Tag: Soldiers

March 4th Hug a GI Day

March Holidays

Soldiers do a lot for us. They protect us, provide shelter in storms and other emergencies, do jobs the rest of us wouldn’t want to do, go places the rest of us wouldn’t want to go, etc, etc, etc So to let them know you appreciate all they do, why not give them a hug? I mean, lately it might just be a good idea to thank them, you know… with Covid and all… but nothing replaces a good old hug. I am sure they could use it to be reminded why they often do a lot of the things they do.

How to celebrate – Thank a soldier when you see them. Realize soldiers are just people too. Care about those who care about you.

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September 16th American Legion Day

September Holidays

Right after World War 1 ended in 1919, the American Legion was formed to assist those soldiers returning home from war. The things they had seen, lived through and perhaps even had done themselves made the transition to peace a challenge. The Legion gave the men, and women, a place to go where they could relate to others, share experiences and return to normal with those suffering the same nightmares and horrors they has been through. Oddly, the American government did not recognize today until 2009. The American Legion has over 3 million members and 14,000 posts across the world.

How to celebrate – Support the American Legion. Thank any past or present soldier for their sacrifice. Realize that recovering from war, wounded or not, requires time.

November 11th Veteran’s Day

November holidays

November 11th at 11:11 in 1918 World War 1 ended. In 1921 the world began to celebrate Armistice Day honoring those soldiers that fell during the war sacrificing the ultimate sacrifice for what they believed was worth protecting. President Eisenhower turned that date into Veteran’s Day in 1954 honoring all Veterans having served their country. We owe our Veterans our freedom and our way of life. We need to remember them, honor them and give them our thanks for all they have done and all they will do.

How to celebrate – Thank all veterans you see. Visit the grave of the Unknown Soldier. Make a list of all the veterans from your family tree.

November 10th Forget-Me-Not Day

Unboxing the Bizarre

November 10th Forget-Me-Not Day

Judge Robert S. Marx returned from World War 1 a wounded man. When he returned he saw other disabled men who seemed to be forgotten. He created a day that all should remember those men, not the just the ones who died, but the ones who returned as well. Sometimes the wounds were obvious, others were not. Sometimes, the obvious wounds are easier to recover from than those not seen. And so in 1921 he created Forget-Me-Not Day. This day works for all wars and conflicts. Anyone serving at any point continues to fight their own wars over and over again, even when they come home.

How to celebrate – Remember all those who served our country. Look up the veterans in your family. Visit the heroes everyone else has forgotten.

March 4th Hug A GI Day

March Holidays

We all know we owe our troops all the support they can get. Sometimes that’s money, sometimes that’s food, sometimes that’s just a hug. Men and women who guard our freedom are under stress all the time. Not only do they have their friends and loved ones to worry about as we all do, they have the worry of someone shooting at them. They are the front line of everything we hold dear and are often overlooked as we go through our day. Since we do not see them, we forget about them. They deserve more.

How to celebrate – Hug a GI. Take a GI to lunch. Send out a care package to a soldier.

November 11th Veteran’s Day

November holidays

World War 1 ended on November 11th, at 11:11 in 1918. Three years later the US, UK, and France decided we needed to remember both the end of the war and those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and Armistice Day was founded. Among those who were remembered were all the unknown soldiers buried in Europe. So in 1921 a day was set aside to remember them, along with the living heroes, to honor their memory. In 1954 President Eisenhower changed Armistice Day in the US to Veteran’s Day since the Armistice was more of a European thing. It is a day we should remember the fallen, but also remember the living veterans among us. These men and women have gone through things hopefully the rest of us will never know.

How to celebrate – Visit the Unknown Soldier Tomb in Washington, D.C.. Thank any soldier you come across for their service. Be proud that usually, freedom wins out over evil.

June 6th D-Day

June Box

June 6th -_ D-Day

156,000 soldiers landed on Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword and Juno beaches to reclaim Europe from Nazi Germany on June 6th, 1944. Thousands would give their all on this day, Canadians, British, French and Americans. It was the one day in the early part of June that had clear enough weather the Allies could actually attempt the landing, and an attempt it was. The Germans had built up the beach defenses to an extreme and though the Allies were fairly sure they could hold some of the beaches it really was done on a hope and a prayer. The landings were preceded by parachute drops and the resistance causing as much havoc as they could. The landing, requested by the Russian, did succeed however and it was the beginning of the end for the Third Reich.

How to celebrate – Remember all those who served in World War 2 (there aren’t many left). Visit the beaches where many of the wrecks have been left reminding us of the day. Read a book written from those who survived the day.

May 27th Memorial Day

May Holidays

We celebrate all the fallen today that have served our country in military service. It was begun after the Civil War as families went of decorate the graves of those who had fallen. It was commonly known as Decoration Day until 1882 when it became Memorial Day. It always fell on May 30th regardless of the day of the week but in 1971 Congress made Memorial Day the last Monday of May so that families, and government workers, could have a three day weekend. Just something wrong with that… the idea we should all have an extra day when those we are celebrating had no extras days themselves. But I suppose it makes it easier for families to travel where they need to go to pay honor to their fallen family members.

How to celebrate – Remember the reason for the day. Pay homage to those who have given you all that you have. Study your family tree to find out the soldiers who served you directly.

March 27th National “Joe” Day

March Holidays

I guess the most popular name in the entire world is “Joe”. Well, at least in the United States anyway. We named our soldiers Joe, G.I. Joe, because while they are not common by any means, the idea of the soldier is common. So a G.I. Joe stood for anybody who was in uniform. We even call our coffee having a cup of Joe, because it’s common. Why not Bob or Bill? Well, we gave other outside titles to Bob and Bill. For example to bob is to bounce or dodge out of the way. Bill on the other hand is something we pay at the end of a meal. So I assume Joe just wasn’t taken for anything else! Think of all the people you know named Joe. They are becoming less and less common with people inventing names like L’orange and Peacebewithyouandeveryoneyouknow. But there will always be a place for Joe’s in our lives because it actually means all of us.

How to celebrate – Make a list of all the Joe’s you know. List all the things you have heard of named Joe. Have a cup of Joe.

November 11th Veteran’s Day

November holidays, Unboxing the Bizarre

We don’t owe much to our Veterans… we owe them everything. We owe them our country, our freedom and our lives. So do many other countries. Today we honor their service to us and those that gave their lives so that we didn’t have to.

US Military branches

Veteran’s Day started out as Armistice Day, the Day both the United Kingdom and United States buried the Unknown Soldier on November 11th at 11:11 AM in 1921. Since then there have been more Unknown Soldiers than any of us would care to acknowledge but we should, they died for us. In 1954 President Eisenhower changed Armistice Day to Veterans Day, honoring both those who died in service and those still living.

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War has existed since man learned how to walk, evil has driven the power hungry beyond the point of reason, greed has driven the sane insane. The only thing that keeps the world from blowing up is the men and women who actually blow things up.

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But they also heal, build and comfort those in need. We should always honor our Veterans because they have always honored us. They do not ask you to do all the things they do, they just get the job done when no one else can.

How to celebrate – Thank a Veteran for the service they have given. Visit the Arlington Cemetery. Attend a Veterans Day ceremony.