Thursday, May 25, 2006

MEMORIAL DAY, 2006


I belong to a Yahoo Group called "Good Clean Fun" which is my daily dose of humor. The gentleman who maintains this group, Tom, sends out "clean" jokes every day and will, on occasion, write articles relevant to the coming holiday. His patriotism is refreshing. He wrote this Memorial Day tribute, and I thought it was very appropriate. You can also subscribe to his daily dose of humor - the link is at the bottom. God bless all the men and women and their families who are serving their country, and especially those who have given the supreme sacrifice so that we may enjoy a life of freedom.
---------------------------

GCF: Memorial Day 2006

The joke for today has been sent. I want to be serious for a moment
and talk about the holiday which will be celebrated here in the
United States on Monday.

Memorial Day is on the last Monday in May and honors those men and
women who lost their lives serving their country. What we celebrate
as Memorial Day today, began at the end of the Civil War. Family
members of the many soldiers slain in battle would visit the grave
sites of their fallen relatives or friends and decorate the graves
with flowers.

On May 5, 1868, General John Logan proclaimed this day a holiday
through his General Order No. 11. The day was entitled Decoration Day
and was first observed on May 30, 1868. The northern states
celebrated this day every year, but the southern states celebrated a
day similar to this on a different day until sometime after World War I.

In 1882, the name Decoration day was changed to Memorial Day, and in
1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the
last Monday of May every year. Over the years it has come to serve as
a day to remember all U.S. men and women killed or missing in action
in all wars.

I am truly grateful for the freedoms which we enjoy today. Too often,
we take these gifts for granted, little realizing the sacrifice which
was involved in ensuring that these freedoms continue to be a part of
all of our lives. Be honest, how many of us think of Memorial Day as
just another chance for a three-day weekend? A chance to go the lakes
or beaches or mountains? A trip to Disneyland or Six Flags or some
other amusement park?

If you are here in the United States, please remember to display the
flag, not just for the day but for the whole weekend. Let's not
forget the real reason for having this holiday. The quote below says
it all. Please take the time to read it.

Take care everyone.

Tom
(HM2, USN 65-69)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---

"It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of
our country in wars far away. The imagination plays a trick. We see
these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something
like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them
were boys when they died, they gave up two lives -- the one they were
living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave
up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They
gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything
for their county, for us. All we can do is remember."

-- Ronald Wilson Reagan
Remarks at Veteran's Day ceremony, Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington, Virginia, November 11, 1985


If this was forwarded to you, please consider your own subscription to
Good Clean Fun. It's free! A smile will enhance the quality of your life.
Just send an email to: good-clean-fun-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
or visit the Good Clean Fun web site http://www.slonet.org/~tellswor/

Monday, May 22, 2006

TRIBUTE TO ARMY SPC. ERIC T. BURRI


A West Michigan family that lost a loved one in the war in Iraq is starting a shoe drive in his memory. Army Specialist Eric Burri, 21, was killed in June 2005, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle. While the Kelloggsville High School graduate was in Iraq, he mentioned the kids there have no shoes. Sunday morning Mike Burri, uncle of Specialist Eric Burri, appeared on CNN and told a nationwide audience how Eric would tell stories about Iraqi children who had no shoes. "Eric mentioned that on several occasions that these kids have no shoes, and it always bothered him. He said he would give his own shoes if he could," said Mike Burri.

To honor his memory, his family now wants to collect footwear for the children. Originally, the shoe drive was to run through May 20, but due to the overwhelming response across the nation, it has now been extended through the end of the month. The original story was broadcast last weekend by a local TV station, and at that time the family hoped to collect between 400 and 500 pairs of shoes. Since then a number of local groups have stepped forward, including retailers, individuals, schools and businesses. The family now has between 1,500 and 2,000 pairs of new and used shoes, including flip flops, tennis shoes, and sandals.

After Mike Burri's story on CNN last weekend, he said he had about 50 phone calls, all before he left the building. A North Carolina company, Blackwater USA, was so moved by the mission, it has agreed to cover the cost of shipping the shoes overseas.

"I wanted to do something positive," Joanne Burri said. Eric's uncle, Michael Burri, said Eric would have been pleased. "He would really be impressed by the outpouring of concern that the community has shown," he said. "It's very gratifying to me to be able to do something good out of this," Michael Burri said. "It's really helping our family get over this."

While she still mourns his death, Joanne Burri said, the growing pile of shoes fills her with other emotions. "It means so much. He's not here, and I miss him. This way, I'm sort of keeping his goodwill alive."

The two week shoe drive has been extended another ten days, taking it to the end of May. You can donate new or gently used shoes at: Wal-Mart in Cascade, Grandville and Alpine, Matthysse-Kuiper Degraff Funeral Directors in Grandville, Allendale, Wyoming, Kentwood, and Caledonia, and at Ziegler Harold Ford in Lowell or ask your local church. You can also contact Mike Burri at 616-299-7321 or Woody Watson at 616-698-9245.