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ARMY LESSON: SALUTE THE UNIFORM NOT THE MAN

May 28, 2024 by

The big Army lesson for me was outlined by a Drill Sergeant. We were scheduled for an inspection by one of the big guys on base, some colonel named Blackjack something or other. But Colonel Blackjack got side tracked and they brought out the butter bar from the administrative office to cover for him. It […]

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FATHER FLAG ON MEMORIAL DAY

May 31, 2022 by

My father flag is different than the flag shown at public gatherings. His flag was a country boy’s flag, an athlete’s flag, a Silver Star Marine’s flag. This Memorial Day I thought of him while I raised the flag. For me he is the reason for Memorial Day.

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MEMORIAL DAY 2021, WASHINGTON PARK, PORTLAND OREGON

May 31, 2021 by

Memorial Day is for the kids, the enlisted guys, the drafted guys, the FNG who followed orders. It’s for the professional soldiers who learned the job and did the work. Sergeant Tennyson said it with, “Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do or die.” Take that hill, cross that river, crawl […]

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Learn The Tools, Then The Gun

May 27, 2019 by

War does one thing well, it gives a new vocabulary for death. One young man knew it front to back. “You’ve caught the best weather in Portland,” he said.  “Been too hot or too wet.  Not like this.” The weather?  It’s a start. He was built thick, maybe six feet tall. “Nice. After this I’m back […]

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FOR THE LADIES ON MEMORIAL DAY

May 29, 2018 by

Men get most of the attention on military holidays even it’s not Memorial Day For Men, or Male Veteran’s Day. Those days include women, but mostly as a second thought, and it’s military women. Please remember the men and women who died in uniform. They’ve earned our respect from the Civil War to Afghanistan. Young […]

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WHERE PORTLAND MEMORIAL DAY REACHES

May 30, 2017 by

The guys in the top left set up in front of the wall from their years in the Vietnam War. Marching in the bottom right, guys wear the gear from those same years. “Aren’t they too young to wear the uniform?” one lady asked. “They always are.”

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MEMORIAL DAY AT THE VA

May 24, 2015 by

Memoir: How To Make A Difference On Memorial Day. In the early 80’s a man moved to Portland from New York City. An Oregon man. He moved in with the best girl he’d ever known. Up until then. She was THE ONE, if one ever existed. Up until then. Keep in mind those who think […]

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