Memorial Day Thoughts (by Lou Gentry)

I recently ran across an old article which reminded me of something I thought would be appropriate for Memorial Day, and I wanted to share it with you. The article was about Red Skelton’s “Pledge of Allegiance.” For those of you too young to know who Red Skelton was, he was a comedian whose family oriented humor made millions laugh for more than 70 years. On January 14, 1969, in one of his rare serious performances, he first introduced his version of the Pledge of Allegiance on THE RED SKELTON SHOW on CBS Television. His introduction was as follows:

“I remember a teacher that I had. He was the principal of the Harrison School in Vincennes, Indiana. To me, he was the greatest teacher, a real sage of my time. He had such wisdom. We were all reciting the Pledge of Allegiance one day and he walked over--Mr. Laswell was his name--and he said, ‘I’ve been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge of Allegiance all semester; and, it seems as though it has become monotonous to you. If I may, may I recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word.

I - - Me; an individual; a committee of one.

Pledge - - Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.

Allegiance - - My love and my devotion.

To the Flag - - Our standard; Old Glory; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, "Freedom is everybody’s job."

United - - That means that we have all come together.

States - - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

And to the Republic - - Republic--a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.

For which it stands

One Nation - - One Nation--meaning, so blessed by God.

Indivisible - - Incapable of being divided.

With Liberty - - Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.

And Justice - - The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.

For All - - For All--which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.’

Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: ‘Under God.’ Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?”

Since 1969, Red Skelton’s “Pledge of Allegiance” has twice been read into the Congressional Record of the United States and has received numerous awards. You can see a video of Red’s presentation below.
  

Memorial Day

(by Lou Gentry)

Today is Memorial Day - a time in which we honor our armed services personnel who paid the ultimate price in the defense of our country. A few years ago, I viewed the "Band of Brothers" when it initially premiered as a mini-series on The History Channel. The mini-series has subsequently appeared not only on the The History Channel, but also other television channels as well. If you like military history, you will be reminded of the sacrifices made by those who fought and died in World War II in the defense of our freedom as you view this series.

"Band of Brothers" was produced by the academy award winning actor Tom Hanks, and the well-known movie producer and director, Steven Spielberg. This historical dramatization allowed you to follow the men who formed Easy Company within the 101st Airborne, from their basic training in Fort Toccoa, Georgia, through the Normandy Invasion, to the end of the war. It probably reflected more realistically what our servicemen experienced in that war than any other war movie I've ever seen. That was because Hanks, Spielberg and their associates actually went out and found surviving members of Easy Company - men in their late 70's and early 80's - interviewed them, and incorporated their stories into this mini-series. Portions of these interviews were shown throughout the series, usually at the beginning or end of each of the ten parts. For me, this was the most interesting part of the program as these men shared their own individual thoughts of what they were going through as young men fighting far from home. When the series concluded, I was left with a greater appreciation of what is meant by the phrase, "The Greatest Generation."

My heartfelt thanks to all who fought in this and subsequent wars, and who are fighting this day to protect the freedoms we enjoy in this country. May we never take these freedoms for granted, and may we never forget those who paid the ultimate price to protect them. may God grant our servicemen and servicewomen and their families a special blessing on this Memorial Day.