Memorial Day: Honor, Remember, Never Forget!

5/27/21 Chatterbox by Betty Kaiser  

              

Memorial Day is coming up! This year the bittersweet holiday falls on Monday May 31. All together, on this one day of the year, we can gratefully honor the tens of thousands of men and women who fought and died for our country in approximately 93 wars and rebellions. 

 

It is our yearly opportunity to say “thank you” to those guardians of peace. It is a day of remembrance and sorrow mixed with pride and appreciation and hope that someday the madness will stop. A day to reflect and remember that those heroes died for you and me.

 

Memorial Day’s history is about 160 years old. After the Civil War, it began as a grass roots occasion called National Decoration Day. On May 20, 1868 over 5,000 people decorated the graves of the 29,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who were buried at Arlington National Ceremony. A tribute to both the North and South sides of the conflict.

 

In 1968, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of CongressMay 30 was the official date until 1971 when Congress changed it to the last Monday in May. Now it is celebrated in almost every country where American soldiers are buried. Flags on government buildings and ships throughout the world are lowered to half-mast, as a tribute to those who lost their lives.

 

This weekend, prior to the holiday, the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment will honor America's fallen heroes by placing American flags at thousands of gravesites for service members buried at Arlington National Cemetery and at the Airmen's Home National Cemetery. 

 

The most solemn Memorial Day ceremony is when the President of the United States lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Other dignitaries also pay their formal respects. All flags will be removed after Memorial Day, before the cemetery opens to the public.

 

To remember military sacrifices is a sacred charge. Thanks to the Covid-19 situation, things will be a little different around the country this year. There will be fewer parades and public gatherings. But there is one thing that we can stop and do together wherever we are:

 

The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3:00 pm local time on Memorial Day for one minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the US.

There are also other things that we can do to honor those who died serving our country. The following suggestions come from a variety of sources including Military.com USO. Pay special attention to the timing of flying the flag. 

 

Do this: 

 Display the flag—the U.S. flag is flown at half-staff from dawn until noon on Memorial Day. Raise it again to the peak after noon.

1. Call a friend or loved one who has lost someone during a war.
2. Visit a cemetery and honor the memory of a family member or other veteran by putting flowers on their grave.
3. Watch the National Memorial Day Concert on your local PBS station.

 Here are some reminders of things not to do:   

1. Don’t wish anyone a Happy Memorial Day. This is not Christmas.   
2. Don’t thank the current troops. Veteran’s Day is coming up!
3.  Don’t let politics keep you from rendering respect.

 

                    God bless America! Let freedom ring!

                 Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Jeopardy for Seniors” Email questions brighten the day

 

The Chatterbox 4/22/21

Betty Kaiser

 

Hello, everyone! Today’s column is mostly just for fun. And heaven only knows we need a little fun to counter some of today’s horrible news.

 

As of April 18, 2021, deaths in the U.S. from the Covid-19 pandemic had exceeded 567,000 people. These horrendous numbers are heartbreaking. Fortunately, there is hope of slowing or stopping the virus with a vaccine as we all cooperate with sensible prevention measures. Keep up the good work everyone!

 

Unfortunately, killings, via mass shootings, continue to plague this country. According to forbes.com more than one mass shooting per day has occurred already in 2021. I don’t get it.

 

We are all born with the ability to know the difference between right and wrong. Wanton murder is wrong. Working together we should be able to control this awful, on-going, senseless killing of the innocent.

 

In the midst of all this bad news, a friend sent me an email questionnaire. It’s called “Jeopardy for Seniors.” AKA a test for older kids. That would be me. These simple questions from my childhood were harder than I thought. It tested my memory and confused my brain. I also giggled a lot. Try it!

 

Jeopardy for Seniors

 The answers are printed below (after the questions)

Have fun but don’t cheat! 

 

1.  After the Lone Ranger saved the day and rode off into the sunset, the grateful citizens would ask, "Who was that masked man?" Invariably, someone would answer, "I don't know, but he left this behind."

What did he leave behind? A ______ ______.

 

2. When the Beatles first came to the U.S. In early 1964, we all watched them on The __ ________ Show.

 

3. "Get your kicks, __ _____ __!"

 

4. The story you are about to see is true. The names have been changed to _______ ___ _______.'

 

5.  'In the jungle, the mighty jungle, ___ ____ ______ _______.'

 

6. After the Twist, The Mashed Potato, and the Watusi, we 'danced' under a stick that was lowered as low as we could go in a dance called the '_____.'

 

7. Nestle's makes the very best... _________.'

 

8.  Satchmo was America's 'Ambassador of Goodwill.' Our parents shared this great jazz trumpet player with us. His name was ____ _________.

 

9. What takes a licking and keeps on ticking? ___ _____ _____.

 

10. Red Skeleton's hobo character was named ______ ___ __________ and Red always ended his television show by saying, 'Good Night, and '___ ____ .'

 

11. Some Americans who protested the Vietnam War did so by burning their _____ _____.

 

12.  The cute little car with the engine in the back and the trunk in the front was called the VW.  What other names did it go by? ______ or ___.

 

13. In 1971, singer Don MacLean sang a song about, 'the day the music died.' This was a tribute to _____ _____.

 

14. We can remember the first satellite placed into orbit. The Russians did it. It was called _______.

 

15.  One of the big fads of the late 50's and 60's was a large plastic ring that we twirled around our waist. It was called the _____-____.

 

16. Remember LS/MFT _____ ______ /_____ ____ _______.

 

17. Hey Kids!  What time is it? It's _____ _____ ____!

 

18. Who knows what secrets lie in the hearts of men? Only The ______ Knows!

 

19. There was a song that came out in the 60's that was "a grave yard smash. Its name was the _______ ____!

 

20.  Alka Seltzer used a "boy with a tablet on his head" as its Logo/Representative. The boy's name was ______.

 

ANSWERS:

 

01.  The Lone Ranger left behind... A silver bullet

 02. The Ed Sullivan Show

 03. On Route 66 

04. To protect the innocent

 05. The Lion Sleeps Tonight

 06. The limbo

 07.  Chocolate

 08.  Louis Armstrong

 09.  The Timex Watch

 10. Freddy, The Freeloader and 'Good Night and God Bless.'

 11. Draft Cards (Bras were also burned. Not flags, as some have guessed)

 12. Beetle or Bug

 13. Buddy Holly

 14. Sputnik

 15.  Hoola-hoop

 16.  Lucky Strike/Means Fine Tobacco

 17.  Howdy Doody Time

 18. Shadow

 19. Monster Mash

 20. Speedy

 

 P.S. Send this to your 'older' friends (better known as Seniors) and let me know how you do.

 

Contact Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox by email bchatty@bettykaiser.com