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LAFAYETTE, WE ARE
HERE!
French Nobleman and Revolutionary War
Continental
Major General, Lafayette, heroically led American
Continental troops in the Battles of Monmouth and
Yorktown. When he was buried, dirt from
Revolutionary War battlefields was spread
over his grave.
"It is with loving pride we drape the colors in tribute
of respect to this citizen of your great republic. And
here and now in the presence of the illustrious dead
we pledge our hearts and our honor in carrying this
war to a successful issue.
Lafayette,
we are here".
Colonel Charles E. Stanton in a speech at the tomb of
American
Revolutionary War General Marquis de Lafayette,
4 July 1917 - WWI
The debt owed LaFayette by America was about
to
be repaid with the blood of American soldiers.
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Marquis de Lafayette
b. Sept 6, 1757. d. May 20, 1834.
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"Do not stand at my grave and weep;
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn's rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die."
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Iwo Jima
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"When you go home
Tell them of us and say,
For their tomorrow,
We gave our today."
The
Kohima Epitaph
This appears on a monument
erected at the British military
cemetery at Kohima, Assam,
India, in memory of those who
died in World War II's largest
Asian land battle near there
in 1944.
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The five Sullivan brothers (Albert,
Francis, George,
Joseph, and Madison) served together as shipmates
aboard the cruiser U.S.S. Juneau after requesting
special permission from the Secretary of the Navy.
The Juneau was sunk on November 13, 1942, off
the island of Guadalcanal by Japanese submarine
I-26. Of the crew of over 600 sailors, only 11
survived.
Even after hearing rumors of the death of her five
sons, Mrs. Sullivan continued to support the war
effort as evidenced by a letter she wrote to the
Bureau of Naval Personnel. Franklin D. Roosevelt
sent a personal letter to Mrs. Sullivan expressing
his and the nation's sorrow. For wartime America,
the Sullivan brothers became the ultimate symbol
of heroic sacrifice. |
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Although he had never received formal
parachute training,
Brig. Gen. Anthony C. McAuliffe volunteered to jump with
the first wave, for which action he was recommended for
promotion. During the Battle of the Bulge, General
McAuliffe received the Distinguished Service Medal for
leading the epic defense of the town of Bastogne during
attack by overwhelming German forces. When asked by
the German general to surrender, he responded with
the now famous one-word answer, "NUTS!" Bastogne
was saved. Gen. McAuliffe went on to serve America
for many years.
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American Troops parade through Paris -
WWII
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In Flanders Fields
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.
Poem
by: Col. John McCrea
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