… this says volumes as to how much people love their cats!!!
Thank you Veterans! And if I read it right… if you Veterans want a cat as a companion to help with the pains/battles in your head. Pets For Vets is an organization that can help.
So many stories about veterans and animals! When I was a kid, my dad had a book titled Animal Revelile (sic) about animals that served in WW2. It was fascinating.
This is so beautiful—the artwork, the history, the veneration for those who served and gave their lives for us, and all the feels. ❤ HAPPY VETERANS DAY Y’ALL! My Dad, Joseph Robert Rael, who passed away from cancer over two years ago, served bravely in Việt Nam in the Marine Corps. Semper Fi. :)
May everyone remember the sacrifices made for our freedoms, and honour those who gave their all, that we may enjoy the rights they fought to protect.Take two minutes of your day at 11;11 to remember the many souls of the various conflicts who did not get to come home to their loved ones.
And for any here who have served, or continue to serve, thank you for your service.
My feline hero is Simon, the only kitty to have received the Dickin Medal. He served on HMS Amethyst and was severely injured in the so-called Yangtze incident. Died age two in quarantine back in the UK.
Here is one version of his story:
https://time.com/5396568/simon-cat-war-medal/
Unsinkable Sam, who started out as the Bismarck’s ship’s cat is also a great favourite.
My Dad was a medic in WWII and won the Soldiers Medal for saving a fellow soldier from coal gas poisoning. His group went ashore at Omaha beach on DDay +5. Like many of his generation he did not care to talk much about what they went through but we did hear a few stories and we had a copy of a regimental history. My brother has most of the physical relics now including the bullet dented lighter that saved Dad from injury himself; it was in the breast pocket of his jacket. Brother flew helicopter search and rescue from a carrier off the coast of Vietnam. As career Navy, he also flew astronaut pickup duty. Like the fighter pilots had enemy kill decals on their planes, this group had space capsule decals on the copters to commemorate pickups.
Remember all our veterans today even though many of the usual ceremonies will be curtailed.
My Dad was a WW2 “grunt” as he called it (a private 1st class). He was on a shift guarding some prisoners when the news came in that the war had ended. I asked if they all celebrated and he said at that point there was still work to do so he went back to it. My FIL was a POW for over a year – they took their shoes to keep them from trying to run. His feet froze in the cold and later on he lost most of his toes. Thankfully for vet’s benefits he managed ok through the rest of his life. Both were proud to have served and neither talked too much about it. The letters that came from my FIL to my MIL (they were dating at the time) are family treasures that we still have. We will head up to the cemetery later on and check on the American and POW/MIA flags we placed at FIL’s resting place. Dad’s is 220 miles away. Family takes care of it.
This Vet thanks you for your thanks! Georgia, where in Queens did your Opa grow up? My daughter lived in Jamaica Hills while until this summer – she was going to college at St John’s. Also my hubby’s grandparents lived in Jamaica near Rego Park (I think) during the Great Depression and WWII.
A new book was just published that might interest readers here: A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History by Baba the Cat as dictated to Paul Koudounaris. One of the first photos is Navy sailors with kittens!
For those, like Georgia, whose family members served, remember them with pride and thank them if they are still with us. My mom’s father served in WWI; my father’s father served in WWII as well; dad served in Korea and through most of Viet Nam; my husband and I were on active duty from the Iran hostage crisis until after Desert Storm.
I’ve changed my avatar to my Granddad for a while. This is him circa 1918, when he was 21.
I love the strip today. I look forward to reading the cat stories in the links. I remember my grandfathers, uncle, and more who served. And every Veterans Day and Memorial Day I research “my” Vietnam War soldier who is MIA and whose bracelet I have (remember those metal bracelets with an MIA or POW name and date?). The US military is still today identifying and repatriating remains.
My cousin occasionally lurks in here, so in case she hasn’t spotted me yet, I’m about to out myself.
I got a text from my sister this morning telling me “Happy Skipper1992 Death Day” and telling me and my brother to be careful, as both my grandfathers died on November 11, albeit 39 years apart. Both were also WWII vets.
I don’t know a whole lot about my maternal grandfather’s service, but my father’s father was a company clerk stationed in Europe. The one and only time any of us got him to talk about it was when my cousin (different one) asked him about it. He was part of the second wave of the invasion at Normandy, and described running onto the beach, chest-deep in water, bullets flying all around … and carrying the company typewriter over his head to keep it dry.
When I was in school [many, many ,many years ago] I remember going into the gym for 2 minutes of silence at 11 AM on Nov. 11, unless it was on Sat. or Sun. No full day off. Besides the symbolic reasons, many students thought of it as a good way to miss a lot of class time.
YES! I LOVE WW2 stuff, not the holocaust, but hearing about how despite its almost a hundred years ago it still impacts us today. I also like WW1 stuff because it kind of leads us to WW2 and it is still very interesting. Also, happy veterans day, and thank you for helping others and keeping us safe.
My brother was the first one in our family since the Civil War to actually be in a war. Just how the ages worked out. He survived the first Gulf War just fine. He went back with friends who started a company in Kuwait and almost died. A freaking Iraqi truck hit the car he and two friends were in. The man next to him was driving and was decapitated. My brother was badly injured, and didn’t remember anything for a long while. I think his mind was protecting him.
And it took YEARS for the damned government to compensate him, the Iraq oil money was more important to them!
My husband was a scout dog handler in Vietnam. He lost one dog who was KIA (Bruno) whose ears touched at the tips. Then he got Smokey. Smokey is the dog I am most looking forward to meeting in Heaven one day. Without Smokey, I would likely not have my husband. Scout dogs and their handlers invaribly walk point and it is one of the most dangerous dog assignments out there (along with explosives detection). Thank you, Smokey, for helping keep my husband alive long enough for me to meet him 10 years later. I am so sorry you had to go to your fate without him by your side for comfort. And so glad they no longer put down military dogs when they leave a country.
This poem is in the public domain, so I may post it in its entirety. (Even though I put hard returns at the end of each line, some of them still smooshed together.)
In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,In Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who die
Georgia’s Opa was one of my high school teachers. I took four years of German from him and ‘Herr Quinn’ was one of my favorite teachers. Those four years led me to end up majoring in German in college.
Veterans’ Day: To all who served, and especially those who died, Eternal Honor and Gratitude.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day: Finally, definitive answers to the ageless questions “Where the heck are we?” and “How do we get from here to there?” “Is the earth really flat?” (Turns out it is, in substantial portions of the Great Plains of North America and larger portions of Siberia.)
Origami Day: Don’t fold up under stress, just fold something, preferably paper. I knew someone who handled a highly stressful job by making origami. Every meeting he attended, he’d fold something. Some of those higher up in the company objected. He then repeated everything that had been said in the meeting, almost verbatim. He gave them a choice: That he would fold paper during meetings, or fold up his office and leave. He became a unit manager about a year later. Origami is an excellent use of interoffice memos. I used them to fold origami airplanes, which I brought home for my kids. At least they got something from them
National Sundae Day: Why isn’t this on a Sunday? You have a choice: Korean blood sausage or ice cream. there is a near infinite variety of each. One is good with kimchi, the other not so much. This does, however, lead to the idea of kimchi ice cream …
Thanks Georgia! And thanks to my husband, brother-in-law, father, father-in-law, and numerous uncles and cousins who spent time in various branches of service.
The resident cat of Hagia Sophia, Gli, has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
The non-mainstream media report that she was heartbroken when the Turkish government decided to transform her home, the Byzantine basilica and UNESCO heritage site in Constantinople aka Istanbul into a mosque.
May her little soul find peace in that place beyond all religious divisions.
Also Southwark Cathedral in London mourns the death of its resident cat Doorkins Magnificat:
The story I remember most of WWII was something that happened to my mother. Her older brothers all joined up immediately. She had never been anywhere and wanted to visit them. She arrived late in one city to change trains, but because of a blizzard she could not leave until the next morning.
She hauled her heavy suitcase in the blizzard to hotel after hotel, where she was again and again told to get out because unescorted women were regarded as prostitutes. In the middle of the night, a kind clerk let her sit in the lobby to warm up, but then the manager came and forced her, crying and begging, back out into the snow. Finally, someone took pity on her and allowed her to sit in a back area the rest of the night.
Her mother was a little girl in Europe in a battle zone. Grandma told me how she and her sister had to dress as boys to lessen the chances the soldiers would assault them (you know what I mean). They had to cook and eat their meal in the middle of the night because soldiers (on both sides) would raid their house and steal their food during the day. They buried their meager food in the garden, and it was quite disgusting, but the soldiers would still steal it from them.
When I think of men starting wars, I think of how innocent women and children suffer.
The National Cat Protection Society was founded by Richard Calore after a cat saved his life in France in WWII. He was in a freezing foxhole and out of nowhere this cat snuggled up to him.
I respect and honor all who serve but have no great love for the military as an establishment — the way they run things. My father was tricked into signing up for the Army. Recruiters routinely lied to young fellows, especially from poor families, telling them they were signing up for a government program that provided free education. Dad had wanted to be a forest ranger but was disqualified on account of a broken eardrum. He was trained as a pilot in the service but wasn’t allowed to be a fighter pilot because of his ear. He ended up as a non-combat ground mechanic in the Army Air Corps. The Audie Murphy, James Stewart types and all those other high flying heroes get most of the glory but don’t forget the ones who keep them in the air.
My mom and dad met in the South Pacific in WWII. She was a Navy nurse and he was in the Army. She outranked him. She could also do a dead on Mary Martin imitation.
As one amazing story goes, a cat named Pitouchi was born in the trenches. His mother was killed when he was still a kitten. A Belgian soldier, Lieutenant Lekeux, adopted Pitouchi. As recounted in the book Soldiers in Fur and Feathers by Susan Bulanda, Pitouchi went on to save Lekeux’s life in the following way:
“As Lekeux reached a spot near the German lines, he saw that they were digging a new trench. He hid himself in a shell hole nearby to make a sketch of the German works. He was so absorbed in his sketch that he did not notice approaching German soldiers on patrol. When he finally realized his situation, it was too late to run.He decided to lie very still, hoping that the Germans would not see him, but unfortunately he heard one soldier say, “He’s in the hole,” so he knew he had been seen.When Pitouchi heard the German say that, he jumped out of the hole onto a piece of timber. The Germans were startled and fired two shots at Pitouchi. However, as frightened as he was, Pitouchi was not hit, and he jumped back into the hole with his beloved Lekeux.The Germans laughed and joked that they had mistaken a cat for a man and left. Lekeux finished his drawings and returned to the Belgian lines with Pitouchi on his shoulders."
Here is Georgia’s posting: "He was the son of Irish immigrants, born in Queens, NY a few years after they arrived in America. He rose ranks in the Navy over a long career spanning the 40s, 50s, and 60s that took him all over the world. He commanded a Destroyer, USS W.R. Rush (DDR 714) and a destroyer division (DES DIV 102). In 1960 he had the honor of taking his destroyer division, with the USS J.P. Kennedy Jr. (DD 850) as his flagship, to Washington, DC for the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. In WWII, Opa was awarded a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy for a night action against a surfaced U-boat while he was an Armed Guard Commander aboard a merchant ship. (As he told the story, he was standing on the deck under the stars when he saw a hint of unnatural movement under the water, a periscope surfacing and then disappearing in a flash, and realized the empty sea was not so empty and they were not alone out there on the open waters… Can you imagine? He took action and quietly alerted his command…)He earned two masters degrees during his career, and when he retired he taught German and History at Roger’s High School in Newport, RI. Gifted with languages, when he retired from teaching high school, he taught English in China for a few years. He was truly unstoppable! We knew him as an even voiced, incredible storyteller who made up games and had a seemingly endless patience for his grandkids. (He said a few times that he’d gotten all his yelling out during his service). He served his country, and continued to serve his community in many ways, including volunteering to teach school children to read into his 80s. He lead a men’s reform group where each week he guided the men through Han Christian Andersen fairy tales and they discussed the lessons learned within. He gave everything he could to everyone around him, and there are so many stories I wish I could ask him to tell one more time. "
My grandfather’s ship spent several hours trying to shoot down Venus, certain that it was a Zero. Except for my grandfather, who kept saying “that’s not a plane, that’s Venus.”
My grandpa was Army Airborne in WWII; my dad was navy during Vietnam, and my twin sister was in the Army ‘93 – ’96 (which in reality was still considered the Korean Conflict). Also uncles(Air Force, Army and Navy submariner), cousins(Army and Marines)and even a grandma was a WAC. Happy Veteran’s day to all!
Please, don’t think that I’m rude, but it’s Memorial Day that is for all of those who died while serving.
Veteran’s Day is for the living.
It’s for all of the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, the Coast Guardsmen and the new Space Force’s Space Warfighters; and also all of the Reservists who do their active duty, who are alive today.
Notaspy over 3 years ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsinkable_Sam
Bill Thompson over 3 years ago
https://www.neatorama.com/pet/2014/08/25/The-Cats-Who-Served-in-WWI/#:~:text=They%20helped%20the%20military%20by,%2C%20Lieutenant%20Lekeux%2C%20adopted%20Pitouchi.
Sue Ellen over 3 years ago
When I was teaching, I always stopped what ever lesson was in progress on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month and asked my students to remember any family member or anyone else they may know who had served in the military.
Avatar_Hoodie over 3 years ago
*us anthem plays
fullmoondeb Premium Member over 3 years ago
To catmom1360: An extra hug for you today, and a virtual hand to hold.
kittylover.truitt over 3 years ago
Happy Veterans Day! Thank you everyone who is or has served!
DennisinSeattle Premium Member over 3 years ago
Let’s remember our Veterans.
https://imgur.com/gallery/SBOFy
KLSeering over 3 years ago
HAPPY VETERAN’S DAY! THANK YOU!
stairsteppublishing over 3 years ago
No one in the family talked about their experiences. The only one I ever heard was my grandfather was a pharmacist in The Great War (WWI). During training on evacuating wounded soldiers from the ship, a metal stretcher strap broke . It and the soldier fell, my grandfather stepped forward to stop the fall and it sliced into his tibia. He never regretted stepping forward to save the soldier’s life even though his leg never quite healed. It did save him, however. The next day his military group shipped out and no one returned.
Gent over 3 years ago
Yes, Puck. A cat’s duty is to get rid of vermin. However, you traitors make friendship with mice.
I Mad Am I over 3 years ago
Sometimes I wish we could post pictures. Instead we have to send people to sites to see them. The pictures I would like to share are actually well know my many. Sailors… loving their ship cats… showing off the hammocks they made for their favorite felines. To me… this says volumes as to how much people love their cats!!!
Thank you Veterans! And if I read it right… if you Veterans want a cat as a companion to help with the pains/battles in your head. Pets For Vets is an organization that can help.
WelshRat Premium Member over 3 years ago
They shall not grow old as we who are left grow old.
McColl34 Premium Member over 3 years ago
Pitouchi’s story can be found here: https://lecatts.wordpress.com/2017/05/29/a-memorial-day-memory-with-cats/
deadheadzan over 3 years ago
So many stories about veterans and animals! When I was a kid, my dad had a book titled Animal Revelile (sic) about animals that served in WW2. It was fascinating.
Robin Harwood over 3 years ago
Royal Navy cats among these:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship%27s_cat
Includes a mention of Trim.
Robin Harwood over 3 years ago
And since you all expect it, I’ll point out that if her grandfather was from Queens in New York, he wasn’t Irish. He was American.
Lady Bri over 3 years ago
This is so beautiful—the artwork, the history, the veneration for those who served and gave their lives for us, and all the feels. ❤ HAPPY VETERANS DAY Y’ALL! My Dad, Joseph Robert Rael, who passed away from cancer over two years ago, served bravely in Việt Nam in the Marine Corps. Semper Fi. :)
ElliottB.C.Rennie over 3 years ago
May everyone remember the sacrifices made for our freedoms, and honour those who gave their all, that we may enjoy the rights they fought to protect.Take two minutes of your day at 11;11 to remember the many souls of the various conflicts who did not get to come home to their loved ones.
And for any here who have served, or continue to serve, thank you for your service.
Anna-Tiger over 3 years ago
My feline hero is Simon, the only kitty to have received the Dickin Medal. He served on HMS Amethyst and was severely injured in the so-called Yangtze incident. Died age two in quarantine back in the UK.
Here is one version of his story:
https://time.com/5396568/simon-cat-war-medal/
Unsinkable Sam, who started out as the Bismarck’s ship’s cat is also a great favourite.
arolarson Premium Member over 3 years ago
OT. Yen
arolarson Premium Member over 3 years ago
My Dad was a medic in WWII and won the Soldiers Medal for saving a fellow soldier from coal gas poisoning. His group went ashore at Omaha beach on DDay +5. Like many of his generation he did not care to talk much about what they went through but we did hear a few stories and we had a copy of a regimental history. My brother has most of the physical relics now including the bullet dented lighter that saved Dad from injury himself; it was in the breast pocket of his jacket. Brother flew helicopter search and rescue from a carrier off the coast of Vietnam. As career Navy, he also flew astronaut pickup duty. Like the fighter pilots had enemy kill decals on their planes, this group had space capsule decals on the copters to commemorate pickups.
Remember all our veterans today even though many of the usual ceremonies will be curtailed.
Kitty Katz over 3 years ago
To all who served: Thank you.
Grace Premium Member over 3 years ago
My Dad was a WW2 “grunt” as he called it (a private 1st class). He was on a shift guarding some prisoners when the news came in that the war had ended. I asked if they all celebrated and he said at that point there was still work to do so he went back to it. My FIL was a POW for over a year – they took their shoes to keep them from trying to run. His feet froze in the cold and later on he lost most of his toes. Thankfully for vet’s benefits he managed ok through the rest of his life. Both were proud to have served and neither talked too much about it. The letters that came from my FIL to my MIL (they were dating at the time) are family treasures that we still have. We will head up to the cemetery later on and check on the American and POW/MIA flags we placed at FIL’s resting place. Dad’s is 220 miles away. Family takes care of it.
Zoomer&Yeti over 3 years ago
To all who have served our country – Happy Veterans Day!
Pet over 3 years ago
Happy Veterans Day
Santana over 3 years ago
“We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”– Cynthia Ozick
So, so grateful for all the brave men and women as well as the animals who kept us safe and free.
dessertlady Premium Member over 3 years ago
This Vet thanks you for your thanks! Georgia, where in Queens did your Opa grow up? My daughter lived in Jamaica Hills while until this summer – she was going to college at St John’s. Also my hubby’s grandparents lived in Jamaica near Rego Park (I think) during the Great Depression and WWII.
sprint over 3 years ago
My screen doesn’t usually get blurry, but today it did. My dad was a WWII medic, he could never talk about it. God bless all Vets.
Miss Mina over 3 years ago
A new book was just published that might interest readers here: A Cat’s Tale: A Journey Through Feline History by Baba the Cat as dictated to Paul Koudounaris. One of the first photos is Navy sailors with kittens!
GSD Mom Premium Member over 3 years ago
Happy Veterans’ Day, all.
To those who served: Thank You!
For those, like Georgia, whose family members served, remember them with pride and thank them if they are still with us. My mom’s father served in WWI; my father’s father served in WWII as well; dad served in Korea and through most of Viet Nam; my husband and I were on active duty from the Iran hostage crisis until after Desert Storm.
I’ve changed my avatar to my Granddad for a while. This is him circa 1918, when he was 21.
keltii over 3 years ago
Today as part of the Commonwealth, I say Happy Remembrance Day. Lest We Forget.
cat19632001 over 3 years ago
Pitouchi looks very smart and distinguished in his uniform.
Charlie_B over 3 years ago
Went on to teach German eh? You, er, don’t say which side he was on in the war… ;)
rs0204 Premium Member over 3 years ago
To everyone who served….
To everyone who supported those who served…
To my father, Russell, Master Sgt., Korean War vintage – United States Air Force…
Happy Veterans Day
FrannieL Premium Member over 3 years ago
Thank you so much for the remembering on Remembrance Day/Veterans Day.
DorseyBelle over 3 years ago
I love the strip today. I look forward to reading the cat stories in the links. I remember my grandfathers, uncle, and more who served. And every Veterans Day and Memorial Day I research “my” Vietnam War soldier who is MIA and whose bracelet I have (remember those metal bracelets with an MIA or POW name and date?). The US military is still today identifying and repatriating remains.
I am groot l! Am! GROOT! over 3 years ago
Happy Veterans Day
skipper1992 over 3 years ago
My cousin occasionally lurks in here, so in case she hasn’t spotted me yet, I’m about to out myself.
I got a text from my sister this morning telling me “Happy Skipper1992 Death Day” and telling me and my brother to be careful, as both my grandfathers died on November 11, albeit 39 years apart. Both were also WWII vets.
I don’t know a whole lot about my maternal grandfather’s service, but my father’s father was a company clerk stationed in Europe. The one and only time any of us got him to talk about it was when my cousin (different one) asked him about it. He was part of the second wave of the invasion at Normandy, and described running onto the beach, chest-deep in water, bullets flying all around … and carrying the company typewriter over his head to keep it dry.
serenasakitty over 3 years ago
When I was in school [many, many ,many years ago] I remember going into the gym for 2 minutes of silence at 11 AM on Nov. 11, unless it was on Sat. or Sun. No full day off. Besides the symbolic reasons, many students thought of it as a good way to miss a lot of class time.
bonita.eley over 3 years ago
God bless all veterans, people, horses, dogs and cats and RIP those who did not make it home
swenbu Premium Member over 3 years ago
Thanks to you, Georgia, for letting us know about Pitouchi!
skipper1992 over 3 years ago
A story about a dog … but also about the time that a Japanese invasion force decided to play history’s most ill-advised game of fetch.
https://cdnhistorybits.wordpress.com/2015/03/03/gander-the-dog-a-canadian-war-hero/
just another cat lover over 3 years ago
Let’s celebrate all that served or are serving, whether human or animal, on this day. Happy Veterans Day to all!
Mr. Reader over 3 years ago
YES! I LOVE WW2 stuff, not the holocaust, but hearing about how despite its almost a hundred years ago it still impacts us today. I also like WW1 stuff because it kind of leads us to WW2 and it is still very interesting. Also, happy veterans day, and thank you for helping others and keeping us safe.
Mr. Reader over 3 years ago
Anyone know of any other hero war cats?
PammWhittaker over 3 years ago
My brother was the first one in our family since the Civil War to actually be in a war. Just how the ages worked out. He survived the first Gulf War just fine. He went back with friends who started a company in Kuwait and almost died. A freaking Iraqi truck hit the car he and two friends were in. The man next to him was driving and was decapitated. My brother was badly injured, and didn’t remember anything for a long while. I think his mind was protecting him.
And it took YEARS for the damned government to compensate him, the Iraq oil money was more important to them!
azkfwecho Premium Member over 3 years ago
My husband was a scout dog handler in Vietnam. He lost one dog who was KIA (Bruno) whose ears touched at the tips. Then he got Smokey. Smokey is the dog I am most looking forward to meeting in Heaven one day. Without Smokey, I would likely not have my husband. Scout dogs and their handlers invaribly walk point and it is one of the most dangerous dog assignments out there (along with explosives detection). Thank you, Smokey, for helping keep my husband alive long enough for me to meet him 10 years later. I am so sorry you had to go to your fate without him by your side for comfort. And so glad they no longer put down military dogs when they leave a country.
Sue Ellen over 3 years ago
This poem is in the public domain, so I may post it in its entirety. (Even though I put hard returns at the end of each line, some of them still smooshed together.)
In Flanders FieldsBy John McCrae
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,In Flanders fields.Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.57BelAir over 3 years ago
Georgia, thanks to your Grandfather for his service. Those guys are all so humble and cool!! What great Americans!
smorbie the great and beautiful over 3 years ago
Happy Veterans Day! And thank all of you who served. It is a debt we can never repay.
tghllama over 3 years ago
Georgia’s Opa was one of my high school teachers. I took four years of German from him and ‘Herr Quinn’ was one of my favorite teachers. Those four years led me to end up majoring in German in college.
scaeva Premium Member over 3 years ago
Veterans’ Day: To all who served, and especially those who died, Eternal Honor and Gratitude.
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day: Finally, definitive answers to the ageless questions “Where the heck are we?” and “How do we get from here to there?” “Is the earth really flat?” (Turns out it is, in substantial portions of the Great Plains of North America and larger portions of Siberia.)
Origami Day: Don’t fold up under stress, just fold something, preferably paper. I knew someone who handled a highly stressful job by making origami. Every meeting he attended, he’d fold something. Some of those higher up in the company objected. He then repeated everything that had been said in the meeting, almost verbatim. He gave them a choice: That he would fold paper during meetings, or fold up his office and leave. He became a unit manager about a year later. Origami is an excellent use of interoffice memos. I used them to fold origami airplanes, which I brought home for my kids. At least they got something from them
National Sundae Day: Why isn’t this on a Sunday? You have a choice: Korean blood sausage or ice cream. there is a near infinite variety of each. One is good with kimchi, the other not so much. This does, however, lead to the idea of kimchi ice cream …
scaeva Premium Member over 3 years ago
There is a site of an organization devoted to helping the forgotten vets: military service dogs. www.saveavet.org.
Serendewi over 3 years ago
Thanks Georgia! And thanks to my husband, brother-in-law, father, father-in-law, and numerous uncles and cousins who spent time in various branches of service.
Anna-Tiger over 3 years ago
In other news:
The resident cat of Hagia Sophia, Gli, has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
The non-mainstream media report that she was heartbroken when the Turkish government decided to transform her home, the Byzantine basilica and UNESCO heritage site in Constantinople aka Istanbul into a mosque.
May her little soul find peace in that place beyond all religious divisions.
Also Southwark Cathedral in London mourns the death of its resident cat Doorkins Magnificat:
https://doorkinsmagnificat.muchloved.com
whybother over 3 years ago
Another site that helps vets is Code of Vets. I follow them on Twitter.
JLChi over 3 years ago
The story I remember most of WWII was something that happened to my mother. Her older brothers all joined up immediately. She had never been anywhere and wanted to visit them. She arrived late in one city to change trains, but because of a blizzard she could not leave until the next morning.
She hauled her heavy suitcase in the blizzard to hotel after hotel, where she was again and again told to get out because unescorted women were regarded as prostitutes. In the middle of the night, a kind clerk let her sit in the lobby to warm up, but then the manager came and forced her, crying and begging, back out into the snow. Finally, someone took pity on her and allowed her to sit in a back area the rest of the night.
Her mother was a little girl in Europe in a battle zone. Grandma told me how she and her sister had to dress as boys to lessen the chances the soldiers would assault them (you know what I mean). They had to cook and eat their meal in the middle of the night because soldiers (on both sides) would raid their house and steal their food during the day. They buried their meager food in the garden, and it was quite disgusting, but the soldiers would still steal it from them.
When I think of men starting wars, I think of how innocent women and children suffer.
RonnieAThompson Premium Member over 3 years ago
Thanks to all who posted links. God Bless All Veterans.
knight1192a over 3 years ago
How about some big cats from WWI, like Whiskey and Soda? I did say big cats, Whiskey and Soda were lion cubs. Mascots of the Lafayette Escadrille
Catmom over 3 years ago
Thank you to all who serve now and those who have served in the past. God bless you.
MartinPerry1 over 3 years ago
Time for my annual ritual of listening to Siegfried Sassoon’s Aftermath.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZxYjogqB2E
Aspen_Bell over 3 years ago
The National Cat Protection Society was founded by Richard Calore after a cat saved his life in France in WWII. He was in a freezing foxhole and out of nowhere this cat snuggled up to him.
https://www.natcat.org/index.php/about
Aspen_Bell over 3 years ago
I respect and honor all who serve but have no great love for the military as an establishment — the way they run things. My father was tricked into signing up for the Army. Recruiters routinely lied to young fellows, especially from poor families, telling them they were signing up for a government program that provided free education. Dad had wanted to be a forest ranger but was disqualified on account of a broken eardrum. He was trained as a pilot in the service but wasn’t allowed to be a fighter pilot because of his ear. He ended up as a non-combat ground mechanic in the Army Air Corps. The Audie Murphy, James Stewart types and all those other high flying heroes get most of the glory but don’t forget the ones who keep them in the air.
nerd warning over 3 years ago
To all veterans, human and animal, Thank you for your service!
kangtourcat over 3 years ago
Happy Veterans Day and thank you for all who served!
willie_mctell over 3 years ago
My mom and dad met in the South Pacific in WWII. She was a Navy nurse and he was in the Army. She outranked him. She could also do a dead on Mary Martin imitation.
teaberryva Premium Member over 3 years ago
Great song about that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8TgEtwrN0g
over 3 years ago
Happy Veterans Day to one and all!
asrialfeeple over 3 years ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VtGbJHXTQ8
knight1192a over 3 years ago
Replies I’d made to one of scavea’s posts got me a little curious about the idea of War Cats. In that vein, here are some kitty mascots
https://www.navalhistory.org/2018/04/13/cats-in-the-sea-services
https://archive.vn/20140523024141/http://www.uscg.mil/history/uscghist/Mascots_2.asp
noreenklose over 3 years ago
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/32/a4/48/32a448c005f6ff71dd0023a4b15cefb6.jpg
catmom1360 over 3 years ago
Thank all you service men and women for your service.
catmom1360 over 3 years ago
Thank you all you service men and woman for your service.
RonBerg13 Premium Member over 3 years ago
As one amazing story goes, a cat named Pitouchi was born in the trenches. His mother was killed when he was still a kitten. A Belgian soldier, Lieutenant Lekeux, adopted Pitouchi. As recounted in the book Soldiers in Fur and Feathers by Susan Bulanda, Pitouchi went on to save Lekeux’s life in the following way:
“As Lekeux reached a spot near the German lines, he saw that they were digging a new trench. He hid himself in a shell hole nearby to make a sketch of the German works. He was so absorbed in his sketch that he did not notice approaching German soldiers on patrol. When he finally realized his situation, it was too late to run.He decided to lie very still, hoping that the Germans would not see him, but unfortunately he heard one soldier say, “He’s in the hole,” so he knew he had been seen.When Pitouchi heard the German say that, he jumped out of the hole onto a piece of timber. The Germans were startled and fired two shots at Pitouchi. However, as frightened as he was, Pitouchi was not hit, and he jumped back into the hole with his beloved Lekeux.The Germans laughed and joked that they had mistaken a cat for a man and left. Lekeux finished his drawings and returned to the Belgian lines with Pitouchi on his shoulders."
SunflowerGirl100 over 3 years ago
Georgia posted a lengthy essay on Facebook about her opa.
SunflowerGirl100 over 3 years ago
Here is Georgia’s posting: "He was the son of Irish immigrants, born in Queens, NY a few years after they arrived in America. He rose ranks in the Navy over a long career spanning the 40s, 50s, and 60s that took him all over the world. He commanded a Destroyer, USS W.R. Rush (DDR 714) and a destroyer division (DES DIV 102). In 1960 he had the honor of taking his destroyer division, with the USS J.P. Kennedy Jr. (DD 850) as his flagship, to Washington, DC for the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. In WWII, Opa was awarded a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy for a night action against a surfaced U-boat while he was an Armed Guard Commander aboard a merchant ship. (As he told the story, he was standing on the deck under the stars when he saw a hint of unnatural movement under the water, a periscope surfacing and then disappearing in a flash, and realized the empty sea was not so empty and they were not alone out there on the open waters… Can you imagine? He took action and quietly alerted his command…)He earned two masters degrees during his career, and when he retired he taught German and History at Roger’s High School in Newport, RI. Gifted with languages, when he retired from teaching high school, he taught English in China for a few years. He was truly unstoppable! We knew him as an even voiced, incredible storyteller who made up games and had a seemingly endless patience for his grandkids. (He said a few times that he’d gotten all his yelling out during his service). He served his country, and continued to serve his community in many ways, including volunteering to teach school children to read into his 80s. He lead a men’s reform group where each week he guided the men through Han Christian Andersen fairy tales and they discussed the lessons learned within. He gave everything he could to everyone around him, and there are so many stories I wish I could ask him to tell one more time. "
Seed_drill over 3 years ago
My grandfather’s ship spent several hours trying to shoot down Venus, certain that it was a Zero. Except for my grandfather, who kept saying “that’s not a plane, that’s Venus.”
arolarson Premium Member over 3 years ago
Georgia just posted more about Opa Quinn.https://www.instagram.com/p/CHda3wspA4d/?igshid=kpnx36rvisl0
Natarose over 3 years ago
My grandpa was Army Airborne in WWII; my dad was navy during Vietnam, and my twin sister was in the Army ‘93 – ’96 (which in reality was still considered the Korean Conflict). Also uncles(Air Force, Army and Navy submariner), cousins(Army and Marines)and even a grandma was a WAC. Happy Veteran’s day to all!
NyahNyahNyah over 3 years ago
Please, don’t think that I’m rude, but it’s Memorial Day that is for all of those who died while serving.
Veteran’s Day is for the living.
It’s for all of the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, the Coast Guardsmen and the new Space Force’s Space Warfighters; and also all of the Reservists who do their active duty, who are alive today.
BradleyHalladay about 3 years ago
Turns out, it actually is true! He was born in the trenches of ww1.
bajacalla Premium Member over 1 year ago
Navy vet here, daughter of and sister of and aunt of Navy vets! GONAV!!