Memorial Day

[TwylaTwobits]

MEMORIAL DAY


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image001.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image003.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image004.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image007.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image009.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image010.gif

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image012.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image014.jpg

It is the
VETERAN,
not the preacher,
who has given us freedom of religion.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the reporter,
who has given us freedom of the press.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the poet,
who has given us freedom of speech.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the campus organizer,
who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is
the VETERAN,
not the lawyer,
who has given us the right to a fair trial.



It is
the VETERAN,
not the politician,
Who has given us the right to vote.


It is the
VETERAN who
salutes the Flag,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image017.jpg

It is
the
VETERAN
who serves
under the Flag,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v702/KitRawlings/Memorial%20Day/clip_image019.jpg


Please remember this Memorial Day, that the right we have to protest war is a right that is bought and paid for with someone's blood. Pacifist or activist, the soldier defends your right to defame them. Take a moment to breathe a word of thanks for all the men and women who paid the ultimate price. Freedom is never free.

[Long Duck Dong]

I served in the nz forces...... and more than just a understanding of military strategies and codes, it also gave me a understanding of people that think that war is stupid and unneeded.....

now I walk both sides, I support the vets and I understand that a good many lives are lost cos of unneeded conflicts...... and I watch many people protest war and say they are pacifists......

I say, join the police force..... they are fighting a war for your freedom to walk down the road in peace and safety...... they are fighting a war to give you your rights and freedom.... they are fighting to keep you safe in your own country....... and the military are fighting for you to be safe in your own country...... and then I say to the pacifists what war are you truly against... the one you do not want to happen or do not agree with or the one that you choose to ignore, that is happening outside your own doorstep.....

and then I will say to the pacifists, go join the fire fighters that risk life and limb, fighting fires in bush and homes, to save lives, to save houses and homes, pets and jobs, that bury their fellow fire fighters with honor.....
and I will ask the pacifists why they are not there in the heat of battle against the flames, the insane heat, the embers......

I am a vet now, I am a person that suffers from PTSD, I am a person that suffers from nightmares, I am a person that will never be the same.....
but I am also the person that will step up during a civil emergency such as flooding and earthquakes, natural disasters.......

mock wars if you must,....dear pacifists..... but honour those that have fallen in the police, the fire fighters, the paramedics and the countless others that fight a war at home too...... for they are no less important than the solider that fought a war overseas.....

many countries are rife with the history of blood sweat and tears of the vets..... yet no country was ever defended successfully by the protests of pacifists .........

lest we forget those whom gave us the freedom to forget what they give for our rights, freedom and ability to think that we know better than the vets.....

may history never forget those who gave so much so we can have today, what we may have never had, if so many had been pacifists, not vets

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

I normally have a stanuch stand on Memorial day, but today I'm just going to tell you this:
Memorial Day isnt just to honor the memories of our fallen brothers and sisters in the military. Its to pay honor and homage to Anyone you've lost. Whether it be through illness, accident, or loss in battle. Take time to make time to think about them and smile a small smile in their memory, thank God and the Spirits that you've known them and had them in your life for as long as you did, and to let them know you miss them.
Turn to the setting Father Sun tonight and say a prayer for them and for those who Do continue to fight for the freedoms that we live Everyday.
Do it for them. Do it for the future of our Children and Grandchildren, and do it for yourself.
Missing several someones today.
Cat

[FalconAngel]

Thank you Twyla.

From time to time, every citizen and child needs a reminder of the sacrifices made to gain and preserve our freedoms for ourselves and our descendants.

[Canticle]

A young man, who was at school with my sons, died in Afghanistan a couple of weeks ago. A Lance Corporal, it had always been his ambition to serve in the forces. He wasn't shot, or blown to bits, but killed in an accident. The bridge, over which, his vehicle was travelling, collapsed and he drowned. His colleagues tried as hard as they could to, get to him......but when they did, he was dead. Just doing his job.

Remembering all those who have suffered and/or given their lives, in wars. When will we learn,

[FalconAngel]

On a related, yet lighter note;

We are watching all of the appropriate (for Memorial Day) movies.

Does anyone else watch these on this weekend of remembrance?

The Patriot
Glory
Gods and Generals
Gettysburg
Flyboys
Battle of Britain
Memphis Belle (a bit propagandized, but still good)
Pearl Harbor
Windtalkers
The Great Raid
U571
Courage Under Fire

We watch these on this weekend to remind us, every year, that there were great sacrifices for freedom.

[Doggie_Wood]

On a related, yet lighter note;

We are watching all of the appropriate (for Memorial Day) movies.

Does anyone else watch these on this weekend of remembrance?

The Patriot
Glory
Gods and Generals
Gettysburg
Flyboys
Battle of Britain
Memphis Belle (a bit propagandized, but still good)
Pearl Harbor
Windtalkers
The Great Raid
U571
Courage Under Fire

We watch these on this weekend to remind us, every year, that there were great sacrifices for freedom.

Don't forget my all time fav - Patton with George C Scott

Doggie :doggie:

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

mock wars if you must,....dear pacifists..... but honour those that have fallen in the police, the fire fighters, the paramedics and the countless others that fight a war at home too...... for they are no less important than the solider that fought a war overseas.....


Amen Dear One, Amen. I, unfortunately, was in a very emotional episide this morning and didnt opay enough praise to my Veterans. Memorial Day is a very bad time for me, and this weekend has been no different than all of the others.

Our Veterans deserve all of the respect and praise and honor that they Can be afforded, I dont care what Country they are from. So if you love the lives that you now lead, thank a Veteran every chance you get.
Cat

[FalconAngel]

Don't forget my all time fav - Patton with George C Scott

Doggie :doggie:

We don't have that one, unfortunately, but GS Patton has been a personal hero of mine for much of my life and the movie does not do him proper justice and really stretches some of the conjecture about him to unrealistic proportions. Like his supposed belief in reincarnation.

He would state that he had "been" on a battlefield before, because he had made such thorough studies of historic battles in that same place or region while a cadet at West Point. He was such a devout Christian that he could recite Bible passages verbatim and once proved it to a Minister on one of the bases that he was at. It turned out that the minister had it wrong.

Patton was one of the most amazing leaders that the Army ever had. You should read up on the 1939 war games or his involvement in breaking the siege at Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge. Now those are interesting stories.

There is a really good book that I used to have called "Patton's Principles". An excellent and very worthwhile read for anyone, military or civilian.

Patton is known for telling his officers "Right or wrong, I will stand with you, but you had better damned well be right".

He also had a habit of, when taking command of a unit, announcing that he had signed transfers for every man in the unit that did not think that they could maintain his standards of excellence.

He was the most feared and respected commander in the US Army, possibly in the entire Allied forces. Many times the Germans would rather surrender to Paton than fight him. Later in the war, it was mostly because they knew that POWs captured by his troops would be treated better than anyone else.

He also went to the same war college as Erwin Von Rommel, who he faced off against in North Africa.

His leadership and command principles are used today by enlightened companies and managers.

[shock3]

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Men Who Sail Below

Now each of us from time to time has gazed upon the sea
and watched the mighty warships pulling out to keep this country free.
And most of us have read a book or heard a lusty tale,
about these men who sail these ships through lightning, wind and hail.
But there's a place within each ship that legend's fail to teach.
It's down below the water-line and it takes a living toll
- - a hot metal living hell, that sailors call the "Hole."
It houses engines run with steam that makes the shafts go round.
A place of fire, noise, and heat that beats your spirits down.
Where boilers like a hellish heart, with blood of angry steam,
are molded gods without remorse, are nightmares in a dream.

Whose threat from the fires roar, is like a living doubt,
that at any moment with such scorn, might escape and crush you out.
Where turbines scream like tortured souls, alone and lost in Hell,
are ordered from above somewhere, they answer every bell.
The men who keep the fires lit and make the engines run,
are strangers to the light and rarely see the sun.
They have no time for man or God, no tolerance for fear,
their aspect pays no living thing a tribute of a tear.
For there's not much that men can do that these men haven't done,
beneath the decks, deep in the hole, to make the engines run.
And every hour of every day they keep the watch in Hell,
for if the fires ever fail their ship's a useless shell.

When ships converge to have a war upon an angry sea,
the men below just grimly smile at what their fate will be.
They're locked below like men fore-doomed, who hear no battle cry,
it's well assumed that if they're hit, the men below will die.

For every day's a war down there when gauges all read red,
twelve-hundred pounds of boiling steam can kill you mighty dead.

So if you ever write their songs or try to tell their tale,
the very words would make you hear a fired furnace's wail.
And people as a general rule don't hear of these men of steel,
so little heard about this place that sailors call the "Hole."
But I can sing about this place and try to make you see,
the hardened life of the men down there, 'cause one of them is me.
I've seen these sweat-soaked heroes fight in superheated air,
to keep their ship alive and right, though no one knows they're there.

And thus they'll fight for ages on till warships sail no more,
amid the boiler's mighty heat and the turbine's hellish roar.

So when you see a ship pull out to meet a war-like foe,
remember faintly if you can, "The Men Who Sail Below."

-Anonymous

[lv69cpl69]

mock wars if you must,....dear pacifists..... but honour those that have fallen in the police, the fire fighters, the paramedics and the countless others that fight a war at home too...... for they are no less important than the solider that fought a war overseas.....


Amen Dear One, Amen. I, unfortunately, was in a very emotional episide this morning and didnt opay enough praise to my Veterans. Memorial Day is a very bad time for me, and this weekend has been no different than all of the others.

Our Veterans deserve all of the respect and praise and honor that they Can be afforded, I dont care what Country they are from. So if you love the lives that you now lead, thank a Veteran every chance you get.
Cat

gotta love cat!!

remember if you don't stand behind our vets stand in front of them.. and yes I am a proud USN VET!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But the U.S. ARMED FORCES don't have that problem." ...Ronald Reagan

Bumper-Stickers Seen On Military Bases.

"Except For Ending Slavery, Fascism, Nazism and Communism, WAR has Never Solved Anything."

" U.S. Marines - Certified Counselors to the 72 Virgins Dating Club."

" U.S. Air Force - Travel Agents To Allah"

"Stop Global Whining"

"When In Doubt, Empty The Magazine"

Naval Corollary: Dead Men Don't Testify.

"The Marine Corps - When It Absolutely, Positively Has To Be Destroyed Overnight"

"Death Smiles At Everyone - Marines Smile Back"

"Marine Sniper - You can run, but you'll just die tired!"

"What Do I Feel When I Kill A Terrorist? A Little Recoil"

"Marines - Providing Enemies of America an Opportunity To Die For their Country Since 1775"

"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Anyone Who Threatens It"

"Happiness Is A Belt-Fed Weapon"

"It's God's Job to Forgive Bin Laden - It's Our Job To Arrange The Meeting"

"Artillery Brings Dignity to What Would Otherwise Be Just A Vulgar Brawl"

"One Shot, Twelve Kills - U.S. Naval Gun Fire Support"

"My Kid Fought In Iraq So Your Kid Can Party In College"

"Machine Gunners - Accuracy By Volume"

"A Dead Enemy Is A Peaceful Enemy - Blessed Be The Peacemakers"

"If You Can Read This, Thank A Teacher. If You Can Read It In English, Thank A Veteran"

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

lol Ty Darlin. I carry many of the Decals and Bumper stickers that are discribed on here. :} I love keeping stuff for my Vets and their families that is fun and witty, and a tad smart-assed. (Me, a smart ass!?? Neveh....lol)
And just think, in August I'll just be 3 hours from ya'll...lol Back on my beloved Mojave for a week....;):tongue:
Cat

[MarieDelta]

Good Episode on "To The Best Of Our Knowledge"

"Boots On The Ground: Stories From The War In Iraq - Episode 4: Coming Home" (http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510011&uid=p1qe4e85742c986fdb81d2d38ffa0d5d53)


President Obama says our combat mission in Iraq will end by August 31, 2010. This leaves many unanswered questions. What was our mission in Iraq? Did we succeed? What will become of the country we invaded? Whatever the answers, our troops are coming home. But what are they coming home to? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we'll talk with Iraq War veterans about the challenges of coming home. And, what about us? Are WE ready for THEM?

SEGMENT 1:

President Obama reminds us that he intends to end combat operations in Iraq by August 31, 2010 as we spend this hour surveying just what the troops are coming home to, and what it has all meant. Major Steve Beck is a Marine Casualty Notification Officer. Journalist Jim Sheeler wrote his book, "Final Salute," about him. Sheeler tells Anne Strainchamps that a Marine family's worst fear is seeing Major Beck at their door. Also, Iraq War veteran Sergeant John McCary reads an e-mail he sent his family in 2004 about the brutal nature of the insurgency.

SEGMENT 2:

Kyle Haussmann-Stokes, like many returning Iraq War veterans, struggled alone with his PTSD. Eventually he got help and made a film called "Now, After." He talks with Jim Fleming. Stokes is currently a film student at USC.

SEGMENT 3:

We hear the Commanding Officer of Fort Campbell, home of the Army's 101st Airborne Division, recorded when the based closed down for three days following a rash of eleven suicides. And, Brigadier General Loree Sutton is the military's top-ranking psychiatrist and Director of the Pentagon's Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. She talks with Steve Paulson about what the military is doing to combat the alarming statistics concerning suicide, alcoholism and PTSD in returning vets. Also, Anne Strainchamps talked with Colby Buzzell over 4 years ago after he returned from his first tour of duty in Iraq. At that time, having seen a lot of heavy combat, Buzzell wanted to sort out what had happened, get himself back together and take advantage of the GI bill for college. Now, Buzzell has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and struggles with addiction. He and Anne talked again. A collection of Colby Buzzell's Iraq War blog entries can be found in his book, "My War."

[zman64]

patton is great movie.i would add blackhawk down, heartbreak riddge, platoon.

[welickit]

As a general rule I avoid this type of thread. I learned when I came home from Viet Nam in 1969 what respect there is in the world. I much prefer to watch those who may have a mind to do so, pay their respects. Forty years late and in a big part coming from those who didn't have the balls to go or are dodging the present conflicts. Every one of them has an excuse they think makes it A-OK to run their mouth. As for your movies, I have seen them all. Platoon was a farce if you served in Viet Nam when the war was going on. Unless you sat in a base camp and listened to stories. Patton was a total asshole who died the drunk he was. I served under his son and he was just as bad if not worse.....living on his dad's coat tail and reputation. I guess I needed to blow off steam so here it happened. Talk about Blackhawk! My oldest son is a sniper in one right now in the Afghan theater, he did two tours in Iraq before that. Youngest son did Korea and was smart enough to quit. All the good old boys sit home and run things down while others do the work. USA as Usual following Washington as Usual. Sorry folks but if you didn't live it just say Amen and leave your unqualified remarks and movies out of it. I FEEL BETTER NOW.

[FalconAngel]

Here is one of them from "k-9 heroes remembered" There were many others and some served as mascots, even during the War of the Rebellion and the War of Independence.

http://www.uswardogs.org/id16.html

"Sgt.STUBBY"

America's first war dog, Stubby, served 18 months 'over there' and participated in seventeen battles on the Western Front. He saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, located and comforted the wounded, and even once caught a German spy by the seat of his pants. Back home his exploits were front page news of every major newspaper.

Stubby was a bull terrier - broadly speaking, very broadly! No one ever discovered where he hailed from originally. One day he just appeared, when a bunch of soldiers were training at Yale Field in New Haven, Ct; he trotted in and out among the ranks as they drilled, stopping to make a friend here and a friend there, until pretty soon he was on chummy terms with the whole bunch.

One soldier though, in particular, developed a fonest for the dog, a Corporal Robert Conroy, who when it became time for the outfit to ship out, hid Stubby on board the troop ship.

So stowaway Stubby sailed for France, after that Cpl. Conroy became his accepted master, even though he was still on chummy terms with every one else in the outfit; and in the same spirit of camarderie that had marked his initial overtures at Yale.

It was at Chemin des Dames that Stubby saw his first action, and it was there that the boys discovered he was a war dog par excellence. The boom of artillery fire didn't faze him in least, and he soon learned to follow the men's example of ducking when the big ones started falling close. Naturally he didn't know why he was ducking, but it became a great game to see who could hit the dugout first. After a few days, Stubby won every time. He could hear the whine of shells long before the men. It got so they'd watch him!

Then one night Stubby made doggy history. It was an unusally quiet night in the trenches. Some of the boys were catching cat naps in muddy dugouts, and Stubby was stretched out beside Conroy. Suddenly his big blunt head snapped up and his ears pricked alert. The movement woke Conroy, who looked at the dog sleepily just in time to see him sniff the air tentatively, utter a low growl, then spring to his feet, and go bounding from the dugout, around a corner out of sight.

Afew seconds later there was a sharp cry of pain and then the sound of a great scuffle outside. Conroy jumped from his bed, grabbed his rifle and went tearing out towards the direction of the noise.

A ludicrous sight met his eyes. Single-pawed, in a vigorous offensive from the rear, Stubby had captured a German spy, who'd been prowling through the trenches. The man was whirling desperately in an effort to shake off the snarling bundle of canine tooth and muscle that had attached itself to his differential. But Stubby was there to stay.

It took only afew moments to capture the Hun and disarm him, but it required considerably more time to convince Stubby that his mission had been successfully carried out and that he should now release the beautiful hold he had on that nice, soft German bottom.

By the end of the war, Stubby was known not only to every regiment, division, and army, but to the whole AEF. Honors by the bale were heaped on his muscled shoulders. At Mandres en Bassigny he was introduced to President Woodrow Wilson, who "shook hands" with him. Medal and emblemed jackets were bestowed upon him for each deed of valor, plus a wound stripe for his grenade splinter. Not to be left out, the Marines even made him an honorary sergeant.

After the Armistice was signed, Stubby returned home with Conroy and his popularity seemed to grow even more. He became a nationally acclaimed hero, and eventually was received by presidents Harding and Coolidge. Even General John "Black Jack" Pershing, who commanded the American Expeditionary Forces during the war, presented Stubby with a gold medal made by the Humane Society and declared him to be a "hero of the highest caliber."

Stubby toured the country by invitation and probably led more parades than any other dog in American history; he was also promoted to honorary sergeant by the Legion, becoming the highest ranking dog to ever serve in the Army.

He was even made an honorary member of the American Red Cross, the American Legion and the YMCA, which issued him a lifetime membership card good for "three bones a day and a place to sleep."




Stubby At Georgetown!

Afterwards, Stubby became Georgetown University's mascot. In 1921, Stubby's owner, Robert Conroy was headed to Georgetown for law school and took the dog along. According to a 1983 account in Georgetown Magazine, Stubby "served several terms as mascot to the football team." Between the halves, Stubby would nudge a football around the field, much to the delight of the crowd.

Old age finally caught up with the small warrior on April 4th, 1926, as he took ill and died in Conroy's arms.

It's said, that Stubby and afew of his friends were instrumental in inspiring the creation of the United States 'K-9 Corps' just in time for World War ll.

[CalanderGirl]

I just wanted to say thanks to all the heroes! You may not feel like you are but you truely are!

[Long Duck Dong]

As a general rule I avoid this type of thread. I learned when I came home from Viet Nam in 1969 what respect there is in the world. I much prefer to watch those who may have a mind to do so, pay their respects. Forty years late and in a big part coming from those who didn't have the balls to go or are dodging the present conflicts. Every one of them has an excuse they think makes it A-OK to run their mouth. As for your movies, I have seen them all. Platoon was a farce if you served in Viet Nam when the war was going on. Unless you sat in a base camp and listened to stories. Patton was a total asshole who died the drunk he was. I served under his son and he was just as bad if not worse.....living on his dad's coat tail and reputation. I guess I needed to blow off steam so here it happened. Talk about Blackhawk! My oldest son is a sniper in one right now in the Afghan theater, he did two tours in Iraq before that. Youngest son did Korea and was smart enough to quit. All the good old boys sit home and run things down while others do the work. USA as Usual following Washington as Usual. Sorry folks but if you didn't live it just say Amen and leave your unqualified remarks and movies out of it. I FEEL BETTER NOW.

hugs welickit......and salutes you......

[Nadir]

I have been reading this thread, and I find it very interesting, to see the point of view from American people (or New Zealanders or British) when it comes to war or armed conflict. As a Spaniard (Canarian) I have different views of what war represents to me, but I cannot speak for the rest of my people. My country wasn´t involved at all in any of the Great Wars (apart from Franco sending the "División Azul" to fight in the Russian front when Hitler attacked there, but it was more of a symbolical aid than something else). My grandfather fought in the Spanish Civil War (it was actually there where he met my grandma´s brother, and, through him, my grandmother) and both he and my mother used to tell me things about the war and the dictatorship that came afterwards. As a state under a military dictatorship during most of the 20th century, Spain has a long military tradition, and in the last few years we have been somewhat involved in most of the international wars that there have been (Bosnia, Afghanistan, a couple of months in Iraq before we changed president on the elections and he made the forces come home). Some of my friends serve or have served in the armed forces (some of them because of a real sense of patriotism, most of them because they are very lazy to try to study and/or work). I myself have been looking forward to become a reservist, because it would allow me to work in the military a period of time every year and I could continue my studies outside of the army. I am currently training to see if next year I could apply. I feel a sense of obligation (of sorts) to my country, although I am not that patriotic... I am not pacifist, neither. For me, war is a necessary action to solve conflicts, but it would be certainly better if there was no war at all. As long as there have been humanity, there has been war. And most of them started because of a craving of power...

Two of my favorite movies ever about World War Two are Clint Eastwood´s "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima", it shows the battle for said island seen through the eyes of both sides. I would like to see someone make a movie about the Spanish Civil war in that way, shown through the eyes of combatants on both sides. I have lots more of other films about war at home and on my computer, but so far I can only remember those two. I was clearly impressed by them :)

[darkeyes]

I have been reading this thread, and I find it very interesting, to see the point of view from American people (or New Zealanders or British) when it comes to war or armed conflict. As a Spaniard (Canarian) I have different views of what war represents to me, but I cannot speak for the rest of my people. My country wasn´t involved at all in any of the Great Wars (apart from Franco sending the "División Azul" to fight in the Russian front when Hitler attacked there, but it was more of a symbolical aid than something else). My grandfather fought in the Spanish Civil War (it was actually there where he met my grandma´s brother, and, through him, my grandmother) and both he and my mother used to tell me things about the war and the dictatorship that came afterwards. As a state under a military dictatorship during most of the 20th century, Spain has a long military tradition, and in the last few years we have been somewhat involved in most of the international wars that there have been (Bosnia, Afghanistan, a couple of months in Iraq before we changed president on the elections and he made the forces come home). Some of my friends serve or have served in the armed forces (some of them because of a real sense of patriotism, most of them because they are very lazy to try to study and/or work). I myself have been looking forward to become a reservist, because it would allow me to work in the military a period of time every year and I could continue my studies outside of the army. I am currently training to see if next year I could apply. I feel a sense of obligation (of sorts) to my country, although I am not that patriotic... I am not pacifist, neither. For me, war is a necessary action to solve conflicts, but it would be certainly better if there was no war at all. As long as there have been humanity, there has been war. And most of them started because of a craving of power...

Two of my favorite movies ever about World War Two are Clint Eastwood´s "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Letters from Iwo Jima", it shows the battle for said island seen through the eyes of both sides. I would like to see someone make a movie about the Spanish Civil war in that way, shown through the eyes of combatants on both sides. I have lots more of other films about war at home and on my computer, but so far I can only remember those two. I was clearly impressed by them :)

Ken Loach.. Land and Freedom. Told from the Republican side, the British Battalion of the International Brigade and the betrayal of Spain by Stalin. It is a wonderful film about the brutality and chaos of the Spanish Civil War carried out by both sides. I am a pacifist and it is one of the many things in my life that confirm me as such, Nadir...:)

[bullhead69]

A few other movies you may want to check out.
"The longest Day"
"Midway"
"The Flying Tigers"
"Flying Leathernecks"
"The sands Of Iwo Jima"
"Battlecry"
"Battleground"


And Thankyou Twyla.