Mark Steyn:  The Loss of Proportion – Memorial Day, 2004

“Memorial Day in my corner of New Hampshire is always the same. A clutch of veterans from the Second World War to the Gulf march round the common, followed by the town band, and the scouts, and the fifth-graders. The band plays “Anchors Aweigh,” “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” “God Bless America” and, in an alarming nod to modernity, Ray Stevens’ “Everything Is Beautiful (In Its Own Way)” (Billboard No. 1, May 1970). One of the town’s selectmen gives a short speech, so do a couple of representatives from state organizations, and then the fifth-graders recite the Gettysburg Address and the Great War’s great poetry. There’s a brief prayer and a three-gun salute, exciting the dogs and babies. Wreaths are laid. And then the crowd wends slowly up the hill to the Legion hut for ice cream, and a few veterans wonder, as they always do, if anybody understands what they did, and why they did it.

Before the First World War, it was called Decoration Day – a day for going to the cemetery and “strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion.” Some decorated the resting places of fallen family members; others adopted for a day the graves of those who died too young to leave any descendants.

I wish we still did that. Lincoln’s “mystic chords of memory” are difficult to hear in the din of the modern world, and one of the best ways to do it is to stand before an old headstone, read the name, and wonder at the young life compressed into those brute dates: 1840-1862. 1843-1864.

In my local cemetery, there’s a monument over three graves, forebears of my hardworking assistant, though I didn’t know that the time I first came across them. Turner Grant, his cousin John Gilbert and his sister’s fiance Charles Lovejoy had been friends since boyhood and all three enlisted on the same day. Charles died on March 5, 1863, Turner on March 6, and John on March 11. Nothing splendid or heroic. They were tentmates in Virginia, and there was an outbreak of measles in the camp.

For some reason, there was a bureaucratic mixup and the army neglected to inform the families. Then, on their final journey home, the bodies were taken off the train at the wrong town. It was a Saturday afternoon and the stationmaster didn’t want the caskets sitting there all weekend. So a man who knew where the Grants lived offered to take them up to the next town and drop them off on Sunday morning.

When he arrived, the family was at church, so he unloaded the coffins from his buggy and left without a word or a note to anyone. Imagine coming home from Sunday worship and finding three caskets waiting on the porch. Imagine being young Caroline Grant, and those caskets contain the bodies of your brother, your cousin and the man to whom you’re betrothed.

That’s a hell of a story behind the bald dates on three tombstones.”…….

Rest in the Vine: Memorial Day, 2022

“Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It will only be a Great Deal for all or, no Deal at all — Back to the Battlefront and shooting, but bigger and stronger than ever before — And nobody wants that!

During my discussions on Saturday with

President Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, of The United Arab Emirates, Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, and Minister Ali al-Thawadi, of Qatar,Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir Ahmed Shah, of Pakistan,President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, of Türkiye,President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, of Egypt, King Abdullah II, of Jordan, and King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, of Bahrain,
I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords. Those Countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, The United Arab Emirates (already a Member!), Qatar, Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain (already a Member!). It may be possible that one or two have a reason for not doing so, and that will be accepted, but most should be ready, willing, and able to make this Settlement with Iran a far more Historic Event than it would, otherwise, be.

The Abraham Accords have proven to be, for the Countries involved (The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and Kazakhstan), a Financial, Economic, and Social BOOM, even during this time of Conflict and War, with the current Members never even suggesting leaving, or taking so much as even a pause. The reason for this is that the Abraham Accords have been great for them, and will be even better for everybody, and bring true Power, Strength, and Peace to the Middle East for the first time in 5,000 years. It will be a Document respected like no other that has ever been signed, anywhere in the World. Its level of Importance and Prestige will be unparalleled! It should start with the immediate signing by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and everybody else should follow suit.

If they don’t, they should not be part of this Deal in that it shows bad intention. In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special! This will be the most important Deal that any of these Great, but always in Conflict Countries, will ever sign. Nothing in the past, or in the future, will surpass it.

Therefore, I am mandatorily requesting that all Countries immediately sign the Abraham Accords, and that, if Iran signs its Agreement with me, as President of the United States of America, it would be an Honor to have them also be part of this unparalleled World Coalition.

The Middle East would be United, Powerful, and Economically Strong, like perhaps no other area, anywhere in the World!

By copy of this TRUTH, I am asking my Representatives to begin, and successfully complete, the process of signing these Countries into the already Historic Abraham Accords. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

DONALD J. TRUMP
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA”

Donald J. Trump: “Negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran are proceeding nicely! It wil… – Trump’s Truth (bolding is mine)

Happy Memorial Day!

Ok Mark Levin, I get it, screw the American middle class. Israel first.

17 year old sailor killed in 1941 in Pearl Harbor, to be buried with honors.

A U.S. Navy sailor who died at age 17 aboard the battleship USS West Virginia during the 1941 Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor will be buried May 30 in his Arkansas hometown.
Fireman 3rd Class Royle Luker will be buried with full military honors at New Bethel Cemetery in Plainview, where he was raised before enlisting in June 1941, according to a Navy news release Wednesday.
He was the son of George Luker, a World War I veteran, and Nettie Estelle David Luker. He is survived by two nephews and a niece, according to his obituary on the Cornwell Funeral Home of Darndanelle, Ark., website.
The presiding Navy flag officer at the ceremony will be Rear Adm. Michael Van Poots, deputy commander of Submarine Forces.
Luker was among the 105 West Virginia crew members who died on Dec. 7, 1941.
His remains were unidentifiable with forensic methods available in that era, and he was buried in the grave marked “unknown.”
The West Virginia was hit by at least seven torpedoes as the ship was moored at Ford Island on Battleship Row.
It sank in the shallow water and came to rest on the harbor floor.
Salvage work began soon after the attack. Torpedo holes were patched well enough to pump the ship dry, and it was refloated on May 17, 1942.
“Following the attack, rescuers were alerted that sailors were alive within the hull by tapping sounds coming from within the ship,” the Navy release said.
“The trapped sailors were sitting on tons of live sunken ammunition and no technology existed back then to rescue them,” it said. “All rescue personnel could do was stand by helplessly.”
Some survived for days in air pockets, living on emergency rations and freshwater.
Three men survived in an airtight storeroom until Dec. 23, leaving behind a calendar with 16 days crossed out in red pencil, the Navy release states.
Salvagers discovered the remains of about 70 men below decks, according to the Navy release.
Dozens of recovered remains were interred at the Halawa Naval Cemetery on Oahu.
They were disinterred in 1947 by personnel with the American Graves Registration Service, who identified all but 34 remains.
Those remains were designated “non-recoverable” and buried as unknowns in what is now the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
In 2017, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which uses forensic methods to identify the nation’s war dead, exhumed 35 caskets containing remains associated with the West Virginia.
Luker was among those.

click on link to see photo. https://www.stripes.com/history/2026-05-20/sailor-burial-pearl-harbor-attack-21735850.html

I didn’t know you Captain George I Mims Jr. but I think of you and wear a bracelet remembering you every Memorial Day weekend..

“Capt. George Mims Jr. 12-20-65”. MIA

❤️

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/cbss-margaret-brennan-tries-paint-america-as-nation/

Marge, working on behalf of her paymasters, much like Hakeem Jeffries, wants to break the American spirit.
Bite me, Marge!

Chicago Police Chief Faces Felony Charges for Allegedly Selling Crime Guns.

Sold the guns which were confiscated by CPD to a pawn shop in Indiana. 😎

https://share.google/vgKREnsty2dLlJxKx

Denaturalize and deport every muslim in the country, problem solved!!! No more mosques with bullhorn squawking calls to prayers polluting the air with noise! Apparently muslims still can’t tell time! JMO

Rubio in India.
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/us-is-a-very-welcoming-country-but-has-stupid-people-too-marco-rubio-on-racist-comments-against-indians-10705550/

A week ago
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/05/14/2003857316

Norway

https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/norway-cartoon-modi-snake-charmer-aftenposted-western-media-racial-stereotypes-14013122.html

“Cockroach” Party -India. Calling the youngsters cockroaches? Begun by a student at Boston Univ.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/cockroach-janta-party-founder-moves-delhi-hc-after-social-media-accounts-blocked-amid-online-crackdown/articleshow/131311185.cms

Joseph became a Christian. He rejected the “Synagogue of Satan.” And you?

I am reading and hearing of too many ‘spoiled’ Americans complaining of gas prices, etc.

Since this is a day of Remembrance of past and present American heroes and first responders, I would like to weigh in as follows:

My dad enlisted in the Army Air Corp right after Pearl Harbor. He and my mom were 19 years old. My parents married shortly after that event and before he was deployed. Many others did the same.

My mother was now pregnant with me in 1944 yet worked in a bomb factory making bombs. She lived with her parents in a small apartment in the Bronx.

My dad was deployed the day before I was born. I did not see him for 16 months. We continued to live with my grandparents. I had my own ration card. Many people grew ‘victory gardens’ and all gave (up) what they could for the war effort. Most were praying for the safety of our military and for comfort for those who were injured or lost their lives. There were messages put it the windows of those lost. Americans were eager and proud to give and to do without.

When the war ended and my dad came home there were no jobs at first and no places to live. Our small family moved in with my dad’s parents for a while and then relatives in Mamaroneck, NY. My dad was a stranger to me. My parents fought often. Mom would leave crying to go home to her mom and I was with strangers.

I had been born with an undiagnosed heart condition with symptoms misunderstood by family. I was mistreated as a result.

I was 3 years old before we had our own apartment which included a new baby brother. My dad had a job. Americans were struggling to adjust to all the consequences and losses from the war.

Many Jews moved into the Bronx where we now lived. Some had come from Europe, even concentration camps. They assimilated, became friends, and were law abiding citizens.

So much had been lost. So much life had been taken–lives that were the best and strongest of that generation. They would not marry and have children to carry on their names while parents quietly mourned their losses all the days of their lives and a nation still has not stopped grieving.

Americans gladly gave all they could to support the efforts to defeat the enemy! How is that different than now? It is different because we have a President who puts a high value on human life. He also sees the imminent dangers of a threatening enemy of the entire world.

PDJT remembers the horrible losses of Korea and Vietnam. He is from my generation and has clear memory of the pain, anguish and anger of the American people.

Anger which came from the MEDIA who instead of supporting our troops tore them down like murderers and inciting many to take part!! These men and women not only suffered from their war experiences but from the country they represented without having a choice!! It seemed endless for these surviving (?) lives.
May God forgive America and its government for bringing this all about.

Dare I mention September 11, 2001? I was born in NYC and New Yorkers stood with all Americans to aid in the rescue of lives and those who were lost. Many first responders still suffer physical and emotional pain as a result. Do you hear them making noise about how we/they suffer high gas prices?

NEVER FORGET was our motto, but too many have already forgotten! Too many are more concerned about their comforts, unwilling to sacrifice their lifestyle to pay for their gas !

Shame on those people! I know we are living in very serious times with a horrible mess in our Government. I will not complain!! I have very little but still give what I can without complaining.

I say stand up America and suck up the inconveniences! We have been blessed! I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be born in this Nation even with my small life experiences. I am alive and so are you!!

A *very* Heartwarming Memorial Day message – noticing God’s Hand Delivering Grace…
{ 2026 Memorial Day Message…The Power of a Beanie Baby! }

I was never great fan but always respected her because she was an incredibly smart woman. This quote hit me today for a number of reasons and discussions being had in the tree branches today.

 
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you” Ruth Bader Ginsburg

I was unaware that people were flagging and deleting comments. That would be mean and disrespectful especially when they’re alive because of the sacrifice of our fallen veterans. Also don’t forget the family members that lost all those veterans. My Mother had numerous Aunts that lost their soon to be husbands in WW1. Future generations wiped out.

The real heroes stand in the shadows among us, remembered by license plates and shoulder patches and the occasional good citizen who understands what they sacrificed and seeks them out to thank them.

I served back in the ’60/’70s, but I was no hero, just a stateside army grunt.

This post is for my friend, Dave, who led a charge against a machine gun nest in ‘Nam and got gut shot…wounds that still limit what he can eat today. Dave is tough and he beat the cancer that may have come from Agent Orange. But who the hell knows!

He has a big white beard and he plays Santa every year. If those kids only knew how blue his mouth can be, haha!

This one’s for you, Dave! We’ll have a bourbon together soon. Be Blessed and Happy on this Memorial Day!

To far leftists like Margaret Brennan the country seems dark because the commie Democrats are not in charge! What a loathsome reporter/woman! JMO

Bunch of butt-hurt bizatches. Further proof that they never were fit for the offices they hold. Placing themselves ahead of the people they supposedly serve. Their departures can’t come soon enough!