It's Memorial Day Weekend, You Know

Johnny Spann at Arlington National Cemetery visiting the grave of his son, CIA officer Mike Spann, the first American to die in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.  Read more.

This weekend's broadcast at Move America Forward points out how you can help send parents of fallen American soldiers, through Gold Star Parents and Military Families, to visit Iraq.

GM's Corner has compiled a fine group of images.

Blackfive pays respects to his fallen friends, and makes no bones about what to do about it: "Enjoying your freedom and understanding its value is the best way to honor the sacrifices of my friends." 

(btw, Joel "I-Don't-Support-The-Troops" Stein has decided to not mark this holiday -- although he managed to punch out a snotty piece about The DaVinci Code before hitting the southern California beaches this weekend.)

The phenomenal Atlas brings us Donald Rumsfeld's tempered, uplifting message of thanks to the ones who've said, "Send me."

Victor Hanson is 100% proud of the Iraq effort.

A panoramic view of the annual Rolling Thunder motorcycle gathering of Vietnam-era vets in Washington, DC.

Make a contribution to recovering wounded veterans at Freedom Alliance.

Did you know that in 2000 Congress declared 3:00 PM of each Memorial Day as a National Moment of Remembrance?  Take a minute (at least), as the resolution reads, to "voluntarily and informally observe in [your] own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever [you] are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps.'"

President Bush's recent West Point commencement address was an implicit appeal for bipartisan support to keep fighting against terror by fighting the totalitarianism that breeds it.  Before summarizing the efforts undertaken under his administrations, he outlined the institutions, alliances, and doctrines Harry Truman undertook at the outset of the Cold War.  (Update: Kesher notes this, too, and takes it further.) He reminded that we're in it for the long haul: "Now the Class of 2006 will enter the great struggle -- and the final outcome depends on your leadership."

Some time in your life, if you don't already know it, listen to Johnny Cash's rendition of "Danny Boy," inspired by his own father's service in World War I.

Click here for the Tomb of the Unknown Civil War Dead.

And from the National World War II Memorial:

Update 5/29: Ms. Malkin sets the blogging pace for this holiday, going on the offense over coverage of the Haditha, Iraq killing case; she also cites a call at Milblogs to respond in force to CNN's request for viewers' military mementos.  Here's a clip of  Congressman Murtha nearly foaming at the mouth in his rush to rain damnation on the U.S. Marines.  If he leaned forward any more in his chair, I swear he'd fall over....

Comments

[westbankmama]

Thank you for reminding me Jeremayakovka. You have some very moving links here.

[JMK]

Glad you like it, wbm!

When I learned about the National Moment of Remembrance, it made me think of the minute of silence of the the Yom HaShoah observance.