On top of a hill

On the one hand, the steeple of the old white country church rises above bean and corn fields like a lighthouse on a rock above the beating waves.

Meanwhile, occupants of the churchyard bear silent witness to the families gathered under the eaves on Sundays like chicks gathered under a hens wings.

Thank a Vet for their service

Here's my Dad, Sgt. M.C. Mallory, USMC working on his AD-W3 in 1953. He was a crew chief.  I'm not sure if he's on the USS Bennington, a carrier in this picture, or at the US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The AD3W, made by Douglas (before it became McDonald-Douglas) toward the end of WWII and the first bit of Korea. Like a Corsair or a Hellcat, but it could carry as much weight as a B-17, and sat 3 (pilot, radio man, and mechanic- like Dad). Same engine as a B-29 (only just one, not four- obviously).

Air Reconnaissance squadron. VMC-2 was the original composite squadron in Marine Corps aviation. It was commissioned at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point on September 15, 1952 evolving from the former Airborne Early Warning and Electronic Counter Measures section of the Wing Headquarters Squadron. 

VMC-2 was part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. VMC stands for "Visual Meteorological Conditions," but VMC-2 and VMJ-2 were known for electronic and photo reconnaissance missions. On the one hand, I figure my dad was fortunate to be an aviation mechanic in the Caribbean instead of an infantryman in Korea. On the other hand, he tells stories of surviving hurricanes that overturned planes and trucks and tossed around jeeps.  

VMC-2 merged with VMJ-2 and became the VMCJ-2 in 1955. My Dad was still on reserve duty when VMCJ-2 documented the buildup of Soviet supplies in Cuba in 1960. He expected to get called up to active duty during the Cuban Missile crisis.

Turned out that dad had an allergy or bad skin reaction to something in jet fuel as opposed to whatever they used in these WWII era prop planes, so he didn't continue as a mechanic- but he did work for American Airlines for more than 40 years mostly in their air freight.

In Memory

Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion Post #66 Homer Hall) 2nd Vice Commander B.H. Meyer plays Taps at the post's Memorial Day observances held at Charter Oak-Ute High School this morning, Monday May 25, 2009.

In Memorial

The following was originally posted on my Spiritual blog, "Prophet Priest and Pirate, " December 3, 2008

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?...

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8: 35 & 37-39 NIV)

Neither financial struggles nor recession, neither mid-life crisis nor identity crisis, neither stress nor insomnia, neither your job nor your family, not illness, not accidents, not drugs and alcohol, not sexual identity, not suffering physical abuse, nor sexual abuse, not emotional or mental abuse, not depression, not anxiety, not anger, not even suicide.

That's right. You read it.

Recently my brother-in-law took his own life. He had suffered from alcoholism for decades. He'd been through rehab/recovery programs something like five times in the last 12 years. He'd been hospitalized and treated for depression, both with traditional counseling/therapy and medication. Mind you, I'm not excusing or condoning his decision, but I also recognize that mental illness is no less an illness than MS or Lou Gehrig's Disease, or Leukemia. And I know that my brother-in-law knew Jesus and loved Jesus and felt broken and like there was no escape and no cure. Others might accuse him of not having enough faith, that he just needed to trust God more. He knew he lacked faith, if he had had hope he would still be here.

My pastor offered us a beautiful quote from Martin Luther, "I am not inclined to think that those who take their own lives are surely damned. My reason is that they do not do this of their own accord but are overcome by the power of the devil, like a man who is murdered by a robber in the woods."

So, just like the loved ones of someone who's suffered from any other terminal illness for years, I know that now at last, his suffering is over. He is safe in his Savior's arms, cured and forgiven.

He very well may have felt that he was giving up on God, but God did not give up on him.

NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. Even in our deepest despair, even in our grieving, there is still hope.

Remember

Homer Hall American Legion Post #66 Post Comander Melvin Neddermeyer, a Vietnam Veteran salutes the colors during the 21 gun salute and playing of "Taps" on Main Street as part of Memorial Day observances in Charter Oak, 2008

State Representative Clarence Hoffman delivered the keynote address and praised the Charter Oak-Ute Community Schools for producing such a successful music program.

Hoffman explained that he knew of a long list of success stories from CO-U,.

“Small schools achieve great things,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman cited a famous quote of President Theodore Roosevelt at Charter Oak's Memorial Day services,

“Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”

Hoffman explained that we need to appreciate our veterans because they have shown how much they care.

“Thank you for how much you care,” he told the veterans in the audience.

Hoffman, who founded the first Hoffman Agency insurance store in Charter Oak in 1964, recently completed ten years of serving District 55 in Iowa’s House of Representatives.

Post Commander Melvin Neddermeyer asked everyone present to recognize Hoffman for his years in the legislature and service to Charter Oak. They responded by giving him a standing ovation.

Memorial Day is about more than beer and barbecues

Every Memorial Day and Fourth of July I cry. Maybe I’m a sap, or maybe I just have a deep affection for our country and the ideals it’s supposed to be founded on.

I realize that I have a tendency to rock the boat sometimes with the opinions that I air in this column. Each and every one of us holds unique perspectives on every event and every issue. Sometimes our opinions come between us which is too bad. Some say ‘my country, right or wrong, love it or leave it.’ I prefer to think of patriotism as a relationship that you participate in, not just blind loyalty. My country right or wrong, but when she’s wrong, try to right her.

Yes, “God bless America”, but also “stand beside her, and guide her thru the night.” I don’t know about you, but I want my country to be a blessing to all the other nations of the world, not a curse.

Here are some of the words that make me tear up whenever I hear them.

“Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

What did Lincoln mean by that? I think he meant ALL men, rich or poor, black or white, European or Latin, African or Asian. Liberty means the freedom to make decisions about the laws that affect us. It means the right to participate in society. Jefferson put it this way-

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

You could say we get the government we deserve. You could say we have met the enemy and he is us. What you should always remember is that we ARE our government. That’s the great experiment. It started in 1776 and countries around the world tried to copy it. By the 1860’s there were some who thought that the experiment was failing.

“Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure,” Lincoln recognized.

Lincoln summarized what the true purpose of Memorial Day would be, “We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.”

“But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate,” he admitted, “we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.”

We often hear people say that our soldiers are fighting for our “freedom.” What freedoms are important to Americans? The First Amendment guarantees us the freedom to practice our own religion and the freedom from having any single official religion opposed on us. It promises freedom of speech, freedom of the press, do we exercise those rights? Do we bother reading and writing and speaking up for what we believe in, or do we take our freedom for granted? The First Amendment includes freedom of assembly and petition, and freedom of association. How often are we afraid of people getting organized, or people who protest? How do we impose guilt by association?

What was it that was being tested by the Civil War? That dedication to liberty and equality. That experiment where we are all in this together, that we’re here for each other, or as it says in the Constitution-

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…”

I think that the most important part of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address is not merely recognizing the noble sacrifices of the dead, it’s his admonishment for us to keep working for those ideals.

“It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”

“…for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Amen.

Patriot's Day Display

This is an American Legion Post Chaplain, taking a moment. He was one of 33 volunteers placing 4,200 flags on a lawn to commemorate our fallen soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Remeber the Fallen

What Heroes Gave
by Roger Robicheau

Each donned their uniform to be
Defenders of our liberty

Their mission sure, their spirits bright
Guard freedom’s home, be brave to fight

One final day each faced their call
Each gave their best enduring all

We’ll never know what they went through
But know they loved this country true

Deep down inside we should all feel
What heroes gave, their cost so real

We must stay thankful, grateful of
The gift of freedom through their love

Their loved ones bore the gravest pain
What we can’t know, some now sustain

To God I pray their pain will cease
And each will find long-lasting peace

Remember this from year to year
What heroes gave – shan’t disappear

We’ll never let their special day
Their time for honor slip away

These brave fought for a nation free
If not for them, where would we be?

This weekend

Dear Ted,

On Monday, our nation will observe Memorial Day -- a day which is incredibly solemn and sacred, especially to those of us who served our nation with military service.

For one day, WesPAC and our friends at VoteVets.org and the National Security Network will put politics completely aside, and stand in solidarity with the rest of our nation to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the United States. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, or of another party or no party at all, we are all still Americans, and on this day, we should solely be focused on honoring those who died in service. We're also asking that people not protest at Memorial Day events; we have 364 other days to argue policy and politics, but this day belongs to the fallen and their memories.

Today, please consider making a donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (http://www.fallenheroesfund.org), which is dedicated to helping the families of those who died in service. The Intrepid Fund has already provided $60 million in aid to families, but can only continue to do so with your support.

Above all, take a day to learn more about someone who died in defense of America. If you're at a parade or prayer service and you see a veteran or military family member, ask him or her who they are honoring. Learn more about that hero, so their memory can endure. Too often, we talk about the fallen in terms of numbers. We forget, each of those numbers were real people, with real lives, and real families. The names on the thousands of memorials across America are more than letters etched in stone -- they are lives lost with honor. The best way we can honor those who sacrificed their lives is to ensure that the memory of who they were as human beings is never forgotten. Please, on Memorial Day, do your part to ensure their memory lives on.

Thank you for your support of our troops and veterans.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark
Jon Soltz, Iraq War Veteran, VoteVets.org
Rand Beers, USMC (ret.), National Security Network

Visit SecuringAmerica.com

My own Memorial Day Address

My own Memorial Day Address
Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper — Schleswig Leader, Thursday, May, 24, 2007 – Page 3 by Ted Mallory http://tmal.multiply.com

Eleven score and eleven years ago our ancestors brought forth on this continent, a new nation, supposably conceived in Liberty (that is the freedom to determine our own fates), and dedicated to the proposition everyone is equal.

Now we are entangled in a messy, sectarian civil war in another country that we invaded four years ago unilaterally and pre-emptively. We were told that they had weapons of mass destruction that posed an imminent threat to us. They didn’t.

It was insinuated that they were in league with the religious fanatic group that had used terrorist tactics to attack us a year and a half before. They weren’t.

We are divided as a nation over whether we should continue investing the lives of our men and women and obscene amounts of money to try to impose our will on this country, or to begin bringing them home and redeploying them and begin trying to find diplomatic and political solutions to the problems that resulted from our invasion.

Fortunately, this time we are united in our concern for and pride in those men and women who have been placed in harm’s way, in principle- fighting for our security and freedom, no doubt, as in any war, fighting every day for each other’s security and survival.

We also continue to be divided on social, legal, and political issues. Whether it’s better to preserve our rule of law that was designed to protect our liberty or all but abandon those protections in order to extract revenge on those who have or would attack us and hopefully prevent them from doing it again.

Whether it is better to preserve our rule of law that was designed to protect the liberties, equality and justice afforded to all people in our society, or deny many of those rights and privileges to those who some of us fear would represent too much change in our society.

Whether it is better to tolerate the dynamic tensions, conflicting interests, and frustrating bureaucracy that is part of the balanced system that our forefathers established, or disregard it in favor of an authoritarian political ideology that considers individual and other societal interests inferior to the needs of the state, and seeks to forge a type of national unity based on religious, cultural, and business interests.

These conflicts are all testing whether this nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

This weekend, many of us will meet in community buildings, churches, Legion halls, and cemeteries. Others will probably head for the lake, a ball game, or a barbecue.
We set aside this weekend to remember those who here gave their lives that our nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

Wherever they shed their blood, is now sacred ground- whether at Lexington and Concord, Gettysburg and Anteitam, the Argone Forest, Omaha Beach and Iwo Jima, Inchon and Kapyong, Dong Ap Bia and Tet, Kandahar and Kabul, or Basrah and Fallujah.

You probably won’t clip and save this column, you’ll forget it by next week, But even if you never try to memorize Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, please never forget the people who gave their all for our country.

Even if you never attend a Memorial Day ceremony and just treat it like any other three day weekend, please remember what Memorial Day is for. Say a prayer for the families and loved ones of soldiers and guardsmen who are overseas. Find out how you can send a care package or help with toys or meals.

After all, it really is for us the living, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be dedicated to the great task remaining before us --

That from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.

Even if we vehemently disagree with or disapprove of the policies and decisions made by political leaders of either party.

-- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Stay informed, know your rights, participate in Caucuses, and let your self be heard- don’t be apathetic or complacent. We owe it to them.


Ted Mallory lives in Charter Oak and teaches at Boyer Valley Schools in Dunlap. ‘Ted’s Column’ has appeared weekly in the Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper since 2002. If you’d like to see any of Ted’s editorial cartoons bigger and brighter, you can visit http://tmal.multiply.com/photos/album/2

What’s Cooking

Cheeseburgers in Paradise

8 pineapple slices
3/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 pound ground beef
1 large sweet onion -- sliced
1 Tablespoon butter or margarine
4 lettuce leaves
4 onion or sesame seed buns, split and toasted
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 bacon strips -- cooked

Drain pineapple juice into a small bowl; add teriyaki sauce. Place 3 Tablespoon in a resealable plastic bag. Add pineapple and rotate to coat; set aside. Shape beef into four patties; place in a 8” square baking dish. Pour the remaining teriyaki sauce mixture over patties; marinate for 5-10 minutes, turning once. In a skillet, saut onion in butter until tender, about 5 minutes. Grill or broil burgers until no long pink. Place pineapple on grill or under broiler to heat through. Layer lettuce and onion on bottom of buns. Top with burgers, cheese, pineapple and bacon
Replace tops; serve immediately.

Key West Sweet Potato Fries

6 sweet potatoes, cut into French fries
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
In a plastic bag, combine the sweet potatoes, canola oil, taco seasoning, and cayenne pepper. Close and shake the bag until the fries are evenly coated. Spread the fries out in a single layer on two large baking sheets.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until crispy and brown on one side. Turn the fries over using a spatula, and cook for another 30 minutes, or until they are all crispy on the outside and tender inside. Thinner fries may not take as long.

Serve with Heintz 57 sauce and large dill pickle on the side.

Virgin Frozen Fruit “Boat Drink”

2 oranges
2 lemons
1 cup sugar
1 16 oz can crushed pineapple
2 cup ginger ale
3 bananas -- mashed

Grate the rinds of one of the oranges and one of the lemons. Squeeze juice from both lemons and oranges. Combine juice and grated rind with sugar, pineapple, ginger ale and bananas. Pour into a 6 cup mold and freeze. Remove from mold and thaw 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day an opportunity to remember
Charter Oak-Ute NEWSpaper & Schleswig LEADER, Thurs. May 25, 2006

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.

This is what General Logan wrote:

“The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit.”

Most of the South refused to celebrate Memorial Day until after WWI and even then, several Southern states held ceremonies on separate days.

It is said that after that war the battlefields in France were covered in poppies, so that they looked blood red. Scientists now think that all the iron from the actual blood and decomposed bodies of fallen soldiers actually effected the soil there in such away as to drastically increase the yield of the natural poppy population.

The phenomenon led poet John McCrae to write his famous poem in1915:

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.”

This moved a woman named Moina Michael so much, that she wrote her own poem:

“We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.”

She’s the one who came up with the idea of wearing red poppies on Memorial day to honor those who died serving their nation during war. Not only did she wear one, but she sold poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going to benefit servicemen in need.

In the 1920’s, the Franco-American Children's League sold poppies nationally to benefit war orphans of France and Belgium. The League disbanded a year later and it’s organizers asked the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) for help. They’ve been selling poppies to help support the families of service personnel and veterans ever since then.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed in Dec 2000. President Clinton declared:

“As Memorial Day approaches, it is time to pause and consider the true meaning of this holiday. Memorial Day represents one day of national awareness and reverence, honoring those Americans who died while defending our Nation and its values. While we should honor these heroes every day for the profound contribution they have made to securing our Nation's freedom, we should honor them especially on Memorial Day.

In this time of unprecedented success and prosperity throughout our land, I ask that all Americans come together to recognize how fortunate we are to live in freedom and to observe a universal ‘National Moment of Remembrance’ on each Memorial Day. This memorial observance represents a simple and unifying way to commemorate our history and honor the struggle to protect our freedoms.

Accordingly, I hereby direct all executive departments and agencies, in consultation with the White House Program for the National Moment of Remembrance (Program), to promote a 'National Moment of Remembrance' to occur at 3 p.m. (local time) on each Memorial Day.”

No matter how we feel about the War in Iraq or the threat of war in Iran, we can all send our prayers out for the families of our men and women currently serving in the armed forces. And if only at 3 o’clock in the afternoon this Monday, we should take a moment to remember and give thanks for the men and women who have given their lives in return for the rights and privileges we all enjoy as Americans. And if you have a chance, buy a poppy.

Memorial Day

"Memorial Day...celebrates and solemnly reaffirms from year to year a national act of enthusiasm and faith. It embodies in the most impressive form our belief that to act with enthusiasm and faith is the condition of acting greatly"

~Oliver Wendell Holmes
From an address delivered for Memorial Day, May 30, 1884

Monday is Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, Ashes Day, not to be confused with Labor Day, it’s book end on the other side of summer or Veteran’s Day, it’s half-brother which was really intended for the living. Since World War I, it’s also been called Poppy Day, because volunteers sell small, red artificial flowers as a fund-raiser for disabled veterans.

Legend has it that throughout history, after major wars red poppies seem to pop up on battlefields and on soldiers graves. Poppy seeds lay dormant in the soil until it is violently turned or dug up, causing them to sprout.

After WWI in Flanders Field, Belgium. In the bomb craters and on mounds of rubble, poppies bloomed everywhere. The heavily churned earth and high concentration of lime from the limestone buildings made the perfect catalyst for the poppies to grow.

Some thought that the red poppies looked spilled blood. British mothers wore poppies in remembrance of their lost sons. The poppy has since become a symbol of peace and of remembering the sacrifice of the fallen soldier.

Memorial Day may have began in 1868, when Civil War General John A. Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans’ organization, said that May 30th should be special day to decorate the graves of Union soldiers.

He may have chose May 30th on the suggestion of a Franco-American veteran, who noted that May 30th was "The Day of Ashes" in France-the day that Napoleon's remains were returned to France in 1840 from his exile to the island of St. Helena 1200 miles off Africa. What Napoleon’s ashes have to do with Union veterans, I have no idea.

Northern states celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday in May. This became a federal holiday in 1971. In the deep South, Memorial Day celebrations honor Confederate soldiers who died in "the war between the states." Mississippi and Alabama celebrate Confederate Memorial Day on the last Monday in April. In Florida and Georgia, the date is April 26. May 10 is Memorial Day in North and South Carolina, and the holiday is June 3 in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Texas observes Confederate Heroes Day on January 19 (Robert E. Lee's birthday).

The first large observance was held in 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. The cemetery already held the remains of 20,000 Union dead and several hundred Confederate dead. After speeches, children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.

Many Americans don’t know is that how Arlington came to be our national cemetery. Arlington was the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Perhaps to send his family a message, Union sympathizers piled the remains of Confederate dead at his doorstep. You can imagine the stench.

Unfortunately the significance of this holiday is sometimes forgotten, buried in ads, sales, barbecues and water sports. It’s easy to see Memorial Day as just another day off. It certainly has a sweetness as the gateway to summer and a time for friends and families to gather.

But especially with two wars just in the last two years, I think we need to remember it for what it was intended, a day of mourning, and prayer for and gratitude to the men and women who lost their lives in the line of duty and their families.

Buy a poppy to support Veterans’ charities, pray for the widowed and orphaned families of the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, and thank God for your freedoms.

"Soldier, rest! Thy warfare o'er,
Sleep the sleep that knows not breaking,
Dream of battled fields no more.
Days of danger, nights of waking."

~Sir Walter Scott
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