“Memorial Day – Celebrate Our Heroes and She-roes”
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” (Ambrose Redmoon)
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“There was nothing macho about the war at all. We were a bunch of scared kids who had a job to do.” (E. R. Sledge, WWII, Pacific)
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“Have you ever stopped to ponder the amount of blood spilt, the volume of tears shed, the degree of pain and anguish endured, the number of noble men and women lost in battle so that we as individuals might have a say in governing our country? Honor the lives sacrificed for your freedoms.” (Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway: Quotes, Verse, & Grumblings for Every Day of the Year)
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“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived.” (General George S. Patton)
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“Perform, then, this one act of remembrance before this Day passes – Remember there is an army of defense and advance that never dies and never surrenders, but is increasingly recruited from the eternal sources of the American spirit and from the generations of American youth.” (W.J. Cameron)
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“I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day (Memorial Day). I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did.” (Benjamin Harrison)
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“Dear Kylie, my old head can’t hold too much anymore but, today, a whole lot came flooding back into it. You might remember this afternoon as just another Saturday at Opa’s farmhouse. It wasn’t. I’ve never liked the word ‘souvenirs’, but I guess that’s what they are. Shards of memory, shrapnel. You take them to help you remember. What you don’t count on is they don’t let you forget. Pain. Happiness. Friendship. Death. Smells of diesel and dead animals. Eating meals within arm’s length of corpses. Men you laughed with a day before. People wonder if leaders are born or made. All I know is, you can see it in a man’s eyes. Problem is, leaders end up where they’re needed most. And eventually, that’s war. You’re special Kylie. I hope you know that. I always have. But I need you to stay strong. People look to guys like us to make decisions. If you do wear the uniform one day, remember something, when you put it on, you don’t get to choose the war or what happens when you get there. There’s no right or wrong in combat. Here’s only what you did. You do your best, and you try to live with it. Some day they’ll take me off this porch for good. When that happens, what’s left that matters? Photographs, letters, empty clothes? No. It’s the stories behind them, those are what matter. Stories live forever, but only if you tell them. I may sound like I’ve known this a long time. I didn’t know it until today. I just wanted to say thank you for teaching me that. It was one hell of a souvenir.” (Memorial Day movie)
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“Lieutenant Bud Vogel: [letter to parents] Although it’s a danger we all willingly face, so each soldier wishes to meet his end on the field of battle. Yet offered two paths, he would gladly choose death in the name of justice on the last day before victory, over life in the grip of tyranny. Your son could not choose his time to die, but rest assured on his life, he chose to serve the cause of justice. Justice will prevail.” (Memorial Day movie)
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“How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!” (Maya Angelou)
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Catalyst Quotes 