The garbage men collected the trash again this Monday morning, and I suppose we could also call them “sanitation engineers,” especially here in Silicon Valley. It did upset me a little at first because it’s Memorial Day 2009. Formerly Decoration Day, Memorial Day helps us prevent the irony of another civil war. Moreover, after humbling myself a little at their working today, these often overlooked but important workers somehow then seemed to make it unnecessary to do so, and they seemed to have the right timing to remember those whose work for us we remember this day, those of us required to pay the ultimate price for God and country.

Memorial Day has a rich history in the United States, and we celebrate it today, Monday, May 25 this year. According to http://www.usmemorialday.org, "Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service…" We would like to remind Americans of its sanctity and meaning.

Stories abound about the day's origins with the most common being it began in Waterloo, New York. General Logan, commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed the first Memorial Day be May 30, 1868, with his General Order Number 11. By the end of World War I, every state in the Union honored our nation's fallen.

May 30 remained the day Americans in most states honored their military dead till 1971 when Congress passed the National Holiday Act, changing Memorial Day to the last Monday in May. However, some southern states also have their own days to honor Confederate war dead and did not adopt Memorial Day till after World War I. Nowadays calls to change it back to the set day like the Fourth of July come from patriotic groups and individuals such as the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Hawaii's Senator Inouye.

A bipartisan committee, the White House Commission on Remembrance, provides a Web site which urges putting the meaning back into Memorial Day. Many criticize the change from May 30 to the last day in May so that Americans can have their 3-day weekend. The National Moment of Remembrance Home Page urges Americans, in honor of their military dead, to have a minute of silence or play Taps, if possible, at 3PM, local time. The site has free downloads including several versions of Taps.

This holiday helps remind us of our unity, and though, as Senator Fulbright once said in so many words, criticism of our country is its greatest compliment, today rather than criticize, we should solemnly remember and honor those who gave their lives for our freedom and who live on in our hearts. The lyrics in Charles Strouse's "On This Day" at the National Moment of Remembrance Website put it best:

The bugle has sounded
Its notes drift away.
This time now belongs to you… .

Verse:

On this day for one brief moment
Hear the silence fill the air.

Think of those, who walked beside us;
Now no longer there.

Then, don’t cry, but hear their laughter
For their spirit lives inside,

Let the mystic stream of mem’ry
Fill our hearts with pride!

Make us humble,
Make us knowing,
And reflect on what is done…

On this day
For now, forever
Make this nation one!

On this day,
For all the fallen,
Make this nation one!

Memorial Day is also a day to remember and to help comfort the families of those who died for our country and the veterans of our past, present, and future. 2009 also makes it the last year of the first decade of both the twenty-first century and the new millennium. A day of fireworks and family picnics, Memorial Day has also become our unofficial first day of summer. However, the true, scientific first day of summer this year depends on the time zone in which you live, either June 20 or June 21. See the hyperlink for more information.

We must remember these “honored dead,” as Abraham Lincoln once called them. We must not have another civil war, or any war, and they help us remember the price we have paid for the hell of conflict while also remembering the sacrifice and willingness of those who paid the price. As General Douglas MacArthur put it in his 1962 speech to the graduating class at West Point, “…Unhappily, I possess neither that eloquence of diction, that poetry of imagination, nor that brilliance of metaphor…” However, on the contrary, MacArthur’s words very eloquently remind the class, and us here on this Memorial Day, 2009,”...The long gray line has never failed us. Were you to do so, a million ghosts in olive drab, in brown khaki, in blue and gray, would rise from their white crosses, thundering those magic words: Duty, Honor, Country…” Do good this Memorial Day Weekend!

by Vincent Bartning
for the USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation

Resources:

National Moment of Remembrance Home Page
- White House Commission on Remembrance - (Cut and Paste http://remember.gov)

USMemorialDay.org
- (Cut and Paste http://usmemorialday.org)

USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA)
- (Cut and Paste http://usakia.org)

Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW)
- (Cut and Paste http://suvcw.org)

Memorial Day Petition at USMemorialDay.org

General Order Number 11 - Commander-in-Chief GAR John A. Logan, May 5, 1868, at USMemorialDay.org

Please vote for this article in USAKIA's Newsvine column. Thanks!

Dear USAKIA Yahoo Blog:

We currently use the guidelines of using USAKIA’s Yahoo Blog as a kind of newsletter. On the other hand, we also have a Newsvine column for good articles relating to killed in action (KIA) and died of wounds (DOW) families, and we have a blog on eBay to highlight events there. We currently have to use our regular blog, Your Shield, as our Website. USAKIA also has three groups, KIA Memorial on Yahoo here, USA Military Families with Combat Deaths on eBay, and Remember Fallen Vines on Newsvine, and they each serve different purposes. For example, any Newsvine member can add to content on Remember Fallen Vines.

I’d like to announce here that we plan to issue our first press release in almost a year by Tuesday, August 19. See previous blog entries in our blogs, including USAKIA’s blog here on Yahoo, and groups or our press room for previous releases. The release will mostly cover items mentioned in here, but it could add or leave some out. Items for this blog entry announcing the upcoming release include:

1. USAKIA Plans Press Release by August 19, its first in almost a year.
2. Event: September 6, Don’t Have Gold Star Mother nor Alternate Completely Confirmed
3. Event in Houston, Comments on Quickbooks (change in accounting software), final determination)
4. Court Case: Bartning v. Pierleoni, Ryan Commissioner
5. Accounting/Quickbooks
6. Final Determination
7. KIAFAP: KIA Families Art Project, Rick Kelley, Back in January
8. Website Situation – Brings Attention to the Cause and Organization
9. Further Projects Including Free Flag Program Specifics, Status of Stronger KIA Flag
10. New Directors, Other Matters
11. Items Mentioned Not Covered, Items Not Mentioned Covered

For the event on September 6, 2008, our Fourth Annual KIA Thunder Run in a row, we have all but confirmed the Gold Star Mother and an alternate. The free event will again be at J&S Surplus & Outdoor Store in Monterey County the first Saturday in September. This year, it does not coincide with Labor Day Weekend. Entry is free again, and there will be a presentation beginning at noon, a military-vehicle show, and a swap meet with vendors of all sorts including food. Participants will again include such groups as Rolling Thunder.

A group has contacted us about participating in a similar event in the Houston area August 16. We will try to make another announcement before the event there. However, we got short notice of it this year.

USAKIA’s board of directors also approved actions on a matter where someone backed into yours truly while he was reciprocating with a volunteer who helped us move tables and chairs for the event the last three years. The volunteer had a refrigerator he wanted to get from his in-laws, and in lieu of reimbursing him monetarily for gas, I helped him. However, less than half way to the event from where I live, someone backed into me. The situation‘s rather unfair where I've had to put a lot into it, and there was perjury on the other side, so far unchecked. Surprisingly, even with an outright lie about my car already having severe body damage when pictures showed otherwise, Santa Clara County Commissioner Deborah Ryan decided against me. Despite her having the same insurance company as the defendant and turning a blind eye towards obvious perjury, the California Commission on Judicial Performance decided not to pursue the matter. The Santa Clara County Small-Claims case was Bartning v. Pierleoni, 5-07-SC-002333, and it also inspired a Newsvine article in June, "Truth and Constitutions," which got a good amount of activity. The situation has required a lot of work, and it appears to have interefered with our goal of benefiting families of KIA and DOW.

USAKIA has also switched to Quickbooks after receiving its final determination as tax deductible and tax exempt from the IRS earlier in the year. Presently, we’re working on implementing the new and very sophisticated software and plan further announcements about it if possible. It’s a big change from Quicken.

We also began a new project in January, the KIA Families Art Project. A renowned artist named Rick Kelley plans to donate some great artwork to KIA families. See his Website for further information.

USAKIA has a problem with its Website, an important area where KIA and DOW families get the word out and a project in a way. The site’s been down since September 10 of last year, and we’ve complained about the company hosting the site, as have others, Instaspace. They hung up on you when you called, and now their numbers are disconnected. An important asset of USAKIA appears lost, including meaningful comments by several KIA families.

Further projects include resuming our Free KIA Flag Program. However, we figure at 50 requests a month, we’d need about $650 every thirty days to keep it going, including shipping & handling. We also have samples of the stronger version of the KIA flag, one that will last better outdoors, and USAKIA should be able to ship it in the next month. We will definitely provide an update on this matter in the press release.

Well, I’ve covered a lot and added a bit as I’ve written this entry. I hope to see you at our event, and please feel free to comment either here or in our KIA Memorial Yahoo Group.

Thanks!

Vincent H. Bartning
President-Assistant Webmaster

Free event in northern California will have a two-hour midday ceremony to honor our nation's killed in action and others who died while serving. The Saturday, September 1, 2007, event from 9AM to 6PM will also have a military-vehicle show and swap meet.


Download Latest Flyer in Adobe PDF Format


Patriotic Bikers
The military-vehicle show complemented motorcycles with patriotic themes from Rolling Thunder, American Legion Riders, and other groups.

San Jose, CA (USAKIA'S BLOG) August 21, 2007 -- The USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA), in conjunction with J&S Surplus & Outdoor Store, a division of Eagle Emblems, and America Remembers KIA, will hold its Third Annual KIA Thunder Run, Military-Vehicle Show, and Swap Meet on Saturday, September 1. The Labor Day Weekend event in northern California's Monterey Bay Area will again be next to J&S Surplus & Outdoor Store. Major participants include Rolling Thunder and the American Legion Family. The event will be free and open to the public.


Red KIA Flag on Motorcycle, 2006 KIA Thunder Run, Military Vehicle Show, and Swap Meet
A motorcycle flies a large KIA flag at the Second Annual KIA Thunder Run, Military-Vehicle Show, and Swap Meet.

The store and site are located at the intersection of N. Struve Road and Highway 1 in Moss Landing. For 2007, the group plans food and merchandise sales, as well as music. Jim Gilbertson, a J&S Surplus & Outdoor owner, says, "Just look for the flags" to find the landmark surplus, paint-ball, and outdoor-supply store.


MVCC Tank from 30s
An old tank was at the event in 2006.


Swap Meet at the Event in 2006
2006 was the first year with a military-vehicle show and swap meet.

USAKIA benefits families of those in the U.S. military who are killed in combat. Sponsors again want to honor U.S. killed in action (KIA), died of wounds (DOW), and any member of the U.S. military, civilians, or public safety who die in the line of duty or by a terrorist act.


Ms. Gabby Cribland sings the National Anthem.

The event will take place on a Saturday on Labor Day Weekend for the third straight year, and the California Military Vehicle Collectors Association (MVCC) will put on a military-vehicle show for the second year in a row. Vendors will also put on a swap meet like last year besides, as well as sell food. There will be music all day and a two-hour ceremony beginning at noon. For the third straight year, Ms. Gabby Cribland will sing the National Anthem, and for the second straight year, Big Rain will provide live music.


Big Rain Plays in 2006


California National Guard Color Guard
2006's event also had a color guard from the California National Guard.

Last year the California National Guard had a color guard, and about 300 people attended the ceremony. They will again provide a color guard for 2007, and motorcycle groups such as Rolling Thunder and the American Legion Riders will also participate, with the California National Guard raising the U.S. and KIA flags with the Gold Star Mother, and Rolling Thunder Raising the POW*MIA flag. California chapter president of Rolling Thunder, Chaplain Joy Jeannette, will also speak. Other American Legion Family representatives will include Paul Rodriguez, past California detachment commander of the Sons of the American Legion. He is also the current chaplain for the detachment.


USAKIA and Rolling Thunder Presidents
California chapter president of Rolling Thunder, Chaplain Joy Jeannette, receives a Certificate of Appreciation from USAKIA for their participation in 2006. Joy also spoke about a family member KIA in Vietnam.


Gold Star Mother in 2005
Keynote speaker for 2005 was Amalia Gonzalez, Gold Star Mother of Victor Gonzalez, KIA in 2004.

Keynote speaker for the Third Annual KIA Thunder Run will be Gold Star Mother Nadia McCaffrey. Her son, Sergeant Patrick Ryan McCaffrey, was KIA in Iraq in June of 2004. Patrick was a member of the California National Guard. She also founded the Sergeant Patrick Ryan McCaffrey Foundation in his honor to benefit fellow veterans. It has a project called Veterans Village at www.veteransvillage.org.


Participants for 2006
Participants show their Certificates of Appreciation from USAKIA: L-R, Joe Wiscowiche, father of William "Willie" Wiscowiche, Alec Arago of Congressman Sam Farr's office, Jim Gilbertson, owner of J&S Surplus & Outdoor Store, and Gold Star Mother Pat Wiscowiche, keynote speaker for 2006. Vincent Bartning (your far right) presents cetificates for USAKIA.

Last year, USAKIA had Pat Wiscowiche, Gold Star Mother of William "Willie" Wiscowiche, as the keynote speaker. For 2005, the first KIA Thunder Run, Amalia Gonzalez, Gold Star Mother of Victor Gonzalez, "honored the event as our first keynote speaker" according to Vincent Bartning, president and assistant Webmaster of USAKIA.


Raised U.S. Flag
The midday ceremony had a flag-raising ceremony with the National Anthem. Here we see the U.S. flag raised.

Other organizations and government agencies will also participate. The Marine Corp League plans to provide a table, and Congressman Farr's office has also been invited again. Organizers expect more event-goers this year.


Alec Arago - Congressman Farr's Office
Alec Arago speaks at the event for California's 17th Congressional District. Congressman Farr's office also presented USAKIA and J&S Surplus & Outdoor Store with Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition.

USAKIA plans a raffle to raise funds, and tax-deductible donations can also be made at the nonprofit's Website, www.usakia.org. Its activities include events, a free flag program, and a project for children of those who die in combat the nonprofit began with a donation of tickets to Paramount's Great America from the PGA. It also plans other activities to benefit KIA and DOW families.


Military Jeep
Here's another military vehicle on display in 2006.

About the USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation:
The USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA), based in San Jose, California, is an IRS-approved, tax-deductible and tax-exempt nonprofit. KIA families incorporated the 501(c)(3) organization in the fall of 2003 to benefit families of those killed in action and died of wounds while in the U.S. armed forces. Current services include memorial events, membership, and a free-flag program for KIA and DOW families.

The public-benefit corporation has had a group approach it for a California Medal of Honor Project (CAMOHP) and another one for a free tutoring program for K-12. New programs will include: 1) an active-duty U.S. Marine helping kids write thank-you letters to families of KIA, and 2) providing free tickets to children of combat dead to San Francisco and Monterey Bay Area attractions such as Paramount's Great America.

USAKIA also has products honoring U.S. KIA. America Remembers KIA allows USAKIA the use of its trademarked KIA flag and symbol. See the organization's Web site at http://usakia.org for further information or to make a tax-deductible donation.

USAKIA opened two blogs in early 2006, Your Shield on Blogger at http://usakia.blogspot.com and USAKIA's Blog on Yahoo at http://blog.360.yahoo.com/usakiadowff. The not-for-profit corporation also began an eBay blog in late 2006, Fallen Heroes' Remembrance, at http://blogs.ebay.com/usakia, and a Newsvine column in April at http://usakia.newsvine.com.

###

Contact Information:

Dennis Malloy
USA KIA/DOW FAMILY FOUNDATION
http://www.usakia.org
408 954-8280
CR @ usakia.org

Links (Open in New Window):

USA KIA/DOW Family Foundation (USAKIA)
Press Release on PRWeb
Press Release on PRWeb in PDF Format

Icon for New Remember Fallen Vines Newsvine Group
USAKIA, which benefits kin of U.S. armed forces who die from combat, will use this graphic for its new group.
It's used with permission, and generally the nonprofit allows the non-commercial use of the KIA flag.
USAKIA began a new group on Newsvine today, Remember Fallen Vines. Its description goes:

To be killed in action (KIA) or to have died of wounds (DOW), to die as a result of armed combat while in the armed forces of the USA, "brings on many changes," like one song goes. It means broken branches in the family tree, fallen vines. Honor combat dead here; benefit their families, those left behind.

One popular World War I (Great War before 1939) memorial went:

Safe in the homeland singing today, Waiting for dear ones still on the way, Trials are ended, hardships are past. Johnny's safe in Heaven at last!

Another poem with an unknown author goes:

We thought of you with love today
But that is nothing new.
We thought about you yesterday
And days before that too.

We think of you in silence
We often speak your name.
Now all we have are memories
And your picture in a frame.

Your memory is our keepsake
With which we'll never part

God has you in His keeping
We have you in our Heart.

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