Thursday, May 27, 2010

My Town Shoot Out - Memorial Day

Memorial Day is the choice this week from the TownBlogger Team. "Every town has a hero. From the past, in the here and now, or someone we know will make us proud in the future.
If out of ideas it always helps me to look up the definition of related words – so here is a list of definitions gotten from an online search -
Definitions of Hero on the Web:
a man (or woman) distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength;
the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
champion: someone who fights for a cause
(classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god
bomber: a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States
Or heroism – heroic
heroic - epic: very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale); "an epic voyage"; "of heroic proportions"; "heroic ...
heroic - relating to or characteristic of heroes of antiquity; "heroic legends"; "the heroic age"
heroic - having or displaying qualities appropriate for heroes;
heroic - expansive: of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope; "an expansive lifestyle"; "in the grand manner"; "collecting on a grand scale"; "heroic undertakings"
heroic verse: a verse form suited to the treatment of heroic or elevated themes; dactylic hexameter or iambic pentameter
heroic - desperate: showing extreme courage; especially of actions courageously undertaken in desperation as a last resort;
This topic might not lend itself to photos but I look forward to all of your takes on the topic and the stories of heroes from each of your towns."
I encourage you to go and see everyone's contributions here or here.

I happen to think this topic does lend itself to photos. Here in Dublin, we have a Memorial Day Celebration to honor the people who have given their lives in service to our country. We also honor curretly serving and retired military personnel. With an Army base in town, we all have friends and neighbors who are involved to some degree.

This year, The Oldest signed up to sing in the School District Elementary Choir, and their performance at the Memorial Day celebration was really great. There were speeches by our esteemed Mayor, Tim Sbranti:
Our School District Superintendent, Stephan Hanke:
And The Choir Director Irene Fong:
There was the presentation of the Color Guard from base:
The Leading out of the family members of fallen soldiers.
The Oldest was especially proud to lead the Marines:
There was singing, of course:
Because The Oldest has a loud and clear speaking voice, he had the honor of reading all of the Presidentioal quotes:
While The Youngest only wanted to play with a friend in the last light of day:
I hope you take the time this weekend to remember those who have fought to ensure we live in freedom.
One last image from the series for Sacred Ground:
Enjoy your weekend.

10 comments:

Barry said...

A wonderful and moving post, J9. Perhaps heroism lives in the spirit of a community.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

My heart was in awe when I went to Arlington.

Great that your school also commerated his day. I believe it is important for children to be told.

Pauline said...

Lovely tribute, J9.
You must be very proud of your own little hero!

NanU said...

That last shot is so beautiful, J9. Lovely tribute.

Sue McPeak said...

Thank you for sharing this Tribute Post. Every photo honors your community and the people who participated. Congratulations on your own families patriotic contributions. It's so nice to see that patriotism alive and well in America today. Your last photo was amazing.

Unknown said...

moving post J9. must be a fun time to take part in and to just be there watching also. I can feel the swelling of pride.

Cheryl said...

I love how your town celebrated Memorial Day. Wonderful shots.

Suburban Girl said...

I love seeing all this patriotism! And their shirts with the flag.

Jama said...

A very moving post, I enjoy your photos very much.

aurbie said...

Excellent post, J9. I have been missing you. I picked a good day to visit.