Upon receiving my Memorial Day Grasshopper post, I received this from a retired Marine. I thought it worth sharing:
Memorial Day is nearly on us. . . . Let us not forget the reason it is memorialized.
About six miles from Maastricht, in the Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation Market Garden" the battle to liberate Holland in the fall and winter of 1944.
Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries, has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate it, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted. It is even the custom to keep a portrait of "their" American soldier in a place of honor in their home. Annually, on "Liberation Day," memorial services are held for, "The men who died to liberate Holland." The day concludes with a concert. The final piece to be played is always "Il Silenzio," a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland's liberation. It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.
This year is 2014 and the soloist is a 13-year-old Dutch girl, Melissa Venema, backed by André Rieu and his orchestra (The Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands). This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of the melody "Taps," and the piece was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi...
http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm
Where are some those we remember - from WWII:
1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne, France... total of 2289
2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes, Belgium... total of 5329
3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France... total of 4410
4. Brookwood, England - American Cemetery... total of 468
5. Cambridge, England... total of 3812
6. Epinal, France - American Cemetery... total of 5525
7. Flanders Field, Belgium... total of 368
8. Florence, Italy... total of 4402
9. Henri-Chapelle, Belgium... total of 7992
10. Lorraine , France... A total of 10,489
11. Luxembourg, Luxembourg... total of 5076
12. Meuse-Argonne... total of 14246
13. Netherlands, Netherlands... total of 8301
14. Normandy, France... total of 9387
15. Oise-Aisne, France... total of 6012
16. Rhone, France.. total of 861
17. Sicily, Italy... total of 7861
18. Somme, France... total of 1844
19. St. Mihiel, France... total of 4153
20. Suresnes, France... total of 1541
A total of 104,366 dead, brave Americans.
Please remind people of our nation's sacrifice and tell them not to confuse arrogance with leadership.
SEMPER FIDELIS