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Memorial Day Weekend

Shale: ...is a Chamber Royal.; Join date : 2010-09-27
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Post n°1

Memorial Day Weekend

by Shale Sat May 28, 2011 11:40 am

Memorial Day Weekend

Everyone is happy for the holiday, but to say Happy Memorial Day is a misnomer. It was intended to be a time of reverence & reflection of those who have fallen in war. I will enjoy the time away from work, but I will also remember our war heroes and one in my family from a distant war, my uncle Bill who died 2 months before my birth on a Pacific island at age19. My generation may be the last to remember this one of millions who died in that war.

PFC William Lynn, USMC
Memorial Day Weekend 252824_10150203639730480_744025479_6958495_6325508_n

Memorial Day Weekend 252824_10150203639730480_744025479_6958495_6325508_n

And, while he did not die in a war, my namesake uncle Bob fought in the European War, bombing Romanian oil fields in a B-17. He was shot down and survived, spending some time in a German POW camp before being repatriated.

Memorial Day Weekend 1940sRobtLynnMapGer-RusWeb

Memorial Day Weekend 1940sRobtLynnMapGer-RusWeb

He died after the war in a C-47 (DC-3) plane crash in Hawaii - 1952.

Captain Robert Lynn, USAF
Memorial Day Weekend Robertlynnusaf50

Alan Smithee

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Post n°2

Re: Memorial Day Weekend

by Alan Smithee Sat May 28, 2011 12:51 pm

Thank you Shale, captainbryce, Friendly Veteran and your uncles and all the countless others who have worn our country's uniform. Especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Recently and long ago.

Shale

Shale: ...is a Chamber Royal.; Join date : 2010-09-27
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Post n°3

Re: Memorial Day Weekend

by Shale Sat May 28, 2011 5:48 pm

Oh, I didn't mention my Great Grandpa, "Doc" Robertson who was a sawbones with the CSA in the Civil War. He died in the 1930s before I was born. He survived the war but was a die-hard rebel until he actually died. I was told you would stand when Dixie was played or he would hit you with his cane.

I can assume he would not care for how I turned out of course, marrying a black woman and all, but gotta respect that he was on the side of a war he believed in.

BTW, all I know of my uncle Bill were the war year letters that he wrote to my grandmother and which I inherited. Some of those letters were published in Andrew Carroll's War Letters and were featured on the History Channel program Dear Home.

Memorial Day Weekend 2011_03_apr_dc_web

This Spring when I went to Washington I left those letters with the Library of Congress, Veterans History Project, since we his nieces and nephews (all over 60) are the last gen to hold them. They should eventually be available online.

RedBedroom

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Post n°4

Re: Memorial Day Weekend

by RedBedroom Sat May 28, 2011 10:24 pm

Great post, Shale.

And I thank all here, that have served our country.

There has not been a day in my adult life that I have not been forever grateful to those who do for this country what I did not...protect and serve us.

God Bless.

Tony Marino

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Post n°5

Re: Memorial Day Weekend

by Tony Marino Sun May 29, 2011 9:05 am

Shale that is a very impressive lineage you have there. I like reading letters from the Civil War there are sites online that have them. To all the vets here thank you for what you have done for our country.

2xy

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Post n°6

Re: Memorial Day Weekend

by 2xy Mon May 30, 2011 6:38 pm

My grandpa, 1943

Memorial Day Weekend Rayboyd43

My grandma, her parents, and her five brothers, early 1940s

Memorial Day Weekend Brothers

My boot camp mug shot, 1990...don't laugh...it's not like we were able to primp...

Memorial Day Weekend Mebasic

Also, my mom's brother Tom spent time in Saudi Arabia with the Army, and my boys' dad was in Iraq for four months in 2006.

My great-uncle Harry was in the Army and died in Korea. I'm sad I don't have a picture of him.

Shale

Shale: ...is a Chamber Royal.; Join date : 2010-09-27
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Post n°7

Re: Memorial Day Weekend

by Shale Mon May 30, 2011 7:38 pm

2xy, you seem to have a long history of military service in your family. Of course WWII almost everyone was in the armed forces.

Here is my family military history (not counting Grampa Doc in the CSA)

http://home.earthlink.net/~roboyte/robssite/id20.html

Today I was online and sent an e-form to Military Personnel Records center in St. Louis to see if I can get my Uncle Bob's military records to get a more complete picture of my namesake.

I also located the exact grave plot of my Uncle Bill at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. So, I guess I actually did honor Memorial Day.

Whatever makes you happy.