Find the Cost of Freedom

This is a focus of mine because It was my war, but the thought goes out to all who have served.
You have heard, but probably didn’t know it was an ode to Agent Orange and Vietnam.

“Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy in time forget that men have died to win them."

  • Franklin D. Roosevelt”

Enjoy yourselves this holiday, and remember their gift. The one that gives in perpetuity.

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You’re an hour ahead, but the East Coast is already enjoying Veteran’s Day, so to those who have served and are serving, please accept my thanks for your service, and your families for giving you up to do so.

This is my favorite rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by a young group called Madison Rising. To me, it shows that no matter your age, there are people who appreciate what you do for this country.

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@printolaser Thank you for your service!

@Jules Great share! My new favorite!

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Thank you @printolaser and all who served our country on this important day.

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Remembrance Day here in Australia. At 11am on the 11th November 1918 the guns fell silent, marking the end of WW1.

Lest we forget.

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Many people don’t know that Veterans Day used to be known as Armistice Day in remembrance of that event.

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We used to call it Armistice Day too, still is in the UK.

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My dad did multiple tours in Vietnam and made the Air Force his career. It cost him his family and it was not until I was in my late 30’s that I recognized his sacrifice for this country.

After that point in time, I always thanked him for his service. He passed away about 10 years ago, but to this day I still remember his willingness to protect this country (including his personal sacrifices).

My son went into the Marines in 2004 and did 4 years active service. He does not understand why I thank him for his willingness to defend this country and the freedoms and liberties for which it stands.

To those who serve/served and the families of those, thank you for your sacrifices. :thumbsup:

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I am also very thankful for all of the men and women that will continue to serve our country everyday. I can not even begin to express my thanks enough to you for the sacrifices made.

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Wonderful comments, my friends. Special thanks to @printolaser for starting this thread.

My father was career Army in WWII and beyond – D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, two tours in post-war Japan, and Korea. My brother was an MP at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin in the early 70s, and I was a Cold War sailor in the 80s. It was a privilege to serve the country I love and I had some really big shoes to fill.

In many communities in the US, veterans groups will be selling poppies as a fundraiser to help veterans in need (other groups do this Memorial Day weekend). If you see my brothers- and sisters-in-arms on a corner, please buy a poppy. Or as my dad used to say, “Buy a friggin’ flower.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

In remeberance of those that gave their lives in WWI, this beautiful display of ceramic poppies was installed at the Tower of London in 2014

Rest assured, I will be using my Glowforge next year to make poppy-themed items…

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Thanks to all of you who served.

(It’s an interesting day for me: one uncle who fixed planes in the Aleutians, one uncle in the Royal Artillery, one uncle who lost a leg on the russian front.)

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We owe such a debt of gratitude to all who have served. Where I work we have many veterans. We are dedicating a wall with names of the veterans who worked here and then gave their lives for all of us in the service of their country. :cry: - Rich

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I spent last weekend on retreat with 30 men. 20 of them had served in the military, almost all in Vietnam. The witness talks were amazing. It finally dawned on me how significant military service was to baby boomers. I just missed out on it by a few years. Thank you to all our veterans, and prayers and support to those who continue to serve.

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It makes me proud to know that my grandfather fought in WWII and my dad in Korea, (he just passed two months ago.) They both sacrificed potentially everything to do what they believed was right and good. Also the fact that In Flanders Fields was penned by Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae during WWI. So with that and the fact that we lost the great Leonard Cohen yesterday, here he is reciting “In Flanders Fields”…(http://www.macleans.ca/culture/arts/leonard-cohen-recites-in-flanders-fields/)

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Happy cakeday @blahx3marketing. Sorry about your father. Hard to imagine what it was like for grandmother and mother. And thanks for marking Leonard Cohen’s passing.

Here’s a video that was influential in my own journey to learning about WWI. I had spent the summer of 1984 traveling Europe. Four weeks in Scotland, England and Wales. In every church I went to were plaques listing the young men who died in the Great War. Sometimes almost complete classes of men in the villages were killed. It was the single most powerful thing I learned in that trip. Then when I first heard this song by Sting, it brought it all back. Saw him a few years later in Rome on the Nothing Like the Sun tour. Great experience.

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Thx @marmak3261, a dream of mine to make it to Europe some day, would love to see & feel the history. I’m a Sting fan (& The Police, come on right?) I returned a little while ago after 12 years in Asia, visited Cambodia and the killing fields, so I get an impression of what you mean. I am grateful for all those who participated in the wars before my time to ensure my generation can enjoy the freedoms we take for granted. I try to take time to appreciate the freedoms we have even though it is often too easy to forget & take for granted.
It is also odd that my “cakeday” is 11-11. I actually purchased The Forge on 9/24/15 @ 8:35 am, but didn’t find the forums until a year ago today. Glad I did, y’all rock hard! Wish I was even a little near as creative as so many on here. Such inspirations to be found. Perhaps The Forge will allow me to find my creative side. (fingers hard crossed)
My name is John btw, not sure why my email addy shows as my name…

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I appreciate the number of you who have taken the time today to recognize my fellow Veterans on this day. If it wasn’t for medical reasons I’d be close to celebrating 19 yrs of service in the USAF but I could only make it 10 yrs before they broke me. How time flies and how to often people tend to forget the true cost of freedom that could never be measured in currency of any denomination. Again thank you

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Well said, and thanks for your service.

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We can all cut our own trail through life, and it is the vets who bequeathed us that privilege.
On Earth, how many souls would sacrifice a limb to be where you are? When you look, see what could be missing instead of what is missing.

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No - thank you, and all that served.

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