I thought I would share what I did this past Labor Day Holiday. It kind of falls along the same lines, and I think it's important to remember our history.
We had an opportunity to go visit and tour the LST 325, that was docked at Henry, Illinois on the Illinois River. LST stands for LANDING SHIP TANK. It was a ship built during WWII, used to transport tanks.
When it's not touring the rivers of America, it is docked at Evansville, Indiana.
It was saved from a scrap yard in Greece in 2000 by a group of 50 Navy Veterans. Yes, the Greeks had bought it for a while. You will see some evidence of that in the pictures.
It is manned by volunteers, mostly Veterans. It operates with donations.
It was well worth the meager $10 donation they asked for before boarding.
She's pretty beat up, but she's been to hell and back...what do you expect? They've done an EXCELLENT job of restoring it, based on what they had to work with.
This sign kind of gave me the chills...I have seen the movie.."Saving Private Ryan"...if you have, you know what I'm talking about. The very graphic scene of the boats landing at Normandy...
Can you imagine the GUTS and COURAGE it took to get in those boats, knowing full well that when that door dropped, you had little chance of getting out alive????
Some uniforms of the day...and this is the mess hall where they had meals....about 13 feet by 16 feet.
Nope, no Tempur-Pedic beds here.
So, let's reflect a little bit on what some have given so that we might remain free.
While some of us may not agree with the government's decisions regarding war...we MUST support those who have made the decision to fight for us. They believe in our country, and what it represents. They believe they are doing the right thing, and have acted on that belief. You can't argue with personal belief. They have made and are making the ultimate sacrifice.
I, for one, am glad they chose to follow their belief, and I will support them till my dying day. God bless the members of our military, past, present and future. Words can not express our gratitude.
12 watcha thinkin'?:
Great photos, and wise words.
Well said, my friend.
Amen!
Thanks for your pictures and wonderful words. Yes, we are remembering everyone who have lost their lives fighting for our country.
I really enjoyed your tour of the LST 325, Lori and your touching comments about the men and women of our military. I salute them. My husband was a Navy man and now I have a grandson about the USS Ike. Thank you for your heartfelt tribute. Diann
Beautiful post. My dad was in the Navy during WWII, so this really hits home. And yes, I had the same thought yesterday, while I was glued to the TV memorial for 9/11... that we must remember not just those innocents who lost their lives on that day, but all of the many who preceded them throughout this country's history, and who continue the good fight for us. Thanks for sharing, my friend. :)
Great pictures and great words!
Okay, Sarah, said exactly what I was going to say -- before I read her comment!:):)
Wow, I would dearly love to visit this ship-I grew up with ships and miss them in this god-forsaken land-locked place. Throughly enjoyed your share too, Lori.
As a daughter of a USN sailor (my dad was in the Navy before WWII), sister of a USN sailor (my brother was in the Navy during Vietnam and still will not talk about his experience) and the mother (and mother-in-law) of Airman (daughter & son-in-law), Soldier (son-in-law, 2 tours to Iraq under his belt) AND future MIL to a Marine, THANK YOU Lori for your words of support!
What a profound and heartfelt post, Lori, I really was moved by your words. I agree, we may or may not agree with our government's decisions, but we MUST support and thank those who serve. Really well done and so perfect for 9/11. I was going to post on 9/11, but I couldn't get my thoughts together adequately, I found myself getting so worked up that the thoughts were cohesive. I see 9/11 as such sacred ground and the kind of post you've created here is perfect.
Apparently, I'm still a mess - what I meant to say is that everything I tried to work on was NOT cohesive. Oh dear...
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