THE FOUNDATION

“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” –Nathan Hale

INSIGHT

“To be a soldier or descended from soldiers, in time of peace to be ready to give one’s life rather than suffer disgrace, that is what the word has meant; and if we try to claim it at less cost than a splendid carelessness for life, we are trying to steal the good will without the responsibilities of the place.” –Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1895)

ICTUS IMPRIMIS

“Peace is more important than all justice; and peace was not made for the sake of justice, but justice for the sake of peace.” –Martin Luther

FAMILY

“By profession I am a soldier and take great pride in that fact, but I am prouder, infinitely prouder, to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentialities of death; the other embodies creations and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still.” –General Douglas MacArthur

CULTURE

“Democracy without tradition is like a man without memory. Just as the man will continually scald himself because he cannot remember what is hot, societies will get burned by losing their confidence in eternal truths. Tradition is actually more like instinct than memory, because we don’t always know why we have our instincts but we know to trust them. Lessons get passed down from one generation to another even if we don’t remember exactly how we learned them. We don’t necessarily remember all of the reasons it makes sense to execute murderers but we know in our bones there are a lots of good reasons. A society that turns its back on tradition is more condemned to repeat senseless mistakes than a society that turns its back on history. The study of history can lead people to draw stupid conclusions. Tradition, however, invariably has more than a little merit to it because it is based upon lessons successfully learned.” –Jonah Goldberg

LIBERTY

“Across our great land, thousands of American flags, proudly waving, mark the final resting place of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen and merchant mariners who had their lives cut short so that we may live freely and enjoy the blessings of liberty. Memorial Day is the one day of the year that we set aside to remember and honor our country’s patriots, yet we owe them a debt of gratitude, every day of every year. This Memorial Day finds our Nation at war – a war we did not seek, but one we will decisively win. However, our victory will not come without its costs. Once again, we are witnesses to America’s sons and daughters being brought home, solemnly and respectfully, in flag-draped coffins. They join those who lost their lives in the attacks of September 11, 2001. We are deeply saddened by their deaths, but eternally grateful for their sacrifice. It remains our challenge to do our very best to remain true to the principles and beliefs in which they so fervently believed and which they so valiantly fought to preserve. Their loved ones who carry on remain in our thoughts and prayers. The Joint Chiefs of Staff and I join every American this Memorial Day, to pause and reflect upon the sacrifices made by so many of our fellow citizens in times of war and conflict throughout our Nation’s history. We also salute the dedicated men and women of today’s Armed Forces, whether defending our homeland or serving around the world. They are preserving and adding to this noble legacy.” –Gen. Richard B. Myers, USAF, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

THE GIPPER

“It is, in a way, an odd thing to honor those who died in defense of our country, in defense of us, in wars afar away. The imagination plays a trick. We see these soldiers in our mind as old and wise. We see them as something like the Founding Fathers, grave and gray-haired. But most of them were boys when they died, and they gave up two lives, the one they were living and the one they would have lived. When they died, they gave up their chance to be husbands and fathers and grandfathers. They gave up their chance to be revered old men. They gave up everything for our country, for us. And all we can do is remember.” –Ronald Reagan

OPINION IN BRIEF

“The real world requires difficult moral choices. But try as we might, we cannot avoid making them. We should choose to side with those who support our values, however imperfectly, and against those who violently oppose our values. The real world is a dangerous place filled with dangerous people. Severe myopia can be a fatal handicap. Mr. Magoo makes an amusing cartoon character but a poor role model and a lousy statesman. We have eyes with which to see the evildoers in the world. We have ears to hear the cries of those who suffer under tyranny. It is our duty to use them. Otherwise, we are foolish people, and without understanding.” –David C. Stolinsky

EDITORIAL EXEGESIS

“This war will not be short, pleasant, or easy. It has already required the sacrifice of our firefighters, our policemen, our soldiers, our Sailors, our airmen, and our Marines. More sacrifices will be made. In the end we will win, precisely because we are those things that the terrorists hate – prosperous, happy, tolerant, and most of all, free. Those Americans who wish they could be here with us are, in fact, here with us in spirit. Never before in American history has our nation been so completely unified and resolute in purpose. They are cheering us on, praying for our safety and our success. Our families are behind us 100%. We will not let them down. We are, and will be, men and women of honor, courage, and commitment. Abraham Lincoln said ‘America is the last, best hope for the world.’ Tonight we hold a shining beacon of that hope. We shall keep it burning brightly. Stay sharp. Stay focused. Stay safe. Use the training that has made you the best Sailors in the world. Trust in your faith, and in your shipmates. God bless us all, and God bless America.” –Captain Ron Howard of the USS John F. Kennedy (CV67), shortly before the JFK launched her first strikes into Afghanistan on March 10th.

AT ARMS

Marching to Victory

They stormed the beaches of Normandy,
They fought the battle of Wake.
They were the doughboys of the Great War,
They wore the Blue and the Grey.
They were at Valley Forge with George Washington,
They remembered the Maine and the Alamo.
They fought in the air, ground and over the waters,
They were in Da Nang, Kuwait and Korea.
They fought for the stars and bars and for a fact much dear,
That you and I could sleep at night with nothing to fear.
When the soldiers the battle fought,
Peace remained the goal most frequently sought.
So let the scars of war be gone and when the bugler plays,
Let the old warrior go home and not beg him to stay.
Let us their valor salute and memory remain clear,
For these are the ones who loved us all far and near.
Victory is at hand for the soldier’s last stand,
For death cannot capture the real man.

By B.J. Cassady

RE: THE LEFT

“Siding with tyrants in the name of peace is a recipe for disaster. Empowering of murderers for the sake of human rights is a guarantee of further bloodshed. And the inability to distinguish right from wrong is a prelude to our own destruction.” –Lowell Phillips

POLITICAL FUTURES

“We’re in a fight for the survival of this nation. We’ve tolerated every kook who has wanted to burn our flag, curse our leaders, run down our values, sully our virtues, blaspheme the God a majority worship to protect the rights and sensitivities of the minority who don’t, failed to teach American history because some are offended by it, accepted pornography and trash TV because it’s supposedly the price we pay for a ‘healthy’ First Amendment, protected criminals more than the law-abiding, treated the Bible like contraband in schools and wonder why people rebel against any ‘commandments,’ and taxed our productive citizens to subsidize the unproductive. Too many young people know more about sex than about math, science and history. We refuse to promote marriage and produce babies out of wedlock as if we were biological beings without souls. Our military might is unquestioned. Our moral strength has ebbed like Samson following that haircut from Delilah. Our enemies have used our best character qualities against us – tolerance, inclusion, forgiveness and pluralism. They believe in none of these concepts and think anyone who does is an enemy of their god. Can we win this war without playing by their rules? Americans are unlikely to tolerate the suicide bombings Israelis have had to endure with increasing frequency. Our political leadership must choose a response to many possible scenarios. Should another terrorist attack occur, we’d better be prepared to strike at home and abroad without warning, without hesitation and with the full force of American military, political and moral might. Are we ready to do this? Could someone in authority please answer these questions? ” –Cal Thomas

FOR THE RECORD

“The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit. … If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us. Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from dishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.” –General John A. Logan’s Memorial Day Order, Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic, General Orders No.11, Washington, D.C., May 5, 1868

(This proclamation is recognized as the first official commemoration of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day – although similar ceremonies and remembrances had been practiced in years just prior. Waterloo, New York, held such events on May 5, 1866 and again on May 5, 1867, and in 1966 was declared the official birthplace of Memorial Day. Congress set the day as a national holiday in 1971.)

THE LAST WORD

Many communities will end the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. today by playing Taps. From a friend at the USMA, West Point, comes this brief history of Taps: In July 1862, after the Seven Days battles at Harrison’s Landing (near Richmond), Virginia, the wounded Commander of the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, V Army Corps, Army of the Potomac, General Daniel Butterfield reworked, with his bugler Oliver Wilcox Norton, another bugle call, “Scott Tattoo,” to create Taps. He thought that the regular call for Lights Out was too formal. The custom, thus originated, was taken up throughout the Army of the Potomac and finally confirmed by orders. Soon other Union units began using Taps, and even a few Confederate units began using it as well. After the war, Taps became an official bugle call. Col. James A. Moss, in his Officer’s Manual first published in 1911, gives an account of the initial use of Taps at a military funeral: “During the Peninsular Campaign in 1862, a soldier of Tidball’s Battery A of the 2nd Artillery was buried at a time when the battery occupied an advanced position concealed in the woods. It was unsafe to fire the customary three volleys over the grave, on account of the proximity of the enemy, and it occurred to Capt. Tidball that the sounding of Taps would be the most appropriate ceremony that could be substituted.”