Saturday, May 26, 2012

Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012


Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams



Next Monday is Memorial Day. For many it is more than a holiday, it is a day when we gather as a community to express our gratitude to our country’s men and women in uniform, who by their sacrifice cannot be with us to enjoy the day… http://www.thetentacle.com/ShowArticle.cfm?mydocid=5122

This year, Westminster and Carroll County will mark its 145th observance of Memorial Day with an expanded parade and four-days of activities.

The tradition of the parade and ceremony in Westminster began in 1868, when Mary Bostwick Shellman followed General John A. Logan’s May 5, 1868, General Order No. 11 to adorn the graves of Union soldiers with flowers. She gathered a group of schoolchildren for the task and they walked from the old schoolhouse on Center Street to Westminster Cemetery.

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Last week I wrote about a local community leader, Atlee Willis Wampler, Jr., who served as the Westminster Memorial Day parade marshal for more than 44 years, from just after World War II until he passed away March 11, 1991.

[…]

That said, I have grown exhausted with the gut-wrenching existentialism and overwhelming fatigue that accompanies covering military funerals for the paper.

I was quite struck by a May 6 article in The Washington Post by Ian Shapira, “Barbara Robbins: A slain CIA secretary’s life and death,” about a little-known Vietnam War casualty from a bombing that occurred in Saigon March 30, 1965.

According to the article, “The CIA director revealed only a few details about the 21-year-old woman, a secretary among spies. In the agency’s annual memorial service for employees killed on the job, then-Director Leon E. Panetta announced that a new name had been inscribed with calligraphy inside the CIA’s Book of Honor: Barbara Annette Robbins, who had volunteered to go to Saigon during the Vietnam War…

[…]

The story of Ms. Robbins is compelling and evocative. Yet for me, what I found particularly haunting was the black and white picture of a very young American, in a far-off land, defending our freedoms, staring right at us.


The Tentacle Wednesday, May 23, 2012 Reflections on #Memorial Day by Kevin E. Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/br3hams


See Also: Eagle Archive: Wampler's life of service made him an apt participant on #Westminster #Memorial Day http://tinyurl.com/7vojfmx

Atlee Wampler was a tall man who maintained a military bearing forged in heavy combat throughout WWII, all his life

Wampler served as the #Westminster #Carroll Co #Memorial Day parade marshall from 1947 until his death in 1991 http://tinyurl.com/7vojfmx


On May 28, Carroll County and Westminster will mark the 145th observance of Memorial Day with an expanded parade and three-days of activities — thanks to all the hard work of American Legion Carroll Post No. 31 and leaders like Skip Amass, coordinator of this year's activities.

The tradition of the parade and ceremony in Westminster began in 1868, when Mary Bostwick Shellman followed General John A. Logan's May 5, 1868, General Order No. 11 — which called upon people to adorn the graves of Union soldiers with flowers.

She gathered a group of schoolchildren for that task, and they walked from the old schoolhouse on Center Street to Westminster Cemetery.

As with all the many stories in Carroll, the hands and hearts of countless individuals and community organizations have guided and nurtured the observances over the years. The list is long and celebrated.

However, one of the names historically synonymous with Memorial Day is particularly worthy of note — Atlee Willis Wampler Jr… READ MORE: http://www.baltimoresun.com/explore/carroll/news/ph-ce-eagle-archive-0520-20120519,0,5649787.story



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Recently on Explore Carroll and Eagle Archives - by Kevin Dayhoff http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr



[20120526 To those who serve thank you] http://tinyurl.com/7q46ksr
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Kevin Dayhoff Art: http://www.kevindayhoff.com/ (http://kevindayhoffart.blogspot.com/http://www.kevindayhoffart.com/ New Bedford Herald: http://kbetrue.livejournal.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevindayhoff
Google profile: https://profiles.google.com/kevindayhoff/ “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” 1 Peter 4:10

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