Monday, May 30th is Memorial Day in the USA. DID honors those who have given all of their tomorrows in American military service; we will not be publishing.
Readers are reminded that in America, the Memorial Day moment of silence takes place at 3:00 pm. It seems that lots of reminders are needed elsewhere in America; a survey commissioned by The National WWII Museum in Washington had only 20% say they were very familiar with the day’s purpose, which is to honor those who have fallen in America’s wars. This function is served by Remembrance Day/ Armistice Day (Nov. 11th) in the British Commonwealth and elsewhere, but in America, that day is Veteran’s Day, and honors all who served in the military.
For additional resources, USAA has a full video that includes Hugh Ambrose (Band of Brothers, The Pacific, etc.), and the American National WWII Museum’s MyMemorialDay.org offers some ideas for honoring this day. One more idea might to be teach our fellow Americans. Email a good treatment of the day to people you know outside the national security field, and encourage them to forward it on.
On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in 1918, the guns ceased. During Remembrance Day, the British Commonwealth countries remember those who came before, and those who came after, and all who have given in their nation’s service. John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” is a common accompaniment at ceremonies, where the wearing of poppies is customary (on the left lapel, or as close to the heart as possible), and organizations like the Royal British Legion, Royal Canadian Legion, et. al. are supported.
Per DID tradition and policy, we remind our readers that we do not publish on this day. We hope you have a meaningful day at the commemorative event of your choice.
Monday, May 31st is Memorial Day in the USA. DID honors those who have given all of their tomorrows in American military service; we will not be publishing.
On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in 1918, the guns ceased. During Remembrance Day, the British Commonwealth countries remember those who came before, and those who came after, and all who have given in their nation’s service. John McCrae’s poem “In Flanders Fields” is a common accompaniment at ceremonies, where the wearing of poppies is customary (on the left lapel, or as close to the heart as possible), and organizations like the Royal British Legion, Royal Canadian Legion, et. al. are supported.
Per DID tradition and policy, we remind our readers that we do not publish on this day. We hope you have a meaningful day at the commemorative event of your choice. If physical attendance is not possible, the Government of Canada is making video available [Quicktime M4V/MPEG-4 formats], which contains Remembrance Day messages from its troops on the front lines.
Monday, May 25th is Memorial Day in the USA. DID honors those who have given all of their tomorrows in American military service; we will not be publishing.
Readers are urged to peruse the US Department of Defense’s Memorial Day features, including this address by Adm. Mullen. They are also reminded that in America, the Memorial Day moment of silence takes place at 3:00 pm.
“In the mid to late fifties, a fighter pilot could earn himself a quick forty bucks and perhaps a nice steak dinner in Vegas – not to mention everlasting renown, which is to fighter pilots what oxygen is to us lesser beings – by meeting over the Green Spot at thirty thousand feet and taking position just 500 feet behind an arrogant and unpleasant man with precisely zero air-to-air victories to his credit. From that perfect kill position, you would yell “Fight’s on!” and if that sitting duck in front of you was not on your tail with you in his gunsight in forty seconds flat then you would win the money, the dinner and best of all, the fame… To be challenged in such a manner is an irresistible red flag to men like this, and certainly no less of one because the challenger was a rude, loud, irreverent braggart who had never been victorious in actual air-to-air combat. And yet that forty dollars went uncollected, uncollected for many years against scores of the best fighter pilots in the world.
Oct 28/08: Service-Disabled veteran owned small business qualifier Assessment and Training Solutions Consulting Corp. of Virginia Beach, VA received a $26.8 million firm fixed price contract for a base year to provide medical instruction and medical support services in support of U.S. Army Special Forces Command’s Joint Special Operations Medical Training Center and U.S. Army Special Operations Command’s Acquisitions and Contracting Office. The contract has 4 one-year options. Work will be performed at Fort Bragg, NC, and is expected to be complete by July 31/13. This contract was awarded through a small business set-aside (H92239-09-C-0001).
The trainees will have a lot to live up to. The Navy photo above depicts SEAL SDV Team 1, which became the focus of action during Operation Redwing on June 28/05. Lt. Murphy would later earn a posthumous Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions. A combination of freak circumstances, great personal determination, and the steadfast honor of local Afghan villagers made hospital corpsman Luttrell (highlighted) the only surviving team member. From left to right: Sonar Technician – Surface 2nd Class (SEAL) Matthew G. Axelson, 29, of Cupertino, CA; Information Systems Technician Senior Chief (SEAL) Daniel R. Healy, 36, of Exeter, NH; Quartermaster 2nd Class (SEAL) James Suh, 28, of Deerfield Beach, FL; Hospital Corpsman Second Class (SEAL) Marcus Luttrell; Machinist Mate 2nd Class (SEAL) Eric S. Patton, 22, of Boulder City, NV; and LT (SEAL) Michael P. Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, NY.
General Dynamics Network Systems in Needham, MA received a $6 million firm/fixed price contract for continuing efforts to survey, plan, design, install, and implement the Information Technology Systems and Infrastructure (ITS&I) for wedge 2-5 tenants as part of an ongoing modernization of the Pentagon IT infrastructure. Work will be performed in Arlington, VA with an estimated completion date of Dec 31/10. One bid was solicited and one bid was received. by the Pentagon Renovation & Construction Program Office in Arlington VA (MDA947-98-C-2002).
Each side of the Pentagon has multiple layers of buildings in it, and so each set of layers on a side are referred to as a wedge. Seven years ago, on Sept 11/01, American Airlines Flight 77 was flown into the Pentagon by al-Qaeda, doing extensive damage to wedges 1 and 2. A $2.1 billion renovation of the 60-year-old Pentagon had been underway since 1993, and Wedge 1 was just 5 days away from completion. Those renovations had to start all over again; fortunately the ‘new’ Wedge 1 had a number of safety improvements made that saved lives. One improvement was a new sprinkler system, which put out the Wedge 1 fires in a matter of hours. Wedge 2, with no sprinklers, burned for more than 2 days.
Monday, May 26th is Memorial Day in the USA. DID honors those who have given all of their tomorrows in American military service; we will not be publishing. Readers are urged to peruse the US Department of Defense’s Memorial Day feature.
Because Monday, Jan 21/08 was Martin Luther King Day in the USA, DID is repeating Monday’s articles for the benefit of our many readers in the American military who would have missed them.
Readers interested in reading some military-themed material concerning this day can peruse Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates’ speech at the Pentagon’s 23rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observance, or read the Korean War saga of Lt. Tom Hudner (Congressional Medal of Honor) and Ensign Jesse Brown (Distinguished Flying Cross).
