Where we come from. In honor of Memorial Day.
 

I met an interesting person lately. She lives in the Villages and is of German heritage. She then told me that her father had been on a German U-boat and they had been captured or taken to New York. Or, maybe, they were near there when discovered.


She had mentioned this because of my father's German name. He missed fighting in Korea but was on a US Army unit in Korea as a M.A.S.H. setting. His ancestors had come from Germany to the US in the 1850s and settled in central Illinois.

Getting this started in preparation for Memorial Day.

Memorial Day is not Veterans Day
 

As a veteran I just want to remind everyone that Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in the service of their country. Let’s focus on those veterans, not the veterans who did not make that ultimate sacrifice. Every other day we can thank those who served. I have been at events on Memorial Day when all Veterans are acknowledged, that just makes me cringe a little bit. Thanks for all of those Veterans who made that ultimate sacrifice. And bless those families that lost a family member.

Memorial Day history - National Cemetery Administration


A link.

100 Best War Movies of All Time | Rotten Tomatoes

Have not seen that many of these. I have seen 75 out of these 100 films.

With all the veterans in TV, I'm kind of curious why the Vietnam Travelling Wall has not come here.

I totally agree with you ,it’s gotten worse I think every year and not just here( where there are many that think Veterans Day is everyday)but other places also .The day is all about honoring our dead many who never even got to be buried at home or long forgotten . I make it a point a couple of days before or after memorial day to find an old veterans grave in some of the surrounding cemetery’s and leave some flowers , I leave the photo opportunities during the weekend to others

Our family did lose a very much extended family member in 1917 or 1918 to the affects of mustard gas.

My family hails from Germany, Russia, and Latvia. My grandfather served in the American Military but he never talked about it. I remember seeing only one photo of him wearing his uniform, while he was taking my grandmother on a ride in a rowboat when they were in their early 20's, sometime probably in the early 1940's. Pretty sure it was an Army Garrison cap. Papa was of German heritage, his parents were immigrants to the US and so were a couple of his older siblings (he was the baby of 11 children). My father's mother was from Latvia, his dad from Germany. My mother's mother's family came from Russia but grandma was born in the USA. My dad's brother served in the Army, no idea what year, it was before I was born.

I think that makes me a third-generation American on my dad's side and 4th generation on my mom's side - since all the "great-grandparents" eventually became American citizens so that counts as a "first" generation.

Facepalm:
Before moving here, my local library would put up a sign thanking Vet's on Memorial Day.
I commented how wrong that was the a librarian who was always very friendly and helpful to me. She took it down immediately.
The next week, the sign was reinstalled.

The next year, it was posted again.

Geez, you'd think . . .

It is rather hard to thank a dead soldier, sailor, marine, aviator, Merchant Marine, etc. Maybe they are watching but no one knows.


Arlington National Cemetery - Home

Both side of my Moms family was here before y’all stepped off the boat.

My Dads grandparents on both side arrived by boat from the same Northern German village Roots. We we an trace back to 1400s

I think we are from Central Germany. Not sure. Our family on the German side moved here around 1859 while the English came about 1660 to the Massachusetts' Coast and the Scotch around 1650 to North Carolina. Not sure when the Irish side came over. Probably around the time of the potato famine. Irish Potato Famine: Date, Cause & Great Hunger | HISTORY



I thought about this group who stood up to the Nazis Sophie Scholl and the White Rose | The National WWII Museum | New Orleans while thinking about my roots.

I have strong DNA Native Tribes from maternal/paternal grandmother parents. Most bones are Buried far behind the church in a lovely wrought iron section with a gate stating Red Cemetery. There is also a Negro gate, closest to Church large White gate section and beside that gate is the Beloved Coon Dog Cemetery. Old South history is still alive and well.

Paternal great grandfather was off the boat Scandinavia, lost his wife within months of arriving. Native young girl taken from tribe to raise his young child. Great grandfather, sired my grandfather, with Native girl. She was killed when my grandfather was 3.

German heritage was easy trace, with both great grands arrived as young children from same northern village. We didn’t have to try hard to trace, because they’re all buried in the same century’s old cemetery.

I often watch Saving Private Ryan or one of the Clint Eastwood movies on Iwo Jima around Memorial Day. Think I saw both of the Clint Eastwood movies at the Rialto Theater.


I saw Saving Private Ryan twice or so at the Palm Harbor theater in Florida and then a couple of times at the dollar movie places along US 19 or just off. There were three of those along a twenty mile stretch.

I didn’t step off any boat so that makes me same as you.. born in USA don’t matter where one’s before me came from.