Moonhowlings

The destroyer USS Shaw explodes after being hit by bombs.

  Most of the people who lived, first hand,  through the attack on Pearl harbor  are nearly 90 years old.  That’s very hard to believe.  The surprise attack left young men, barely more than boys, running for guns, weapons, anything to fight back with.  Many heroes arose that day.  Not all of the heroes lived to bask in the glory.  Some died and some were sealed in a watery tomb at Pearl Harbor. 

About 100 of the survivors will attend the ceremony at Pearl Harbor.  The ashes of one of the sailors will join the rest of his crewmen who never made it back from December 7, 1941. Approximately  2,390 Americans were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

According to Voice of America:

Memorial events marking the December 7,1941 attack are being held throughout the country, the largest being on the Pacific island of Oahu, Hawaii, where the attack took place.

A dwindling number of Pearl Harbor survivors and World War Two veterans are among the 3,000 attendees expected at the event overlooking the USS Arizona Memorial, where the submerged remains of the fallen battleship rest. A moment of silence will be held at 7:55 in the morning , the exact moment Japan’s Imperial Navy began the surprise attack.

If you know someone who was at Pearl Harbor, run, don’t walk to talk to them and ask them to tell you of their experience.  Even if you know someone who was an adult on December 7, 1941, talk to them.  Find out what they were doing when they first heard the news.  Where  were they?  What did they think?  Did they ever think how much the news would alter their lives and the lives of their family and friends?  There is so much I now want to ask my parents and grandparents.  Opportunity knocked and I didn’t go to the door.  They are no longer living so I can’t ask them. 

From what I could gather from my relatives, they really were innocents who had no idea what the impact a world war would have on them, the family,  and America.   Pearl Harbor Day is much more than the 9-11- like attack on an unprepared nation.  Pearl Harbor marks the change of an isolationist, fairly agrarian country into a world super power.  The change was  almost instant, and we were never to return again to those times before Pearl Harbor. 

What memories do you have of your family members telling you about that day?  Did you have family members who served?  Did they all make it home? 

Let’s not forget Pearl Harbor and those who who were wounded or died.  Let’s not forget those who altered their lives and threw themselves in to a war movement unequal to anything this country has ever seen before or since.  There is a reason that the ‘greatest generation’ got its name.

The Martin Luther King Memorial was unveiled and given to President Obama to present to the people of the United States of America.  This is the first monument on the mall that is not a war memorial or a presidential monument

The memorial was supposed to be dedicated on August 28, the anniversary date of Dr. King’s I Have a Dream Speech. It had to be delayed because of the hurricane and the earthquake.

President Obama’s speech:

It was only fitting that President Bush honor those who lost their lives  on 9/11/01 fighting the terrorists on Flight 93.   his speech was moving and he reflected upon another small town in Pennsylvania that had many heroes–Gettysburg.

Following his dedication, President Clinton spoke.  He spoke of the Alamo and how the people knew they were going to die, but stayed the course.  Both speeches were extremely moving.  Bill Clinton said it was a disgrace that there was still 10 million more dollars to raise and he announced that he and Speaker Boehner had formed a bipartisan partnership to raise the rest of the cash for the memorial.  He received a standing ovation. 

Vice President Joe Biden was in attendance also and addressed the crowd.  He was very gracious to both former presidents and spoke of his own personal losses generally and to reassure. 

I am more convinced than ever that this National Memorial to the bravery of the passengers on Flight 93 is the right and proper acknowledgement of people who gave all so that others could live.  They fought back.

The VA State Police warn motorists and commuters of predicted 9-9  gridlock on Friday, August 19 [TODAY], when approximately 1800 motorcycles roll to pay tribute to the lives lost on 9/11/01 during the terrorist attacks.

[NOTE CHANGE:  GRIDLOCK IS FOR TODAY, NOT SEPT. 9 AS ORIGINALLY STATED.]

According to insidenova.com:

State police are warning Northern Virginia residents to brace for road closures and delays Friday afternoon and evening due to a Sept. 11 tribute motorcade.

 Over 1,800 motorcyclists will pass through Northern Virginia coming south from Maryland starting at 3:30 p.m., all in part of the America’s 9/11 Foundation, Inc.’s annual memorial ride, Virginia state police said.

 The multi-state procession will canvass areas affected by the Sept. 11 attacks Friday morning, starting in Somerset, Pa., just outside the crash site of hijacked plane United flight 93, which killed 44, officials said.

 Bikers will stop by the Pentagon Friday afternoon, and continue to the World Trade Center site by Sunday morning, according to the America’s 9/11 Foundation website.

 The procession plans on entering Loudoun County at 2 p.m. Friday, with officers stopping southbound traffic on U.S. 15 at the Virginia-Maryland line, police said. Read more…

Rep. Gabby Giffords surprised Congress on Monday by returning to vote YES for the much beleaguered debt deal.

What a wonderful surprise.  What a remarkable woman.  

A day late…but July 20, 1969 was the Lunar Landing, the day man first landed on the surface of the moon in a little space capsule named Apollo 11.  It is hard to imagine how little we knew back then and how rudimentary our tools were.  Much of the landing was done with computers but not the computers you and I know today.  It all seems so long ago and looking back, so very impossible.  I can remember our hearts being in our throats the entire time.  Would they make it back alive?

How terribly sad that our Manned space program is all but ending.  Ironic that the last space shuttle is almost ready to return to earth, never to slip into the wild blue yonder again.   Wallops Island is no Kennedy Space Center.  That is a downgrade I don’t even want to consider. 

Have we become so complacent or so full of our own knowledge that we can just quit?  I think America deserves better.  We are better than this. 

Rolling Thunder began in 1987  to rally for MIAs and POWs to be returned home.  It has become an annual event each Memorial Day. 

I came of age during the Vietnam War.  It is wonderful to see the country united with this annual event.  No one really gets into ‘which side’ people were on. 

I get tickled over people who didn’t grow up during this time who automatically believe that all Vietnam Vets have at some point in time been spat on.  I know plenty who weren’t.  Not all of us were ‘hippies,’ whatever that meant.  Not all of us were drug addicts or rolled in the mud naked. 

But I digress….

ROAR on  Rolling Thunder!!!

Virginia has a long Memorial Day past and lots of war dead.  Arlington National Cemetery is in Arlington, Virginia.  The site of the Lee Mansion has been used as a national cemetery since the Civil War.  Mrs. Lee left her plantation for obvious safety reasons, even though she was horribly crippled with arthrits and lived the life of a vagabond until the end of the war. 

In the past decade, 233 Virginians have been killed in the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq.  25 of those were killed just in the past year.  On Thursday, Governor McDonnell and members of his administration gathered on the steps of the State Capital to pay tribute.

“This is the story of America,” McDonnell said. “When I think of what defines our country, it is sacrifice and it is freedom…Throughout our history, the price of liberty has always been American blood.”
Marlene Blackburn, left, who lost her son, U.S. Army Cpl. William Kyle Middleton, in Afghanistan, is comforted by her uncle Bob Galaspie at the service. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) (Steve Helber – AP)

The names of all 233 were read aloud by members of different branches of the armed services. A Coast Guard helicopter performed a ceremonial fly-by in the capital city’s sky, and a bagpiper with the Virginia Department of Corrections played “Amazing Grace.”

Today, April 16, 2011, marks the 4th anniversary  of the Virginia Tech massacre.

Nikki Giovanni at the Memorial Service–We are Virginia Tech

President Bush spoke to the Tech Students.  So did Governor Tim Kaine:

This afternoon President Obama awarded the Medal of Freedom to 15 recipients.  The following were recipients:

Warren Buffett, Yo Yo Ma, George H. W. Bush,  Bill Russell, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Rep. John Lewis,  John Adams,  Maya Angelou,  Jasper Johns, Gerda Weissmann Klein, Tom Little (posthumously) , Sylvia Mendez, Stan Musial, Jean Kennedy Smith, and John Sweeney

The awards ceremony was very touching.  President Obama was magnanimous.  The most touching mini speech was given for former President Bush, who was in attendance. 

List of recipients

The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honoured us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for the journey and waved goodbye and ‘slipped the surly bonds of earth’ to ‘touch the face of God.’

Thank you.

President Ronald Reagan – January 28, 1986

President Obama issued the following Thanksgiving Proclaimation:

A beloved American tradition, Thanksgiving Day offers us the opportunity to focus our thoughts on the grace that has been extended to our people and our country. This spirit brought together the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe — who had been living and thriving around Plymouth, Massachusetts for thousands of years — in an autumn harvest feast centuries ago. This Thanksgiving Day, we reflect on the compassion and contributions of Native Americans, whose skill in agriculture helped the early colonists survive, and whose rich culture continues to add to our Nation’s heritage. We also pause our normal pursuits on this day and join in a spirit of fellowship and gratitude for the year’s bounties and blessings.

Read more…

Jon Stewart’s totally awesome  closing  comments  from the Rally to Restore Sanity:

Text to accompany the video:

Read more…

Yes, Elena and I love Jon Stewart.  It beats a whole lot of other people we could love.  Sunday’s Washington Post ran an article entitled Just who does Jon Stewart think he is?  in anticipation of this Saturday’s event on the National Mall called Rally to Restore Sanity.  Stewart arrives Monday for preparation.  Very little is known about the event which begins at noon.  No special guests have been announced nor have any artists.  The rally will be broadcast live on Comedy Central. 

In some ways, Stewart returns to his roots.  He is a William and Mary graduate, class of 1984.  According to the Washington Post article:

Stewart, 47, has never claimed to be anything more than a guy trying to get laughs on “a fake news program on basic cable,” as he puts it. While that surely understates his case, it comports with his background as a stand-up comic and entertainer.

and

Read more…

Jon Stewart made his big announcement Thursday night:

From CBS:

Jon Stewart announced on “The Daily Show” Thursday night that he’ll hold a rally on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on October 30. He showed some of the signs that organizers would be handing out at the event, which had slogans such as, “9/11 was an Outside Job.” He said the message would be to “take it down a notch for America.” The event is called the “Rally to Restore Sanity,” and is for people who think neither Barack Obama nor George W. Bush is Adolf Hitler.

For fans of “The Daily Show,” the news gets better. Stephen Colbert is participating, too. He’s also holding a rally on October 30. It’s called “The March to Keep Fear Alive,” in keeping with his right-wing talk show host persona on “The Colbert Report.”

At one point, Stewart called his event a “million moderate march.”

Cobert, playing on his right wing skit, has named his rally, “The March to Keep Fear Alive.”

Stewart criticizes extremists on both sides. I think that is his message. His appeal is to the 70-80 percenters. Finally, a rally for me.