"Ashes of Soldiers".

"Sweet are the blooming cheeks of the living!
sweet are the musical voices sounding!
But sweet, ah sweet, are the dead with their silent eyes."

- excerpt from Walt Whitman's "Ashes of Soldiers"

To those who served and died - on this Memorial Day.

Read more!

Honor Memorial Day.

For those who died while in the service of our country, you gave your lives so we might live in freedom. What could I ever do for my country to match your sacrifices? Thank you.

Read more!

Veterans Day.

 

Veterans Day is today. Take a moment to remember those who served and died for our country. Those with us still - and those who have left us. That includes my father - James Anthony Ircink - who served about the USS Shangri-LA (CV-38) from 1957-61, a long-haul, Essex-class carrier, the 2nd largest in the fleet at the time. Thanks for your service, Pappy!

Read more!

Happy Veterans Day.

To my father - all those who have served - thank you. The poet Walt Whitman wrote extensively on the Civil War. Here is an excerpt:

"O strong dead-march you please me!
O moon immense with your silvery face you soothe me!
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans passing to burial!
What I have I also give you.

The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music,
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love."

from "Dirge for Two Veterans", Drumtaps, from Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass

Read more!

Dick Winter's (of "Band of Brothers" fame) memorial.

Major Dick Winters, who led the real "Band of Brothers" during WWII passed away on January 2, 2011. A public memorial will be held at the Hershey Theatre in Hershey, PA, tomorrow (Saturday) at 2 pm.

Major Winters' character was a primary focus during the film, and he was heavily featured during the narration segment of the television series.

Read more!

Salute!...to all Veterans.

To all veterans - those who served in peace and war (including my father - Navy) - the debt owed to you is immeasurable. Thank you.

Read more!

Our "greatest generation".

As a sort of side note to yesterday's Memorial Day observances, I was sitting outside the coffee shop in Greendale just a minute ago and watched a lady help her elderly husband into their mini van. He was getting around with a walker. I was going to offer to help but it looked like she had things under control. He had to be in his mid-80's. He was tall and thin. He might have been a veteran - maybe not. Now - my brother and I were watching some of the Band of Brothers episodes last night and I got to thinking that - if a guy was 17 and enlisted in 1941, he'd be 86 now...around the age of this elderly gentleman getting into his mini van.

There aren't many WWII vets left. Respect your elders when you see them. Honor them - not just on Veteran's Day or Memorial Day - but every day. This generation, in particular, sacrificed much for our country. Men and women. Vets or not. Cut'em some slack. They were our age once. Young, verile - had the same wants and desires as we did. Soon we'll all be like them. And I'm pretty sure we'll all want the same respect when we're that age, don't you think?

Read more!

Happy Memorial Day.

To all those who've served...thank you.

Read more!

Memorial Day

On this day we honor those who gave their lives in service to our country - our fallen heroes. Near my hometown in the Village of Waterford (Wisconsin), there's a park named after a Civil War soldier who emigrated to Wisconsin from Norway, then served in a Wisconsin regiment and died in the Battle of Chickamauga. His name is Colonel Hans Christian Heg.

And on this day I honor him. More on the park later.

Read more!