[antimedia] antimedia: Today is Memorial Day....

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Posted by antimedia:
Today is Memorial Day....
http://www.antimedia.us/posts/1180384435.shtml


   ....the day that America remembers her fallen, those men and woman who
   have selflessly given their lives in the cause of freedom -- from the
   beginnings of our country to the present day. It is a day for
   reflection not recrimination, a day for mourning not politics, a day
   for thinking about what makes America great.
   The men and women of this country who have given their lives in the
   cause of freedom are not supermen or a special genetic class gifted
   with a super gene of courage. They are and were ordinary Americans,
   from every walk of life, who, when confronted with terrifying options,
   chose to risk their lives in the service of their country and to save
   and protect their fellow warriors.
   Many Americans live selfless lives of sacrifice, toiling away in
   anonymity, building this country brick by brick, story by story.
   America's heroes are their inspiration, their hope. Their stories, and
   the greatness of this country that those stories represent, are what
   drives others to work long hours and sacrifice for their families.
   When you read [1]the stories of Medal Of Honor recipients (they are
   not winners!), you are struck by the similarity of their stories.
   Without regard for their personal safety and fully aware of the
   extreme danger which they were encountering, they pressed forward
   toward a goal; taking a ridge, saving a buddy, destroying the enemy,
   defending their position.
   From [2]the famous, and even [3]legendary, to [4]the unknown and
   [5]the almost forgotten, from [6]youngsters who lied to enlist to
   [7]aged warriors fighting in their n^th conflict, from [8]the
   dispossessed to [9]the disenfranchised, these men and [10]women
   exemplified the best of America; the willingness to take on
   insurmountable odds, the refusal to accept defeat under the worst of
   circumstances, the indomitable spirit that built this great country
   and sustains it still.
   All of these are values we, as Americans, should not only celebrate
   but strive to emulate. When we refuse to celebrate the lives and
   sacrifices of these men and women, when we allow others to denigrate
   them and insult them, when we ignore them and don't think about what
   their lives mean to us personally, we cheapen America. Bit by bit,
   piece by piece, we chip away at the edifice these men and women fought
   to defend.
   Abraham Lincoln, who himself gave his life for this country, once
   said, "Any nation that does not honor its heroes will not long
   endure." His words, spoken more than a century ago, are more important
   now than at any time in our history.
   This nation cannot long survive if it continues to forget what, and
   who, made it great.

References

   1. http://www.medalofhonor.com/
   2. http://www.medalofhonor.com/MedalOfHonorAudieLMurphy.htm
   3. http://www.medalofhonor.com/BuffaloBill.htm
   4. http://www.medalofhonor.com/WilliamThompson.htm
   5. http://www.medalofhonor.com/FreddieStowers.htm
   6. http://www.medalofhonor.com/JulianScott.htm
   7. http://www.medalofhonor.com/GeorgeDay.htm
   8. http://www.medalofhonor.com/MitchellRedCloud.htm
   9. http://www.medalofhonor.com/ColoredTroopsCivilWar.htm
  10. http://www.medalofhonor.com/TheOnlyWoman.htm