Veterans Day

[pam]

You sure do post interestin stuff Redcliff! I've never liked that song much..always made my skin crawl....

[Teresa]

That was very interesting and you are right redcliff.. I've never read about that before..

Here is a poem:

Just A Common Soldier

He was getting old and paunchy;
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he had fought in,
And the deeds that he had done.
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, everyone.

And 'tho sometimes, to his neighbors,
His tales became a joke.
All his buddies listened,
For they knew whereof he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer,
For a soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary...
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Quietly going on his way.
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state.
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories,
From the time that they were young.
But the passing of a soldier,
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution,
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise,
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow,
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country...
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend,
And the style in which he lives,
Are sometimes disproportionate,
To the service he gives.


While the ordinary soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal,
And perhaps a pension...small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so long ago,
That our Bob's and Jim's and Johnny's,
Went to battle, but we know.

It was not the politicians,
With their compromise and ploys;
Who won for us the freedom,
That our Country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand;
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier,
Who has sworn to defend,
His home, his kin and Country,
And would fight until the end?

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin.
But his presence should remind us,
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
Then we find the Soldier's part,
Is to clean up all the troubles,
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor,
While he's here to hear the praise.
Then at least let's give him homage,
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline,
In the paper that might say,
"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
FOR A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

Just A Common Soldier
By: A. Lawrence Vaincourt - copyright 1985

[Teresa]

And before the day is over.........................

THE HISTORY OF VETERANS DAY

1918
World War I, then normally referred to simply as The Great War (no one could imagine any war being greater!), ended with the implementation of an armistice [temporary cessation of hostilities_in this case until the final peace treaty, the infamous Treaty of Versailles, was signed in 1919] between the Allies and Germany at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of November, 1918.

  1919
November 11: President Wilson proclaims the first Armistice Day with the following words: "To us in America, the reflections of armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations_" The original concept for the celebration was for the suspension of business for a two minute period beginning at 11 A.M., with the day also marked by parades and public meetings.

1920
On the second anniversary of the armistice, France and the United Kingdom hold ceremonies honoring their unknown dead from the war. In America, at the suggestion of church groups, President Wilson names the Sunday nearest Armistice Day Sunday, on which should be held services in the interest of international peace.

1921
Congress passes legislation approving the establishment of a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. November 11 is chosen for the date of the ceremony. According on October 20, Congress declares November 11, 1921 a legal Federal holiday to honor all those who participated in the war. The ceremony was conducted with great success.

1926
Congress adopts a resolution directing the President to issue an annual proclamation calling on the observance of Armistice Day. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, most states establish November 11 as a legal holiday and at the Federal level, an annual proclamation is issued by the President.

1938
Congress passes legislation on May 13 making November 11 a legal Federal holiday, Armistice Day. The United States has no _actual_ national holidays because the states retain the right to designate their own holidays. The Federal government can in fact only designate holidays for Federal employees and for the District of Columbia. But in practice the states almost always follow the Federal lead in designation of holidays.

1941- 1945
1950- 1953
World War II and the Korean War create millions of additional war veterans in addition to those of the First World War already honored by Armistice Day.

1954
On June 1, President Eisenhower signs legislation changing the name of the legal holiday from Armistice Day to Veteran_s Day.

1968
Congress passes the Monday Holiday Law which established the fourth Monday in October as the new date for the observance of Veteran_s Day. The law is to take effect in 1971.

1971-1975
The Federal observance of Veterans Day is held on the fourth Monday of October. Initially all states follow suit except Mississippi and South Dakota. Other states changed their observances back to November 11 as follows: 1972- Louisiana and Wisconsin; 1974- Kentucky, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, South Carolina, West Virginia; 1975- California, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming

1975
Legislation passed to return the Federal observance of Veteran_s Day to November 11, based on popular support throughout the nation. Since the change to the fourth Monday in October, 46 states had either continued to commemorate November 11 or had reverted back to the original date based on popular sentiment. The law was to take effect in 1978.

[ddurbin]

This post ties back to the ones about the project where James Jackson is trying to locate and record all the graves of Civil War Veterans in Kansas.  In 1889, there was a list taken of all Civil War Vets living in Elk County.  Three of the men listed their residence as DERRY.  Does anyone know where in the county that would have been?  I thought it might be tied to a local school, but in looking back through some of those lists, I don't see a Derry School.  The three vets were Wm. Jordon, Wm. P. Sailing and Jos. W. Songer. 

[Jane]

God Bless our daughter that just spend 14 months in Iraq with an MSO of Military Police. She was a Humvee driver and has been out on mission almost every day. She is a college graduate and decided to join the Army to protect her country. 9/11 made the decision for her.
She just emailed tonight that she will be headed to Kuwait in a few days then on to Germany for 90 days to finish her over seas tour of duty.
She will then be stationed at Ft Leonard Wood MO. which is where she did her basic training.
Army Mom

[Marcia Moore]

     The town of Derry, later referred to as Blodgett, was situated in Greenwood County at the SW corner of the NW1/4 of the SW1/4 of Sect. 8, Twp. 28, Range 9.  It was approximately one mile north of the Elk County line and/or two miles straight south of what used to be known as the Grundy pens on Hwy. 96, about half way between Piedmont and Beaumont.  The old town site is down an old pasture road that is only accessible by 4-wheel drive pickups.  There was a train station and stockyards at Derry for a time.  There was also a post office at Derry for 16 years - from 1883 to 1896.  The three veterans you were referring to may have lived in Elk County but were served by the rural route out of Derry. 

[ddurbin]

Thanks Marcia.  I wondered if it might not have been just outside of Elk County.  I'm not that well-versed on Greenwood, Wilson and Montgomery counties and their 'ghost towns', so you've been a great help.

[W. Gray]

Derry is shown on the St Louis-San Francisco RY line at

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/counties/GW/

[srkruzich]

This post ties back to the ones about the project where James Jackson is trying to locate and record all the graves of Civil War Veterans in Kansas.  In 1889, there was a list taken of all Civil War Vets living in Elk County.  Three of the men listed their residence as DERRY.  Does anyone know where in the county that would have been?  I thought it might be tied to a local school, but in looking back through some of those lists, I don't see a Derry School.  The three vets were Wm. Jordon, Wm. P. Sailing and Jos. W. Songer. 

Most of the vets were poor as could be after the war.  I Know  John lewis crabtree was on of my anscestors and about 3
years my uncle found his grave but the headstones were made of sandstone. So the inscription is all but worn away.