Memorial Day, the day we honor those who gave all

Thank you to all who have served.

Memorial Day is to honor and remember those who gave their lives in service of our country. For my family, as with others, we remember with reverence our past family members and all the others would gave that ultimate sacrifice...

To my father and uncle who both served in WWII and to all of the vets who served in all of our wars.

Remembering those that gave all for our freedom.

Images like this... very emotional, powerful. R.I.P. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines... and Thank You!

May we never forget the fallen.

Here is just one of so many Congressional Medal of Honor Citations.

*REESE, JAMES W.
Rank and organization. Private, U.S. Army, 26th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date. At Mt. Vassillio, Sicily, 5 August 1943. Entered service at: Chester, Pa. Birth: Chester, Pa. G.O. No.: 85, 17 December 1943. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life. above and beyond the call of duty in action involving actual conflict with the enemy. When the enemy launched a counterattack which threatened the position of his company, Pvt. Reese, as the acting squad leader of a 60-mm. mortar squad, displaying superior leadership on his own initiative, maneuvered his squad forward to a favorable position, from which, by skillfully directing the fire of his weapon, he caused many casualties in the enemy ranks, and aided materially in repulsing the counterattack. When the enemy fire became so severe as to make his position untenable, he ordered the other members of his squad to withdraw to a safer position, but declined to seek safety for himself. So as to bring more effective fire upon the enemy, Pvt. Reese, without assistance, moved his mortar to a new position and attacked an enemy machinegun nest. He had only 3 rounds of ammunition but secured a direct hit with his last round, completely destroying the nest and killing the occupants. Ammunition being exhausted, he abandoned the mortar. seized a rifle and continued to advance, moving into an exposed position overlooking the enemy. Despite a heavy concentration of machinegun, mortar, and artillery fire, the heaviest experienced by his unit throughout the entire Sicilian campaign, he remained at this position and continued to inflict casualties upon the enemy until he was killed. His bravery, coupled with his gallant and unswerving determination to close with the enemy, regardless of consequences and obstacles which he faced, are a priceless inspiration to our armed forces.

PSOVLSK wrote: »

The Omaha Beach scene in Saving Private Ryan has always been one that helped me to understand what the soldiers went through. I try to watch it every Memorial Day to get my mind right with what the day is all about.

Here’s a helpful little public service announcement for all of us:
https://abc17news.com/news/national-world/2021/05/30/get-it-straight-the-difference-between-memorial-day-and-veterans-day/

Good PSA. It used to bother me how many people did not understand the difference.

Now days, I share a few of the MOH citations in the hopes that some will appreciate what some have done.

I feel that when you say thier names and read thier Citation you are honoring thier memory and ensure they are not forgotten.

Special thanks to all those who served .................

A special thanks to Robert Frantz a great young man I had the pleasure of working with and mentoring before he enlisted to better his life..

You will never be forgotten my friend......


a teen with a abusive past.....no real family, on his own very early in life...we had him in a spare room for 6 months so he save a little....was there with him when e signed up...the "greatest day in my life" planned to really turn his life for the positive...wanted to go into law enforcement...enlisted to serve his country..give his daughter the life he didnt have..........now excuse me while I wipe the tears from my keyboard....

still and always will shed tears for this wonderful solider




San Antonio soldier killed in Iraq grenade attack

Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO — From Operation Iraqi Freedom, a Central Texas soldier told of his nights spent in the charred remains of one of Saddam Husseins palaces and days spent guarding the Central Bank of Baghdad.

To Robert L. Frantzs family, it appeared the 19-year-old high school dropout with a 2-year-old daughter and plans to marry had matured quickly since joining the Army and then going overseas for the war in Iraq.

He wanted his daughter to be proud of him, said his stepfather, Vincent Smith, a Lackland Air Force Base firefighter. He grew into a man strictly overnight, by joining the Army. He was a little scared, but excited. He knew he was going to do good things.

But Frantz died June 17 as a result of a grenade attack the previous night, according to Phil Reidinger, a spokesman for Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio.

Frantz, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry, was hit with shrapnel while he was standing guard duty. An unknown assailant threw the grenade over a wall in the Iraqi capital.

For the San Antonio native who joined the Army 10 months ago and his family,this was supposed to be a happy week on the heels of the Spurs NBA championship, said Frantzs mother, Kim Smith.

Instead, the family spent the day coping with the death of Frantz, an Army private first class.

We thought the war was over, his mother told the San Antonio Express-News. I told him, Be careful. Watch your back. But I had no thoughts that there would be this.

Frantz was about 4 when his father died. His family moved a short time later from Michigan to San Antonio, where he attended elementary and middle school. He attended Marshall High School, then withdrew and earned a General Educational Development diploma.

Later while waiting tables at an International House of Pancakes, Frantz met the woman he would eventually makes plans with to marry, Ana Perez.

His daughter, Shannon, 2, is in the custody of her mother, who lives in San Antonio and has remained close to Frantzs family.

Frantz also had a 22-year-old sister, Heather Frantz, and a stepsister, stepbrother and a 3-year-old brother, who is too young to understand the tragedy.
Hes been telling us, Dont be sad, Robbys coming home, Vincent Smith said.

Died:
June 17, 2003

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month that is veterans Day the end of world war I.

That is they way it was taught to us all through school, who knows how they teach it now. Many seem to leave school with no appreciation of the holidays both memorial day or veterans day.

May God rest The souls of all those that gave the ultimate sacrifice so I could be free to state my thoughts and opinions on many platforms.

Very good post, I just finished reading Joseph Wheelan's book Midnight in the Pacific which is about the Guadalcanal campaign and the Sullivan brothers are mentioned. As a result of this tragic event the Navy changed its policy and siblings were not posted to the same ship again


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