the sparkling old dude wishes all a happy Memorial Day

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022899703

Oh my.

For once, the sparkling old dude's right, and it takes no pain to admit it.

Stinky The Clown (51,333 posts)   Sat May 25, 2013, 10:02 AM

"Happy" Memorial Day

(My annual rant. Thanks for reading it if you choose. No problem if you don't.)
 
"Happy" Memorial Day

Does that grate on anyone else's nerves as it does on mine?

Memorial Day is a day to think about people who died in our wars. Memorial Day was conceived as solemn. The car dealers and furniture stores, resorts and rug merchants made it into something festive. Falling as it does in late Spring, it is also the "unofficial start of Summer."
 
Our local news was yammering about traffic heading to the beach. The Bridge was experiencing slower than normal traffic due some lane closure or other. Hours long backups. The national news is talking about similar issues, but obviously not our local traffic. Not a memorial in sight.
 
This day is to reflect on one significant aspect of war: Dead People. Mostly young people just entering the prime of their lives. People who, in serving this country, had their lives ended. Often violently.
 
That's what this day is about.

Not hamburgers on the grill or play shovels and pails at the beach.

This image seems to be at least one that is appropriate.

after which photograph of the Vietnam Memorial Wall

Thanks for listening. Here is the Clown, ca 1968. I feel eternally grateful that Memorial Day isn't about me. I never got near a bullet fired or a bomb dropped with the specific intent to kill me:

after which photograph of the sparkling old dude when he was the sparkling young dude

And then follows a discussion on the boat on which the sparkling old dude served, protecting the little lad franksolich circa 1965-1967.

I thought it was the U.S.S. Adroit, a mine-layer, but he says it was the U.S.S. Pandemus, a mine-sweeper.

I goofed somewhere, but I dunno how.

<<<not perfect.

Siwsan (1,830 posts)    Sat May 25, 2013, 10:29 AM

3. Memorial Day was always treated with solemn respect, in our family

We have been fortunate to have not lost anyone, physically, to any recent war, and my family has served in the military, pretty much every generation, since the 1700s. But, neither of my uncles who served in active combat during the 2nd world war came back the same as when they left and both died far earlier than the siblings who were non-combat veterans or non-military. The few details they would talk about were so horrible, I can't begin to imagine the experiences they kept to themselves.

cherokeeprogressive (14,980 posts)   Sat May 25, 2013, 10:36 AM

4. While I understand the post, I've never heard anyone wish another person Happy Memorial Day.

Stinky The Clown (51,333 posts)    Sat May 25, 2013, 10:53 AM

6. Have you no well meaning friends who wished you a happy holiday weekend this week?

Virtually every client I spoke to wished me one. All very well meaning and I, in being polite, wished them one in return. <---just a single example
 
Have you not heard your teevee noozreaders wishing the viewers a fun holiday weekend? <---just a single example
 
I hear it everywhere. <---illustratively hyperbolic

You must be so very fortunate not to hear it.

CrispyQ (16,065 posts)   Sat May 25, 2013, 11:33 AM

8. Memorial Day Weekend has been commercialized to be the kick-off to summer.

Labor Day Weekend is the end of summer.

You can feel it in the air, on a Friday before a three day weekend, especially in nice weather. I swear you can. There is a sizzling energy all about. I don't remember that so much when I was young. Of course, we hadn't moved most of the holidays to Monday back then, either. Not sure if that has anything to do with it, but it seems to have taken the holiday & packaged it up with the weekend & now the weekend is the focus, not the holiday.
 
If "The Fourth of July" were more commonly called "Independence Day," it would be moved to a Monday, too.
 
There must be as much opportunity as possible, for profit to be made on holidays.
 
"I feel eternally grateful that Memorial Day isn't about me." Us, too.

[franksolich]

Uh, announcement, as I thought of something.

Don't anybody bring over that photograph of the sparkling old dude as the sparkling young dude, out of respect for his service.  Don't post it here.

And besides, he'll go bawling to photobucket or wherever one has it.

Just take franksolich's word that the sparkling old dude was once a good-looking sparkling young dude, if Italianate features are what turns one on.  In my personal opinion, when it comes to aesthetics, he was certainly good-looking enough to bag some wife better than the one he did.

And, yes, apparently he was smoking big cigars back in his early 20s.  

[USA4ME]

Siwsan

Memorial Day was always treated with solemn respect, in our family

Either your family was conservative or you're a liar.  There are no other options.

.

[franksolich]

More.

mopinko (39,668 posts)    Sat May 25, 2013, 11:28 AM

7. makes me nuts, too.

and if you say anything, you will get an answer that will make you twice as nuts.

i'm thinking maybe the proper response is to make the sign of the cross and bow your head. (said the devout atheist)

^^^said the hypochondrial primitive, too.

monmouth3 (1,088 posts)    Sat May 25, 2013, 01:20 PM

12. Well, hello Sailor!......

Skittles (86,370 posts)    Sat May 25, 2013, 10:39 PM

14. I gotta tell you

Stinky rivals the best of the sailors I used to fraternize with at Great Lakes Naval station when I was in high school; yes INDEED

Stinky The Clown (51,335 posts)    Sun May 26, 2013, 12:24 AM

15. I went to boot camp at Great Lakes.

Colder than a well digger's ass!

I went from there in January to walking guard duty guarding absolutely NOTHING at Newport, RI, for A school. The wind whipping in off Naraganset Bay was just about as bad as any cold wind off Lake Michigan.
 
The only good part of any of that was the fact that Newport was only a coupe of hours from home. I got home every weekend except my duty weekends.

Nye Bevan (10,901 posts)    Sun May 26, 2013, 12:29 AM

16. Never, ever in my life have I heard anyone say "Happy Memorial Day".

"Happy Easter"? Yes.
"Happy Good Friday"? Never.
"Happy Thanksgiving"? Absolutely.
"Happy Washington's Birthday"? Never.
"Happy Martin Luther King's Birthday"? Never.
"Happy Memorial Day"? Also never.

Could it be a regional thing?

[Ballygrl]

The "Happy" part bugs me a little bit too, but I'm not going to argue over it.

BTW, yesterday when I was out I saw someone who had a Maryland license plate, it was gorgeous, it had the American Flag on it, and I thought WOW! the people of Maryland allow this? but I went to look at the Maryland website and it looks like people have a choice of backgrounds.

[Tess Anderson]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10022904697

Sun May 26, 2013, 02:54 PM

 CaliforniaPeggy (104,040 posts)


Happy Memorial Day...

whoops

[freedumb2003b]

I like to wish my Jewish friends a "Happy Yom Kippur" when it rolls around...

[DefiantSix]

I like to wish my Jewish friends a "Happy Yom Kippur" when it rolls around...

I wonder if StinkDude would get his panties in a bunch, were I to wish a Happy Yom Kippur to the MooseLimb neighbors of all your Jewish friends when the time comes...
 

[Ralph Wiggum]

I wonder if StinkDude would get his panties in a bunch, were I to wish a Happy Yom Kippur to the MooseLimb neighbors of all your Jewish friends when the time comes...
 

DUmmies get pissed about everything, so it wouldn't shock me.

[Airwolf]

Someone must not pay a lot of attention when the Memorial Weekend rolls around or he's an idiot. More then likely he's both

[I_B_Perky]

Stinky The Clown (51,333 posts)   Sat May 25, 2013, 10:02 AM

"Happy" Memorial Day

(My annual rant. Thanks for reading it if you choose. No problem if you don't.)
 
"Happy" Memorial Day

Does that grate on anyone else's nerves as it does on mine?

Memorial Day is a day to think about people who died in our wars. Memorial Day was conceived as solemn. The car dealers and furniture stores, resorts and rug merchants made it into something festive. Falling as it does in late Spring, it is also the "unofficial start of Summer."
 
Our local news was yammering about traffic heading to the beach. The Bridge was experiencing slower than normal traffic due some lane closure or other. Hours long backups. The national news is talking about similar issues, but obviously not our local traffic. Not a memorial in sight.
 
This day is to reflect on one significant aspect of war: Dead People. Mostly young people just entering the prime of their lives. People who, in serving this country, had their lives ended. Often violently.
 
That's what this day is about.

Not hamburgers on the grill or play shovels and pails at the beach.

This image seems to be at least one that is appropriate.

after which photograph of the Vietnam Memorial Wall

Thanks for listening. Here is the Clown, ca 1968. I feel eternally grateful that Memorial Day isn't about me. I never got near a bullet fired or a bomb dropped with the specific intent to kill me:

Well dummie... thank you for your service. Now FOAD. You support everything against what you went to defend. What many men and women died to defend. That thing is freedom. FOAD Stinky. I have zero respect for you.   

[Wineslob]

Huh, I've NEVER had anyone wish me a "Happy Memorial Day". I have, however, seen that even in Liberal hell holes, such as Oakland, IE: the Giants vs A's game, that people stood up, teared up and sang GOD BLESS AMERICA.




 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Huh, I've NEVER had anyone wish me a "Happy Memorial Day". I have, however, seen that even in Liberal hell holes, such as Oakland, IE: the Giants vs A's game, that people stood up, teared up and sang GOD BLESS AMERICA.




 

I generally say things to friends like "have a good/fun holiday weekend".  Not ignoring the meaning of Memorial Day itself, but everyone appreciates having an extra day off.

[AprilRazz]

This is what Memorial Day is all about.

***Warning! A little bit of a long read and it will cause your "Allergies" to act up.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/special-reports/final-salute/

[GOBUCKS]

I have, however, seen that even in Liberal hell holes, such as Oakland, IE: the Giants vs A's game, that people stood up, teared up and sang GOD BLESS AMERICA.

Tourists.

[Wineslob]

Tourists.