I Love A Parade

I dare to hope... and am reasonably certain that patriotism is alive and well in our country. I know without a doubt that it is alive and RAMPANT in Las Vegas.
Today, November 11, 2010, we watched the full three hours of the Veterans Day parade. I was amazed (and thrilled) at the number of high school Junior ROTC groups that marched... Air Force, Navy, Army and Marine. Just as I was impressed yesterday by the high school students who heard Ray and several other veterans tell the stories of their wars and their military experiences. They were attentive and respectful; some of them came & thanked the speakers and some of them already have plans to go into the military when they graduate.
Most of the 'floats' in today's parade were simply filled with people who were/are in the military or who represented some organization which is connected to our military men and women. Of course, flags were everywhere; when the color guard marched by most people stood... a few did not. (My friend, Jayne, was screaming in my head "go across the street & tell those jackasses to stand up & respect our flag"... but I didn't.. cause I'm chicken).
Las Vegas is full of veterans... and apparently, most of them ride motorcycles... and they were all in the parade. FANTASTIC... there were lots of beautiful machines. We especially liked the three-wheelers. Hm-m-m-m, I think that's something my Raymie and I could do. (Note to children: hope you don't mind... Mom & Dad just spent your inheritance on a BMW three-wheeled motorcycle... see ya later).
The group I loved the best (even though it made me cry) was the Gold Star Families. There were moms and dads, wives, children, brothers and sisters of the fallen. They all wore white shirts, and gold stars. Many carried placards with pictures of their heroes; we must strive to remember not only those who have gone from us, but those who remain and must carry on without a loved one who left too soon.

Yessss... I just love parades... whether it be the 'Pioneer Days' in Watonga, Oklahoma (followed immediately by the bed races) or the biggest Veterans Day parade west of the Mississippi here in Las Vegas. And it is even more special when it includes a patriotic Santa in a pink sequinned suit.

God bless America

Zippity Doooo Dah No. 2

I guess this proves the apple (acorn/walnut/whatever) doesn't fall far from the tree. This is son Steven on his trip down Fremont St. He was just a few seconds ahead of me... there are four ziplines so four brave souls can be floating above the crowd at the same time.

He and I agreed that this was a great adventure! I hope it remains in place so my other kids/grandkids(?) can take that ride.

Zippity Do-o-o Dah!!!

It is I... clinging for dear life and sailing along Fremont St. waaaay above the cheering crowd.
Steven & I finally found the 'launching pad' ...after walking the length of 3 or 4 football fields... and rode the elevator up 5 stories. My first thought, as they were strapping me into the harness was: "why is this harness so small and flimsy"? Second thought: "I knew I should have gone to the restroom first".

Then we climbed the stairs to the launch pad where we were hooked up to this (hopefully very strong) cable, and after a few words of instructions which I couldn't hear because I was in the No. 4 spot... the attendant unclipped me and shoved me off into the wild neon yonder.

As I proceeded down the 800 feet of cable, I began to twist and turn and was uncertain if that was supposed to happen... not that I could do anything about it. So when I arrived at THE END platform, my back was turned & I wondered how I would stop this thing... but not to worry. Trained operators were there to bring me to a screeching halt and, of course, a photographer was there to capture the moment.

THE END

The Monument

When the eagle makes a stand
Upon a distant land
The spirit of the Corps in in his eye,

He lays his anchor down

Upon the troubled ground

And the world knows the words Semper Fi

The Korean Peninsula was under Japanese rule from 1910 to the end of the second world war in 1945. At that time, the victorious allies divided the country at the 38th parallel into North Korea, occupied by Russian troops and South Korea, occupied by U.S. troops. By 1948 the political division had deepened beteen the two Koreas and North Korea established a communist government.

On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army invaded South Korea and pushed far into the south before being confronted by U.N. forces which came to the aid of the South Korean Army. These 15,000 men of the Tenth Corps included the 1st Marine Division (Reinforced), two battalions of the U.S. Army's 7th Division and a force of British Royal Marine Commandos. They routed the enemy and advanced north to the Chosin Reservoir, about 30 miles south of the Yalu River, the border between Korea and Red China.

On September 15, 2010, I was privileged to be at Camp Pendleton for the dedication of a monument to the Chosin Few. It was a perfect California day, early morning overcast skies giving way to soft rays of sun, accompanied by gentle ocean breezes.

The U.N. high command had assured the commanders in the field that the Chinese Army forces were not expected to cross the Manchurian border; the men would be home by Christmas. On November 27, 1950, in minus 30 degree temperatures, an estimated 125,000 Chinese communist troops poured over the border, isolated and surrounded the Tenth Corps there on the east side of the Chosin Reservoir.

September 15, 2010: The 1st Marine Division band played; there were prayers, there was a helicopter flyover. We pledged our allegiance, we sang the National Anthem and we listened while GySgt Joel Daniel played "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipe.

The U.N. forces were almost overwhelmed by the seemingly unending wave of enemy troops; the situation was so critical the U.N. high command had written these units off as lost. The fighting men however, not knowing all was lost, battled their way through enemy lines and road blocks, aided by air support from Navy, Marine and Air Force planes. From that action came the phrase "Retreat Hell! We're fighting in the other direction". On December 7 they made it to the village of Koto-ri, the entrance to the only road leading down the mountain and then on to the sea.

It must have seemed impossible, given the number of casualties and the conditions which hampered movement and treatment but the Division fought its way to the sea, bringing its dead, wounded and equipment. By December 24 the Tenth Corps was successfully evacuated to South Korea by the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force, along with nearly 100,000 North Korean civilian refugees.

September 15, 2010: We heard moving words from General James T. Conway, Commandant of the Marine Corps and keynote speaker, Captain Dale Dye, USMC (Ret). The monument was unveiled, the wreath was placed, echo/taps was played and we watched a dozen white doves fly away into the blue sky. We bowed our heads and prayed again.

In this epic battle the 15,000 allies suffered 12,000 casualties including more than 3,000 KIA, 6,000 WIA plus thousands of severe frostbite cases. The enemy sustained more than 45,000 casualties. A total of 17 Medals of Honor, 70 Navy Crosses and many Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded for the campaign, the most for a single battle in U.S. Military history.

"Whatever we were in that frozen long-ago and whatever we are now, we are bound as one for life in an exclusive fraternity of honor. The only way into our ranks is to have paid the dues of duty, sacrifice and valor by being there. The cost of joining, in short, is beyond all earthly wealth."

If you ever knew a combat veteran who came home from his war and would never talk about it, I recommend you see the documentary "The Chosin" by Brian Iglesias. It is available on Amazon.

Much of the information related here is taken from the Chosin Few News Digest and from an article and a song by Frank Gross which appears in the Dedication program. This event was sponsored by the Col. William E. Barber Chapter of the Chosin Few in Orange County.

Tidbits & Nitpicks

TIDBIT: Sunglasses... whatever did our parents & grandparents do without them? Oh yeah, now I remember... they wore hats and/or bonnets. Me... I am grateful for my new prescription, polarized sunglasses (thank you, son John for showing me polarization). They are great for driving and make the world look beautiful (even when it's not). No longer do I need to wear those clunky sunglasses which fit over my seeing-eye glasses. The trick now is to remember to always take my clear, seeing-eye glasses with me... before I schlep all the way across a parking lot in the blazing sun with the asphalt melting & sticking to my feet only to discover when I'm inside the store that I can't see a thing... with my (wonderful, Rx, polarized sun-) glasses.

NITPICK: Berber carpet... who needs it?? Wickipedia says it was first invented by the Berber tribe in North Africa, using natural fibers (insert picture of beautiful, colorful rug). Today the carpets are more commonly made of nylon, olefin or wool. I don't have a clue what "olefin" is, but if it is a material that, once woven into a rug, is the color of dust, hurts your feet to walk on and is just plain U-G-L-Y... then that is what is in the house here in Vegas. It is difficult to keep clean and sooner or later, we will need to replace it (emphasis on sooner). 'Traffic areas' are beginning to show; and I'm not bothering to go after spots with a bottle of Resolve. I'm keeping an eye on carpet sales in the area... and seriously thinking of inviting all of the grandchildren over for a spaghetti dinner and setting up the kiddie table in the middle of the living room.

TIDBIT: Speaking of carpet, many years ago we bought a house in Texas with 'off white' carpet. That was OK because it was only the two of us. Then, along came John... and along came Ginger... and David was on his way, so by that time we really needed to replace the carpet. So, with trusty Sears card in hand, new carpet was purchased and installed in every room. I was ever s0 protective of it... admonishing the children (yelling at the kids)... "don't walk on that carpet with your shoes on".. don't you dare eat that cracker in the living room"... etc. One day when John was just over 3 years old and Ginger was about 1-1/2, I walked into John's room & he was standing there with a Dixie cup full of water. I said to him (nicely) "you mustn't bring water into your room... you might spill it and ruin your new carpet". He drank it very carefully... I turned and there was Ginger with a Dixie cup of water in her (tiny, shaky) hand. Thinking fast, I said "can Mommy have a drink?" She happily complied, handed me the cup and Mommy drank it all down in one gulp. Then John said "Ginner got hers out of the potty".

TIDBIT: One evening recently, we discovered a baby bird in our front yard. He probably tried to fly too soon and was on the ground in the blazing Las Vegas heat. We filled a bottle cap with water & watched as he drank, and drank, and drank. We then filled it with sugar water and (reluctantly) left him to his fate. After all, we're not exactly a bird sanctuary, and if we had brought him inside, Smokey the cat would have thought we had just expanded the menu. Next morning, the bottle cap was completely empty and the bird was nowhere to be seen. Although I am well aware of the many scenarios which might have happened overnight, I prefer to think that Baby Bird was so filled with strength and energy by our ministrations that he flew away to begin a better life.



BYE BYE, BIRDIE

We Will Never Forget

LEAVING FOR KOREA, 1950

On June 13 there was an "Appreciation Event" held at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas in honor of the American Veterans of the Korean War. This event, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War was hosted by the organization "Friends of American Veterans of the Korean War". Most of the speakers, including the MC, were Korean; most were too young to have experienced the war; all of them said how humbled and honored they were to be in the presence of the men and women of the U.S. Military who saved their nation from communism.

South Korea is a nation which has not forgotten that the United States, along with Canadian and Australian troops, fought for their freedom alongside their own military to rout the North Korean army and then to defend against the Chinese threat which poured into the conflict, 200,000 strong.
I myself have been the beneficiary of South Korea's gratitude; that government has a program called "Revisit Korea". In 1999, Ray and I flew to Seoul and from the moment we touched down, we were guests of the ROK. They put us up in a five-star hotel, furnished all our meals, hosted all our travels into the countryside. Our buses had banners reading "Korean War Veterans", and when we drove down the streets, the Korean people came to attention and saluted and waved. Our hosts were more gracious and appreciative than we could have imagined.
The Appreciation Event was a fine evening; many Korean ladies were dressed in traditional costumes. The hall was lined with young women in white suits, each with different colored collars and lapels, who bowed and said "Thank You" in Korean. There was music from the Global Symphonic Band. We sang our National Anthem and (listened to) the Korean National Anthem. General Douglas MacArthur was there, or at least someone who looked just like him and spoke eloquently about the "police action" in Korea. Each veteran in attendance was presented with a medal of honor in appreciation for their service.
The four services were recognized with their own marching songs and as the music played, "Caissons Go Rolling", "Anchors Aweigh", US Airforce Song" and the "Marine Corps Hymn", the old soldiers and marines got up and began to 'march' around the room. There was white hair and no hair; many leaned on their canes, some on walkers; some stood straight, some bent. One speaker had commented: "when you went to Korea you were young... and good looking. Tonight you are still good looking". And they were; it made me proud to see them.
In our own country, I think the Korean conflict is not well known. There are a lot of books out there from which we can learn more; I intend to do just that. But one thing I do know: the South Korean people will never forget.

VETERAN OF THE KOREAN WAR, 2010

Lessons I Have Recently Learned

Have you noticed? It's not only pickle jars that are more difficult to open these days. Have you tried to pry apart a 'zip-lock' bag of sliced Muenster cheese or Black Forest ham? Or even a bag of potato chips?! It is nearly impossible! And don't even get me started on those 'childproof' caps on my medicine bottles... you know what I mean.

I have come to realize that after one reaches a certain age one should not attempt to keep on doing those things which were nearly effortless in times gone by. For example, recently we had the "opportunity" to participate in the clean-up, fix-up, paint-up of a rental property. This is what I learned from that experience:
1. If you decide to help paint, you should not get on a ladder to paint all the way to the ceiling. This is dangerous.
2. Because you are unable to bend over much nowadays, in order to reach down low on the wall you can sit on a little short stool. However, you will be unable to get up from there.
3. You should certainly never sit on the floor to paint the baseboards (see above).
4. Even though you wear "paint clothes" (you know what I mean... the jeans you never wear in public because they make your butt look big), and even though you go through the whole day without a drop of paint anywhere on you... as soon as you put on your jacket so you can leave this chamber of torture, you will lurch into a wall and discover that the paint is still wet there.
5. You will HATE the word "mini-blind" after you have thoroughly washed every slat of every blind in the house.
6. While replacing the cover plates on all the electrical switches and outlets, you will drop those teeny little screws over and over again. Eventually, at least one of them will fall into the heater/AC register located on the floor and be lost forever.
7. Your body will ache in places you didn't know existed and in ways heretofore unheard of.
8. You will curse the day you ever invested in rental property.

Putting all that aside... here we are on the Las Vegas monorail with Gus:

A very good day, April 3, 2010