BamaTexan Loc: Deep in the heart of Texas

Far too many Americans will go to the lake, cook out, drink beer and have a long weekend and never give a thought to the reason for this day. My aunt Cora and uncle Joe did not do those things from 1942 until the day they died. Their son Norman, my first cousin, was at Bataan and he did not finish the infamous "death march". His body was never recovered. My aunt Cora said I resembled Norman and every time I visited her and uncle Joe, she would excuse herself and go into another room for several minutes and return red eyed. This always broke my heart. I was a little over one year old when he was lost but I remember some time later, maybe three years or so when the family was formally notified that he had died somewhere on Luzon. All the grown people were crying and it took a few years for me to fully realize who he was and the impact on the family. This same scenario was played out thousands and thousands of times during World War II. I grew up and have had a wonderful life due to all the men and women who died to preserve our way of life so this weekend, I will have a cold beer this weekend and salute Norman and the hundreds of thousands who made the final sacrifice. Many years later I had the privilege of serving in the U.S. Navy aboard three different ships which were built and saw duty in that conflict and I burst with pride to have done so. I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial day and remember what it means.

Chuck

Materman

Bravo!

SS319

Fair winds and following seas.

In '64, I also served on a boat that served during the war under an old chief that had a submarine war pin with nine patrol stars. I will forego the beer, but I too will stand and salute this weekend, and will skip the sales and the BBQ.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

Thank you for your service Chuck and the touching story of the patriots in your family.
Have a wonderful Memorial Day, and tomorrow afternoon I too shall toast, with an ice cold Budweiser all of those who have fallen and served defending the greatest country on earth.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

I am in total agreement with what you have just said.

Wrangler Loc: North Texas

Please don't forget the heroic families who sent their sons and daughters off to war. I have often thought that it would be more difficult to send my son or daughter than to go myself. It must be very difficult to hear that dreadful knock on the door.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose a child to war (or any other way). My mother came from a large family and had 9 brothers in WW2 at one time, and amazingly, they all came home. For our father's generation, service was a given, and for many of my generation, it is was as well. I will be thinking of all of them and those that did not return tomorrow, and our county's flag will be flying in front of my house as I drink a toast to their dedication and bravery. If it were not for them, our world would be very different today, and not for the better.

Wrangler Loc: North Texas

kschwegl Loc: Orangeburg, NY

Thank you.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Very well said Chuck! Many people mix up Memorial day with Veteran's day, and as a veteran myself I know they have good intentions, but today is when we remember and pay tribute to those who did not make it back from the war(there are many of them). We must never forget the sacrifices they made(and their families continue to make for the rest of their lives).Unfortunately, this is not being taught to our youth in school anymore! When I was a kid Memorial Day was arguably one of the biggest holidays of the year.

Sirsnapalot Loc: Hammond, Louisiana

May God bless the families that gave so much for the freedom we all enjoy today, especially all those aunt Cora's and uncle Joe's who paid the greatest price! Yet some still choose to knock this land of the free, it may not be a perfect place but it's still the greatest country on earth, thanks to all of the cousin Norman's we honor today!

richosob Loc: Lambertville, MI

Amen, and thank you for your service.

Rich

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

It is hard to imagine the magnitude of the losses and the impacts of those losses from WWI and WWII. All of the parents who lost children... My father survived WWII but lost his two brothers. One was lost at sea when his ship was sunk by the Japanese and the other died in a training accident as he was learning to fly. My father described a very intense, short training program as he was taught to fly. He flew P-51's and P-38's. Seeing video of these very fast planes and their controls, that is a very impressive feat. My father never really spoke much about the war, and never went to the VFW or met with other veterans - always said that the war was not something he wanted to re-live and think a lot about. Never bragged or made a big deal about what he did - never even wanted to fly a plane again - just said it was something that had to be done at the time.

samantha90 Loc: Fort Worth,Texas

Thank you for your service Chuck and for the reminder of what this day is all about.