Veteran’s Day 2019 – THANK YOU FOR ALL WHO SERVED AND ARE SERVING
Posts tagged ‘Veteran’s Day’
One Bar Dumped the NFL on Veterans Day and The Community Responded in a BIG Way
Reported
It is well established that bars and restaurants rake in much of their cash on NFL game days and many fear a boycott of the NFL will hurt their bottom line. But this year on Veterans Day, as millions of Americans decided to boycott the NFL over its constant anti-American protests mounted during the playing of the national anthem, one bar in New Jersey decided to risk its bottom line to support America. And the community turned out in droves.
Bars are especially loathe to turn off the NFL, but the owners of Woody’s Roadside Tavern in Farmingdale, New Jersey, decided that patriotism and America meant more to them than money. So, Chris Maltese, one of the owners of Woody’s, decided to turn off the NFL especially on Veterans Day, according to APP.com.
If Maltese and his employees felt any trepidation over turning off the NFL last weekend, it turned out that they needn’t have worried. After their fellow citizens learned of the Veterans Day plans, they turned out by the dozens to fill the place with patriotism and revelry despite the absence of the anti-American protesters of the National Football League.
Woody’s announced that they were going to turn off the TVs on Veterans Day and were instead going to raise money for the Special Forces Association Chapter 19 and military families. And once word got out what the bar was planning, the town went wild.
Far from losing cash because they turned off the NFL, Woody’s found itself filled to capacity and even running out of glasses and cutlery for the customers.
“We’re not trying to be political here, we’re just trying to support our veterans,” Maltese said. “I think people are looking to have some kind of voice in the whole NFL thing… and this is their voice.”
Patrons of Woody’s were pleased with the bar’s decision to turn off football.
Bar patron Andy Barcellona is one who loved the bar’s decision. Barcellona, who is a former staff sergeant in the Army’s 3rd Infantry, entered Woody’s wearing a T-Shirt saying, “I stand for our flag,” said he was “kind of shocked” when he learned of the bar’s plans for Veterans Day. But he said he was all in because he is offended by the NFL’s constant anti-American protests.
“I was a diehard Giants fan… No more Giants. No more football,” Barcellona said. “The flag is more important than football.”
Other customers agreed:
“I haven’t watched a game since they started (the protest),” said Randy Lynd, 55, of Manasquan, a former Special Forces Green Beret who served 27 years in the Army.
Lynd, who said he served five tours in Afghanistan, expressed little sympathy for professional athletes who he said made millions of dollars each year while soldiers continued to fight and die for the flag.
“I think people doing the right thing should be supported,” he said outside of Woody’s as he gestured toward the restaurant. “This is the right thing.”
In the end, the bar sponsored a mass Pledge of Allegiance and celebrated the U.S.A. instead of wasting their time with football. And the bar came away with more money than it ever made in a single day and raised money for our veterans at the same time.
Meanwhile, the NFL has proved that it still doesn’t get it.
The league even sponsored a disgusting Veterans Day commercial filled with some of the worst, anti-American protesters in the league peddling the lie that they love America and our veterans.
But that isn’t what the inventor of the national anthem protest said of his brainchild. In his own words, former San Francisco 49ers second-string quarterback Colin Kaepernick said that his protests were specifically meant as a protest against the United States of America and all it stands for.
This is what Kaepernick said in August of 2016, the year he started his protests:
I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football, and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder
There you have it. In his own words, Kaepernick told us he couldn’t stand up for the flag or the country.
This is the same Colin Kaepernick who said the U.S. “has never been great.” He called our police “pigs” by wearing socks with cartoon police pigs on them. He outraged America’s Cuban immigrants by complimenting murderous communist dictator Fidel Castro and also wore a T-Shirt lionizing the murderous dictator.
So, don’t fall for the NFL’s lies. These protests continue to occur during the song that pays homage to this great nation, and the inventor of the protest was counting on just that to serve as a platform for his stand against the United States of America.
These 17 Companies Are Putting Patriotism Before Profit by Honoring Veterans on Veterans Day
Reported By Randy DeSoto | November 8, 2017 at 1:47pm
URL of the original posting site: https://www.westernjournalism.com/17-companies-putting-patriotism-profit-honoring-veterans-veterans-day/?
In recognition of Veterans Day, multiple companies are partnering with organizations that help and honor those who served in the nation’s armed forces. Joe Davis, a spokesman for Veterans of Foreign Wars, commended these corporations for going the extra mile for America’s veterans.
“The companies who take care of veterans, service members and our families do so to thank us for our service,” he told The Western Journal. “We should thank them in return by patronizing their services or products.”
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Some of the more prominent companies compiled in a list by MilitaryBenefits.info are below.
Dunkin’ Donuts is donating $10,000 to Homes For Our Troops and will provide a year’s worth of Dunkin’ Donuts K-Cup pods along with a new Keurig coffeemaker to up to 100 veterans who have been or will be provided new specially adapted homes by the organization. Home For Our Troops’ mission is “to build and donate specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans, to enable them to rebuild their lives.”
Cracker Barrel will donate 20 percent of its proceeds from online and in-store purchases of its Lodge cookware between Oct. 30 and Nov. 11 to Operation Homefront. The funds raised will be donated in the form of gift cards to help provide holiday meals to military families across the country.
eBay for Charity and Home For Our Troops are holding a special online auction featuring celebrity autographed items, as well as tickets and back stage passes to various events. The auction ends Nov. 14. Among the 70 items people can bid on are a “Thor” movie poster autographed by Chris Hemsworth, a “Gardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” movie poster signed by the entire cast, a Fonz T-shirt autographed by Henry Winkler, Doc Marten sneakers signed by Whoopi Goldberg, a Dallas Mavericks jersey autographed by Dirk Nowitski, and a “Hamilton” play poster signed by the entire cast.
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iHOP will be donating $1 from every purchase of a Red, White & Blue combo from Nov. 1-30 to support the Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation. The organization provides college scholarships and educational counseling to military children who have lost a parent in military service.
The New York Stock Exchange will give 100 percent of its trading proceeds on Veterans Day to Headstrong, which is an organization that provides mental health services to veterans. Headstrong explains on its website: “As veterans ourselves, we know how tough it can be to overcome the hidden wounds of war. We’ve lost friends, made the same choices, and walked the same ground. That’s why we built Headstrong – because we know that if you have the courage to get help, and you get the right help, you can overcome the hidden wounds of war.” According to a report released by the Department of Veterans Affairs last year, approximately 20 veterans take their own lives each day.
At Outback Steakhouse, from Nov. 8 through January 2, 2018, customers can add $1 to their check to be directly donated to Operation Homefront and every donation of $5 or more will be used to purchase Outback gift cards that will be shared with military families. Further, for every purchase of a Foster’s Lager Big Bloke, MillerCoors will donate $1 to Operation Homefront. The organization helps military families going through difficult financial circumstances and does other outreaches to support the military community throughout the year.
Pet Supplies Plus will match every “like” and “share” of a Facebook post with a $1 donation, up to $5,000, to Patriot PAWS Service Dogs. The group provides service dogs to disabled veterans.
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Regal Cinemas will donate $1 for every large popcorn purchased on November 11 to the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Baskin Robbins will donate 11 cents from every ice cream scoop sold on Veterans Day to the United Service Organizations.
Lone Star Steakhouse will give 10 percent of its proceeds on Veterans Day to the Snowball Express. The Snowball Express’ mission is, “Providing hope and new happy memories to the children of military fallen heroes who have died while on active duty since 9/11. In December each year we bring children together from all over the world for a four-day experience filled with fun activities, like sporting events, dances, amusement parks and more.” The purpose is to create “opportunities for joy, friendship, and communal healing, by connecting these families to one another.”
Hair Cuttery, as part of its Share-a-Haircut Program, will donate a free haircut gift certificate to local veterans organizations for every haircut purchased on Veterans Day.
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Sports Clips, from Oct. 16 to Nov. 11, will donate $1 for every hair cut to the VFW’s “Sport Clips Help a Hero” program, which provides scholarships to veterans.
O’Charley’s restaurant will donate $0.25 for every 22 oz. beer sold through Veterans Day Weekend to the Folded Flag Foundation. The organization supplements the death benefits and provides scholarships to dependents of service members killed in combat.
Abuelo’s Mexican restaurant, from Nov. 9 to Nov. 12, will donate $1 for every Chile con Queso appetizer sold to support Home For Our Troops.
Pilot Flying J is donating a portion of its proceeds, up to $25,000, for the sale of 20 to 24 ounce PhilMor travel coffee refills on Veterans Day to Wreaths Across America. Each December, the organization coordinates wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as over 1,200 additional locations in all 50 states and overseas on National Wreaths Across America Day.
Waffle House will send a coupon for a free waffle for donations made between Sept. 11 and Nov. 11 to the Waffle House Mission: ABLE, which supports the Paralyzed Veterans of America. Waffle House will match donations dollar-for-dollar up to $10,000.
Christmas Decor will donate their products and services to decorate the homes of military families. The company explains on its website: “With more than 300,000 American soldiers deployed overseas this holiday season, families across the nation are facing the challenge of preparing for the holidays without their loved ones. Christmas Decor has stepped in to light up the homes of the families of these brave men and women.”
In addition to supporting veterans organizations, many restaurants and other companies will be honoring those who served with free meals and other discounts and giveaways on and around Veterans Day. USA Today compiled a list.
Veterans Day: The American Devotion to Military Service
by Jarrett Stepman11 Nov 2015
URL of the original posting site: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/11/11/veterans-day-the-american-devotion-to-military-service
Getty Images
It is a long-term and striking characteristic of the American people to show particular devotion to their soldiers and veterans. The famed French observer of American life, Alexis de Tocqueville, understood in the 1830s how the people of a participatory republic like the United States would be both fierce in war and show an uncommon fidelity to those who had served in the military.
Tocqueville described the conditions which would draw Americans into war, certainly applicable to World War I: “When war has at length, by its long continuance, roused the whole community from their peaceful occupations, and ruined their minor undertakings, the same passions which made them attach so much importance to the maintenance of peace will be turned to arms…”
Historian Erick L. McKitrick described Tocqueville’s observation of the kind of patriotism that would become a hallmark of the American republic in relation to an “Austrian peasant of 1914 being conscripted into the imperial army”:
“The powers above” he might have said, “tell me that I must go and do my duty; therefore, of
Where do the convictions of the righteousness of American soldiers and the justice or their cause emanate from?
“…They emanate, in a special sense, from ourselves.
In keeping with the American tradition of venerating those who serve, in 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first Armistice Day specifically to commemorate those who had fought in the First World War. The date holds special significance because it marked the end of hostilities in the “war to end all wars” on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.
The poor treatment of returning veterans after the Vietnam War was an outlier to this long-term trend and was a product of the culture war that divided Americans at that time and still does today. However, Americans have mostly doubled down in their devotion to returning veterans since that time, as there are now more generations who have returned home from fighting on our behalf.
There is a common perception that America is becoming more self-obsessed and narcissistic, unable to care about or comprehend such notions as duty or devotion to country. While this is often sadly the case, there is another side to this country that hasn’t lost these defining features.
I recently visited the World War II monument in Washington, DC, which is an appropriate and profound tribute to the generation that fought and won the greatest conflict in world history. Though I came to pay my respects, I was enraged at the large number of tourists who treated the memorial as if it were nothing more than a park for personal amusement. Selfie sticks abounded, and a number of people were wading in the central pool that clearly had a sign “Do not put your feet in the water.”
This spectacle left me feeling despondent about the future of the country and ashamed about what past generations would think of the American people in the 21st century. However, my entire perception changed in an instant as a sudden stream of veterans arrived at the monument as part of the Honor Flight program.
Though seeing these distinguished men and women was special, what was perhaps even more important was the sudden and impromptu outpouring of devotion from the ordinary Americans who witnessed their arrival. Gone were the selfie sticks, and in their place appeared handshakes and personal thanks for the veterans’ service.
On this Veterans Day, it should be the duty of every American who still believes in the principles that this country was founded upon—and in the men and women who fought on its behalf—to make some tribute or gesture of thanks. It was established as a custom and a sign of respect to those who have fought for our country to hold a brief moment of silence at 11:00 AM, a tradition that every American should uphold.
WATCH: George W. Bush Thanks Our Veterans
Former President George W. Bush, who is an avid supporter of our troops, veterans and wounded warriors, has released a special Veteran’s Day message on behalf of the George W. Bush Presidential Center.
Since leaving the Oval Office in 2009, Bush has dedicated the majority of his free time helping Vets.
Veteran’s Day Salute
http://patriotupdate.com/articles/veterans-day-salute/#tkK8D9DSt0d0UVqX.99
Written on Monday, November 11, 2013 by David L. Goetsch
Veteran’s Day is a special day for our country and for me personally. Every November 11th, I find a quiet place where I can be alone for a few minutes to think, pray, and remember. I suspect I am not alone among veterans in needing a few moments to myself once a year to think my own thoughts and recall my own memories. Like many veterans I still find it difficult to adequately explain to people who have not served in uniform what my time in the military means to me and the impact it has had on my life. All of the baseball caps I wear carry the letters “USMC” just above the brim. People have asked me, “Why do you wear nothing but Marine Corps hats?” The best answer I can give to this question is, “If you have to ask that question, you wouldn’t understand the answer.”
The older I get the more meaningful my military service becomes to me. In fact, every Veteran’s Day as I pray for those who did not return or who returned broken in body or spirit, I thank God that I made the right decision and joined the Marine Corps at a time when service in any branch of the military was anathema to most of my peers. Joining the military today is viewed as a good thing, but that was not the case in the late 1960s and early 70s.
Part of my personal Veteran’s Day ritual is to contemplate a brief statement expressed by John Stuart Mill many years ago. Somehow Mill’s words seem to grow more powerful, more meaningful, and more relevant with each passing year:
“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing that is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”
I think the reason Mill’s words resonate with me is because when I joined the Marine Corps at the end of two years of college, several of my professors called me a “fool” as well as other things unprintable in a respectable journal. To them I became a symbol of insanity and a target of leftwing derision. I suppose it did not help that I gave back as well as I got, but my verbal combativeness only confirmed their opinion of me as a misguided war monger.
Last night I watched a moving story on the nightly news about the reception given to a company of Marines returning from Afghanistan. As the Marines deplaned and walked into the airport terminal, they were greeted by a huge crowd that had turned out to honor, welcome, and thank them. My immediate reaction was, “What a difference a few decades can make. Thank God things have changed.” I was proud of the community that welcomed these Marines home and happy for the Marines. They deserved the appreciation they received and much more.
Those of my generation who served in the military did not receive this type of welcome when they returned from overseas or, in the lingo of the time, when they came “back to the world.” I served during America’s most unpopular war. Soldiers, sailors, Marines, and Airmen of my generation returned from Viet Nam not to welcoming crowds but to rioting protesters dripping with derision, yelling epithets, and carrying signs with messages that read “baby killer,” “Nazi,” “war monger,” and worse. The animosity of the anti-war crowd during the Viet Nam era toward anyone in uniform was so vitriolic that some military personnel stopped wearing their uniforms off base. Jeering crowds would yell “shame, shame, shame” at young men in uniform. But the shame of this turbulent time rested not with those who served in the military but with—to paraphrase john Stuart Mill—those miserable creatures who scorned, derided, and harassed America’s warriors.
Things have changed in America since those turbulent days of the Viet Nam era. In most communities military personnel and veterans are treated as they should be: with dignity, respect, and appreciation. There are even former draft dodgers, anti-war activists, and underground subversives who have since recanted their former beliefs, apologized, and expressed regret for their behavior toward military personnel during the Viet Nam era. One of them is a friend of mine who tells me he dreads Veteran’s Day every year because he is embarrassed by his former life as a draft dodger and anti-war militant. What I appreciate about my friend—and one of the reasons I can accept him as a friend—is his honesty. He has looked me in the eye and admitted with great sorrow that his anti-war activism was based more on personal preservation and selfishness than a philosophical aversion to war. If this man could live his life over, he would be first in line to serve his country.
My hope for you—my fellow veterans—is that on this November 11th you are given the type of reception the company of young Marines returning from Afghanistan was recently given. You deserve it. No matter whether you earned the Medal of Honor or spent your entire tour of duty handing out boots in a supply billet, you are a hero. Why? Because when you took that step forward, raised your right hand, and swore to defend the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic you put your life on the line for your country. From the moment you took the oath, the military was free to send you wherever it wanted to do whatever was needed. Whether your oath led to combat duty or a service billet is irrelevant. What matters is that you stepped forward and signed up to serve our country. John Stuart Mill would be proud of you, and so am I. My message for veterans on November 11th is this: Because of your selfless service to our country, I admire you, I respect you, I salute you, and I thank you. No matter what else you do in life, for the rest of your life you can stand tall, look the world in the eye, and say with pride, “I served.” God bless you for your service to our country.
A Veteran’s Perspective on this Veteran’s Day 2013
While He’s Away: A Poem About Being Gone
–
While I’m away
The mission’s first
We’ll put our best against their worst
But victory will fail to quench my thirst
While I’m away
–
While I’m away
The silence settles in
The mood is calm, the air is thin
My kingdom for one morn’ of childrens’ din
While I’m away
–
While I’m away
Diminished dawns
The flock is far, the shepherd gone
The sheep will grow and graze and carry on
While I’m away
–
While I’m away
Fools worship golden cows
With laps aflame and loins aroused
Let God protect our covenant of sacred vows
While I’m away
–
While you’re away
I start a new routine
The laundry’s neat, the house is clean
But soon I miss the manly mess unseen
While you’re away
–
While you’re away
Our things break down
With no one to repair around
In projects left undone our lair abounds
While you’re away
–
While you’re away
The evil freaks
Through sudden cricks and eerie creaks
Our settling house at nighttime speaks, I’m scared
While you’re away
–
While you’re away
It’s not the same
I’m thankful for the few who came
To help me play this sacrificial game
While you’re away
–
While he’s away
I’m turning ten
This milestone never comes again
I understand, but struggle now and then
While he’s away
–
While he’s away
I run the bases
Looking in the stands for faces
Sad to see the empty spaces left
While he’s away
–
While he’s away
I lose my teeth
And sleep with them at night beneath
The pillow where I cry myself to sleep
While he’s away
–
While he’s away
It makes me sad
Sometimes I’m a little mad
How come others get to have my dad
While he’s away?
–
While he’s away
I’ll start to walk
And look up for my daddy’s gawk
But nowhere will I find his eyes to lock
While he’s away
–
While I’m away
Their father’s not around
I’ve taught them though, one comfort sound
Another Father always keeps them found
While I’m away
–
Photo credit: Cpl. Bryan Nygaard / PD / bus
Photo credit: Capt. Christopher Prout / PD /hornet
Photo credit: r.f.m II / Foter.com / CC BY /man bed
Photo credit: EoinGardiner / Foter.com / CC BY /flock
Photo credit: Jeff Belmonte / Foter.com / CC BY /rings
Photo credit: coloredgrey / Foter.com / CC BY /no mess
Photo credit: john.schultz / Foter.com / CC BY-SA /to do list
Photo credit: Hiii-Fiii / Foter.com / CC BY /door
Photo credit: stephcarter / Foter.com / CC BY-ND /mother and daughter
Photo credit: Olaf / Foter.com / CC BY-SA /bb gun
Photo credit: Phil Roeder / Foter.com / CC BY /softball
Photo credit: insidious_plots / Foter.com / CC BY /missing tooth
Photo credit: Russel K Photographs / Foter.com / CC BY-ND /worried
Photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography / Foter.com / CC BY /crawling
What Did You Say? 
Written
on November 11, 2019