Tuesday, November 11, 2008

WT's dad, Bill
~
We lovingly salute you, Dad, and all
the brave and honorable veterans who have
faithfully served our country.

~
What I have I also give you.
The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.
~
from Dirge for Two Veterans
by Walt Whitman
~

General Officers of the Great War, John Singer Sargent, 1922

39 comments:

  1. Hi, Willow! A very lovely post for today...May we always remember...

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  2. "Don't forget, not again !"

    Have a nice day Lady Willow...

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  3. It wasn't until I saw the movie, "Saving Private Ryan" that I really got the full impact of what our veterans mean to me and to this country. Before my daughter, Lauren, made her first trip to France, I sat down and watched it with her. After she went to France and saw the graves of all the American soldiers who fell at Normandy, she was overwhelmed by the sacrifice that these men, many of them no older than she was at the time, had made so that she could live in freedom.

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  4. I have just recently seen this picture at the National Portrait Gallery in London. It is of truly staggering proportions, and whilst it pays tribute to the top brass it of course ignores the huge sacrifice made by many millions of "unknowns" during that awful "Great" war, (the First WW), the "war to end all wars". If only.

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  5. Wwe just had our two minutes' silence at 11:11am on 11/11. Thanks for a touching post.

    Greetings from London.

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  6. A salute to every person brave enough to go forth and defend whatever it is he or she believes in.

    I can't imagine putting my body on the line, can't imagine going into battle, being shot at, or shooting others. It boggles my mind.

    I honor and appreciate the valor and courage of all who have served. Thanks for this.

    Bill is a doll, btw.

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  7. Hey look at your dad. what a handsome guy and what a smile. Thanks for remembering Veteran's Day and all those who fought and participated.

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  8. What price we pay for this thing we call FREEDOM...we honor our soldiers who paid the ultimate price...let us never forget!

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  9. Amen to that! I dedicate Wilfred's Wwen's poem Futility to your Dad. To show it that it was not really futile. I will post the poem in the sidebar in a day or two (I am a bit slow). Please let him know. My dad also fought at El Alamein and in the invasion of Italy. Good news! Alexandra of Silver Bell (my original blog inspiration) is back with a new blog. I have already forgotten the URL. But I will send it. I also appreciate you, Willow!

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  10. Poem is up for your dad! No time like the present. go well eleanor

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  11. What a handsome fellow. Love and honor to all veterans on this day.

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  12. What a handsome man! Lovely photograph and lovely sentiment for this special day.

    I will also be thinking of you at the 11:11's. Isn't that your witching hour?

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  13. Thank you, Willow, for giving us all a moment to pause and remember.

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  14. Pamela, I have been a little leary of today. When I woke up this morning, I was glad to be alive! ;^)

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  15. A beautiful post. We must never forget. In this war the media posts numbers of fallen but no longer shows the wounded coming home? Out of sight, out of mind!
    Your YouTube choice is quite wonderful...I have replayed it twice!!

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  16. Nicely fits in with Canada's Rembrance Day today where we honour all our war veterans and those whose lives were lost.

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  17. How very fitting and appropriate--wonderful photo of your father-in-law, and beautiful Sargent painting! A touching tribute for sure...

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  18. To the men and women who keep us safe .. I say: PEACE


    :-Daryl

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  19. These old photographs say so much, don't they? There was a photo in The Times some weeks ago about a leavers party at Eton, where all the young men were standing about relaxing and laughing. The date of the photograph was 1913 and you looked at it and wondered how many of those lovely young men survived. Such needless killing.

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  20. one day to remember seems so little for what so many have given - thanks Willow!

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  21. Willow,
    Each of us, I hope, has been impacted by a service member. A relative, a friend, a neighbor, a friend of a friend...too many have served for us not to have been touched some how.
    Today is a day to reflect on what might have been had they chosen not to serve.
    Thanks for taking the time to remember and to remind others.
    rel

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  22. Remembering them today, thankful for them everyday!

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  23. What a beautiful tribute!

    My grandfather was a Captain in the British Army during WWI, and when I was a little girl he told me stories. Gosh!

    The sad thing is, we do forget, and wars continue.

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  24. That's such a sweet tribute. We should never forget their sacrifices for us.

    Anyway ...

    Please go to my blog and pick up a gift at your leisure:
    http://redbirdacres.blogspot.com/2008/11/premio-dardos-award.html

    God bless! ♥ ∞

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  25. That was a fabulous tribute! In my father's honor, I thank you.

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  26. You are so good at this, Willow! And WT's dad is quite the handsome man.

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  27. John Singer Sargent is one of my favorite artists.

    I join the other voices and agree this is a great post and, yes, we all need to say thank you to those men and women who served. Also, we need to remember their families.

    My father was in WWII and was in the Navy. He never says much about his time in the war, but to this day he refuses to eat rice....

    Take care.

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  28. Hi Willow, I popped in here from Eleanor and would like to say what a nice tribute. On Sunday I attended my first Remberance Parade ever and found it to be a very moving experience.
    My experience of war was to put it behind me and move on, but once you have been through it you can't - the names and faces of all those I knew, who were killed in action, will remain with me forever and I guess it is good to honour their memory.

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  29. We honour them - and we remember them.

    Melbourne saluted Armistice Day as well. I posted about it yesterday, in the ``My World Tuesday'' theme.

    Lest we forget ....

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  30. A very appropriate post for the day.

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  31. I'm late getting to this but loved the pic and the wonderful tribute. Being that my husband is in the Navy, this really tugged at my heart strings...

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  32. Wonderful tribute and post.

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Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)