Medal of Honor Bridge Dedication - May 6th

There is an event coming up in Lafayette, IN on May 6th which is worth mentioning - the first bridge in the country to be named "Medal of Honor Bridge". To be included in the ceremony are 6 or 7 living MOH recipients.

Rather than continuing with more info, I direct you to the following link:

http://allsuperscooters.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=996

The above link has information of all the expected MOH attendees including pictures and links to narrative that lead to the awards. There is also contact information for lodging and meeting place for anyone that might choose to attend.
It has all the makings of a very special and unique event.

Rick V

It's good to see the recognition of those who have given so much. FREEDOM ISN"T FREE!! This might be a good time to get one of those DennisB flagholders.

I find it really nice that your country is prepared, and proud, to offer your Armed Forces respect. You seem to be quite prepared to acknowledge their sacrifices, not just to the extent of awarding medals and honours, but even as far as stores offering discounts to veterans.
I read somewhere that passengers boarding at an airport in the States had to wait in line until serving members of the Armed Forces boarded first. Quite right!
Sadly, this respect is very rare in the UK. I think the other UK veterans on the site will agree with me, respect is sadly lacking for serving and ex-servicemen over here. As for discounts in stores, forget it!! I get discount in two DIY chains, but only because I'm over 60.
Only recently, a serving soldier was killed by drunken yobs when he went for a night out. Sometimes, I despair for this country.

I disagree.
The situation here is different from the United States.
By and large, the North American continent has been spared the direct attacks and consequent damage to both civilians and property, at least in the last two or three hundred years.
There are many civilians still alive in Europe who bore the horrors of war directly so it is invidious to distinguish between them and the Armed Forces.
For that reason, I think, the British tend to be less demonstrative than the Americans.
Don't forget the Festival of Remembrance which has taken place every year since about 1926 and has evolved to include in the march-past not only servicemen but representitives of many civilian organizations.
The Ride To The Wall has become an annual event.
A new memorial to women who gave their lives in War was placed in Whitehall not many years ago.
The Battle of Britain Memorial appeared on the Embankment quite recently.
Every year in thousands of towns and villages people gather at their War memorials to remember the dead.
The residents of Wootton Bassett turn out spontaneously to honour the dead soldiers as they leave Brize Norton.

As for the soldier being murdered, there are thugs and ne'er-do-wells in every society.

Different countries do different things - is any one better than another?

Incidentally, the obituary was in the British Daily Telegraph.

Mike,
I would agree with the majority of your comments, but I feel that the people you mention, Remembrance Day, Wooton Basset, RTW, along with all the wonderful people who work for and support servicemen and veterans, however numerous they seem, are in fact a minority.
Remember the drunk convicted of urinating on wreaths on a memorial, the student swinging on the national flag on the Cenotaph? Initial media outrage for a day, then nothing. Minor fines on conviction.
We seem reluctant to praise courage and achievement in this country. "Service personnel? Well, probably not capable of doing a 'proper' job." I've had comments like that in my time, as has my wife, who also served. She was told at a job interview years ago that if she 'had been properly trained, she may have been considered for the job. (Receptionist) She was, and is, a qualified typist and book-keeper, qualifications gained in the Navy. I was told at interview that servicemen are not always reliable, and not able to do the job. My qualifications were better than the guy interviewing me!!

Oh well, such is life!! End of rant.
Sometimes it's nice being a (veteran) grumpy old git!!!

Yes but remember the outcry when the incidents you mention were broadcast in the Press.
Once dealt with they are best forgotten....or what do you suggest should happen? (That sounds confrontational but isn't meant to be).

I'm not sure that the supporters are in a minority; it's just that the British way of going about things is not the same as the American.

I wonder how many actual War Memorials like the British ones there are dotted about the United States.
If one looks around the UK there are hundreds of villages with a 'Memorial' hall at the centre in addition to their own outdoor memorial.

I've just looked on Wikipedia under British War Memorial; under the US are listed 13 significant National Monuments.
How many in the UK? 13.

At the end of the day, if the British are failing to honour the dead, it's our generation which has failed to teach the younger generations to do it properly.

http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/ - worth a look.

Winger61 wrote:

"Service personnel? Well, probably not capable of doing a 'proper' job." I've had comments like that in my time, as has my wife, who also served. She was told at a job interview years ago that if she 'had been properly trained, she may have been considered for the job. (Receptionist) She was, and is, a qualified typist and book-keeper, qualifications gained in the Navy. I was told at interview that servicemen are not always reliable, and not able to do the job. My qualifications were better than the guy interviewing me!!

I don't think that is typical. At the interview for my first job (after serving 22 years in HM Forces), I was told that I was offered the job because I was ex military. The job required self discipline and reliability as I would be working on my own for much of the time. I found out later those skills were sadly lacking in the 'pretty young thing' whose job I took over!! I did that job for 15 years!!

So, IMHO, I think that ex military are just as likely to get a job as anyone else - I suppose much of it depends on the individual and not the fact that they were in the Services.

Laurie

I must agree with Laurie, the three employers I've had since retiring from the U.S. Army have all cited my service as a factor that positively influenced them. Now admittedly two of the three are military contractors, but the one that was not a contractor recognized the self-discipline gained through service as a very significant positive trait.

I've been to the Norman coast and have toured the battle fields of that area and many of the battlefields of the Southern U.S. (Civil War) and all I can say is - there is generally a universal positive respect for good. The downside of this - people have short memories and begin to believe that good is relative and at that point the process of attributing that respect to the correct groups or persons begins to slide downhill. Moral relativism is a dangerous thing.

We have our share of loonies and I even support their legal and respectful right to dissent (Westboro Baptist Church, et. al.) I don't share their sentiment and I also don't blindly believe that my countries leadership is always spot on. I do believe that most generally the citizens of this and other countries are for the most part appreciative and respectful of their respective armed forces, provided the citizenry is free and the armed forces are not used as tools of repression.

Dang I really have pulled this off topic. I won't be able to make it to the bridge dedication, but will continue to support such things.

Dale, I don't think you have; your Bridge Dedication is one indication that victims of War continue to be in our thoughts.
At the Menin Gate in Ypres, the Last Post is sounded every day as it has been since just after the end of the First World War (except for the few years of the Second when Belgium was occupied by the Nazis) and it's not just for the Belgians or the British but for all the servicemen who fell.
I doubt that anyone who attends the ceremony, and there are many who do, exclude all those who've been involved in wars since then, either dead or alive.