Independence Day

[wuwh_08]

Happy Independence Day Volnation. May God bless you and your families today.

[Benchwarmer]

Thanks.

Freedom from political oppression is a tremendous blessing. Here is another freedom we enjoy.

Freedom to choose work. We are not locked in to one occupation for all our lives like serfs in feudal days. Also, a bit of trivia. J.S. Bach was once thrown in jail for twice asking the prince he worked for if he could take another job somewhere else.

See if you can add another freedom, Volnation posters. Let's make a list.

[otis72]

Hollywood Stars Perform The Declaration of Independence - YouTube hers one..

[Tux]

It is now Happy Dependents Day.

[volprof]

Originally Posted by Benchwarmer

Thanks.

Freedom from political oppression is a tremendous blessing. Here is another freedom we enjoy.

Freedom to choose work. We are not locked in to one occupation for all our lives like serfs in feudal days. Also, a bit of trivia. J.S. Bach was once thrown in jail for twice asking the prince he worked for if he could take another job somewhere else.

See if you can add another freedom, Volnation posters. Let's make a list.

Freedom to assembly and freedom of speech. We might not agree with everything everyone else does or has to say (and that's fine), but at least we live in a country that grants us those constitutional rights (although sometimes people have to fight to make sure that they are actually granted). Happy Fourth of July to all patriots!

[fade route]

Originally Posted by Tux

It is now Happy Dependents Day.

While I agree with you, I can't believe all the political posts the mods are letting fly on VN these days. For proof just check out the Andy Griffith thread - good grief.
Posted via VolNation Mobile

[ncvol17]

freedom to watch CFB game of your choice..[if you buy premium sports cable package..LOL] - watching Big Ten channel game of week until real season begins.....

[Yankee_Vol]

Merry Independence Day!

This We'll Defend

[phowell23]

236 years ago, back in 1776, we told the strongest nation in the world at that time that a bunch of ragged colonies are now independent. Anyone who signed the Declaration of Independence was admitting to treason, punishable by death. That had to take guts.

[R481967]

It took everything

[UTVOLKeith]

God Bless our Nation

Please remember the reason!

[Titan&Volfan4life]

The freedom and RIGHT to bear arms.

Our founding fathers wanted to make certain that the average Americans could always unite and rise up to take back our country if politicians ever tried to force a dictatorship on us, overtax us to go strongly against the real law of America which is our Constitution.

Happy birthday America!!!

May God always bless America and each and every one of you.

VFL...GBO!!!

[JayVols]

A week or so ago, I was in Charleston, SC. True to my annual routine, I attended Patriot's Pointe, home of three WWII warships:

The USS Yorktown- CV-10



The USS Laffey- DD-724



and The USS Clamagore- SS-343- diesel submarine



If you have never been I highly suggest that you go. The sights, sounds, smells, and emotion surrounding these ships are incredible. It never gets old. No matter how many times I have toured these vessels (this year was at least my 10th), the aura and respect these ships have and the sacrifice they represent and honor still humbles me. There is also a Vietnam Naval Support Base replica complete with a river patrol boat, Bell AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter, Bell UH-1 Iriquois "Huey", and either a Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw or a Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw helicopters. The 2 Sikorsky helos are so similar that I am not qualified to distinguish the two. I assume it's the H-34 because it was a replacement during the Vietnam era for the Korean era H-19, but it could be either to my eye. Awesome place. I'm getting chills just talking about it.

This year was even more special. I was looking forward to spending time with my family, being immersed in the storied history of each ship, and passing my passion for history down to my daughters. We received so much more on this visit. We did the usual stuff starting on the hangar deck viewing vintage WWII flying war machines. The F4U Corsair is my personal favorite. The beauty of this plane and it's wings is a sight to see. We eventually made our way to the flight deck. To our surprise, there was a special ceremony about to begin. We had the honor of watching the promotion ceremony for a female Air Force colonel, Martha Meeker, who was receiving her first star of a brigadier general. It's not everyday that you get to witness an event like this. As much of a pleasure this was to watch, someone else caught my eye. The was a retired Marine Major General (2 stars) presiding over the ceremony. His two shiny stars popped from his immaculately groomed dress uniform. The old man looked as sharp as a 25 year old in dress uniform. I watched this man's dignified and graceful way he carried himself despite his age. Naturally my eyes were drawn to the stars on his shoulders and the massive size of his fruit salad on the left breast of his coat that represented many years of dignified and honorable service to his country. It was a beautiful sight. Even so, something else caught my eye. It was a star of some kind, but it wasn't on his shoulders. It hung around his neck between his collars. The blue ribbon that was connected to this star and was wrapped around his neck made my heart jump. Not only was I witnessing a solemn ceremony that represented years of work and dedication, but I was also witnessing a Marine Corps Major General who had been awarded this nation's highest military honor, The Congressional Medal of Honor. I was in the presence of an American hero. The man was very friendly and accommodating. I shook his hand and thanked him for his service. He thanked me and then looked at my girls and said "Who are these lovely young ladies?" He bent over as far as he could to get on their level to shake their hands. Here was an American hero getting on the same level of 2 little girls to shake their hands and take the time to make them feel special. It was an amazing experience for me and my whole family.

I know I don't need to tell you guys, but let's all take the time to make sure all of our children have some measure of understand of the price that has been paid for our freedom. Well over a million men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of freedom for us all. We owe them and all who have served a debt that can never be paid. The least we can give them is our undying appreciation. With every fiber of my being, I want to thank every person who has ever served so that this nation can be free. We all need to remember and teach our kids to forget the comic book characters, sports stars, musicians, movie stars, etc. Our men and women who have served and still are serving are the real heroes in every sense of the word. As long as I have breath, you will not be forgotten. Stay safe. God bless you all and God bless America!


Oh, btw, the general that I saw was USMC Major General James Everett Livingston. Check him out:

James E. Livingston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CMOHS.org - Captain LIVINGSTON, JAMES E., U.S. Marine Corps

Former JB commander becomes a Brig. Gen.

American Valor . Stories of Valor . James Livingston | PBS

Medal of Honor recipient Major General Livingston on Veterans Day - YouTube

[UTVOLKeith]

God know I thank him every chance...

can you imagine living anywhere else?

think about why it is great to be an American

then think about your "political" beliefs

its not about a party or a person

America is about "Freedom"

"FREEDOM OF THE INDIVIDUAL"

[BigOrange15]

Originally Posted by JayVols

A week or so ago, I was in Charleston, SC. True to my annual routine, I attended Patriot's Pointe, home of three WWII warships:

The USS Yorktown- CV-10



The USS Laffey- DD-724



and The USS Clamagore- SS-343- diesel submarine



If you have never been I highly suggest that you go. The sights, sounds, smells, and emotion surrounding these ships are incredible. It never gets old. No matter how many times I have toured these vessels (this year was at least my 10th), the aura and respect these ships have and the sacrifice they represent and honor still humbles me. There is also a Vietnam Naval Support Base replica complete with a river patrol boat, Bell AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter, Bell UH-1 Iriquois "Huey", and either a Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw or a Sikorsky H-34 Choctaw helicopters. The 2 Sikorsky helos are so similar that I am not qualified to distinguish the two. I assume it's the H-34 because it was a replacement during the Vietnam era for the Korean era H-19, but it could be either to my eye. Awesome place. I'm getting chills just talking about it.

This year was even more special. I was looking forward to spending time with my family, being immersed in the storied history of each ship, and passing my passion for history down to my daughters. We received so much more on this visit. We did the usual stuff starting on the hangar deck viewing vintage WWII flying war machines. The F4U Corsair is my personal favorite. The beauty of this plane and it's wings is a sight to see. We eventually made our way to the flight deck. To our surprise, there was a special ceremony about to begin. We had the honor of watching the promotion ceremony for a female Air Force colonel, Martha Meeker, who was receiving her first star of a brigadier general. It's not everyday that you get to witness an event like this. As much of a pleasure this was to watch, someone else caught my eye. The was a retired Marine Major General (2 stars) presiding over the ceremony. His two shiny stars popped from his immaculately groomed dress uniform. The old man looked as sharp as a 25 year old in dress uniform. I watched this man's dignified and graceful way he carried himself despite his age. Naturally my eyes were drawn to the stars on his shoulders and the massive size of his fruit salad on the left breast of his coat that represented many years of dignified and honorable service to his country. It was a beautiful sight. Even so, something else caught my eye. It was a star of some kind, but it wasn't on his shoulders. It hung around his neck between his collars. The blue ribbon that was connected to this star and was wrapped around his neck made my heart jump. Not only was I witnessing a solemn ceremony that represented years of work and dedication, but I was also witnessing a Marine Corps Major General who had been awarded this nation's highest military honor, The Congressional Medal of Honor. I was in the presence of an American hero. The man was very friendly and accommodating. I shook his hand and thanked him for his service. He thanked me and then looked at my girls and said "Who are these lovely young ladies?" He bent over as far as he could to get on their level to shake their hands. Here was an American hero getting on the same level of 2 little girls to shake their hands and take the time to make them feel special. It was an amazing experience for me and my whole family.

I know I don't need to tell you guys, but let's all take the time to make sure all of our children have some measure of understand of the price that has been paid for our freedom. Well over a million men and women have made the ultimate sacrifice on the altar of freedom for us all. We owe them and all who have served a debt that can never be paid. The least we can give them is our undying appreciation. With every fiber of my being, I want to thank every person who has ever served so that this nation can be free. We all need to remember and teach our kids to forget the comic book characters, sports stars, musicians, movie stars, etc. Our men and women who have served and still are serving are the real heroes in every sense of the word. As long as I have breath, you will not be forgotten. Stay safe. God bless you all and God bless America!


Oh, btw, the general that I saw was USMC Major General James Everett Livingston. Check him out:

James E. Livingston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

CMOHS.org - Captain LIVINGSTON, JAMES E., U.S. Marine Corps

Former JB commander becomes a Brig. Gen.

American Valor . Stories of Valor . James Livingston | PBS

Medal of Honor recipient Major General Livingston on Veterans Day - YouTube

Been there. It's a fantastic experience and I would also highly recommend it to anyone looking for some American Military history. Also, that was a great story, thank you so much for posting.