Memorial Day - Punchbowl
Memorial Day and a Very Important PS
Early Monday morning I gave a concerned look at Katie and wondered why she was not ready for school yet. I knew she had off, but wanted to jack her chain a bit. She did not fall for it, and looking at me with that "child knowing everything and parent knowing nothing look," she promptly told me it was Memorial Day, and she had no school.
I was surprised she even knew it was Memorial Day, but then asked her what that meant. Well, she didn't know, so then I told her how after the American Civil War, Southern women saw that many Confederate and Union soldiers who were killed in the fighting, did not have marked graves. They felt sorry for them, so far from home, and no one to properly take care of their grave, let alone mark it. It started as a tradition and spread till eventually it caught on across the nation, It was originally called Decoration Day, and finally the President of the United States declared the last Monday of May as Memorial Day.
I told her about Punchbowl and how I saw on the news that the Boy Scouts were out there placing an American Flag at each Veterans' grave. One Boy Scout who was interviewed, placed 200 flags himself, and in all 35,000 small American Flags were put in the ground next to each grave marker.
She expressed an interest to visit it, even though she initially said, "Dead people are bad and scary, and would not want to see all the decaying bodies." I explained that they were not bad people, and asked if she thought her Grandparents, who she loved so much were bad people. She really did not mean "bad" as being terrible mean people. I told her the Veterans were buried under the ground and covered with nice grass, and the cemetery had lots of trees, bushes, and flowers. I asked her if she was ever at a cemetery, and she replied, "No." She actually had, but did not remember being at the cemetery when her Grandparents died.
So, we headed out on the Windward coastal ride, took our time, and visited, the Federal VA Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl. There were thousands of American Flags, all in neat rows, up and down the slopes of the dormant volcano overlooking Honolulu...quite a sight. As we drove down one lane I noticed an American Flag that had blown over, stopped the jeep, got out, and up righted it, got back in and continued on. Then we saw there were more fallen over, I stopped again, and eventually Linda and Katie joined me in up righting more flags, and flower pots, that had blown over. I was real proud of both of them.
We visited the immense monument depicting the Battle of the Pacific, and let Katie go at her own pace, asking questions and wanting to "touch" the mosaic maps of the different campaigns and battles. I think she wanted to touch them just because they were fenced off.
Anyway we got back home about 1800, had Mahi Mahi on the grill and ate outside with the tiki torches going...really nice and relaxing.
Semper Fi,
and God Bless America!!!
Love,
Dad/Grandpa/Ron/Woz
____________________
Very nicely written and done, Ron. I am sure your daughter will remember your efforts on placing the flags at the Punch Bowl WW II Cemetary.
My Great Uncle Walter Anderson, who was killed at Kwajalein in WW II, is buried at the Punch Bowl.
So on behalf of him and our family, we thank you.
Semper Fi
Craig Hullinger
Battle For Kwakalein
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Battle of Kwajalein - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Battle of Kwajalein was fought as part of the Pacific campaign of World War II
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Battle of Kwajalein - World War II - HISTORY.com
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Find out more about the history of Battle of Kwajalein, including videos, interesting articles, pictures, historical features and more. Get all the facts on ...
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Focus On: D-Day Kwajalein - The National WWII Museum
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Follow the story of D-Day on Kwajalein, told through artifacts and photos from The National WWII Museum's collections.
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Battle of Kwajalein - World War II History
militaryhistory.about.com › ... › World War II Battles - Pacific
The Battle of Kwajalein was fought between January 31 and February 3, 1944. Part of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands Campaign, the Battle of Kwajalain saw ...Battle for Kwajalein in Pictures-1944
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The Battle for Kwajalein in Pictures. ... Marshall Islands, World War II. KwajaleinToday. Troop transport on way to Kwajalein from Hawaiian Territory. Larger Pic.Marshall Islands Campaign | World War II Database
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Unbeknownst to the Japanese, the Americans were now bypassing the reinforced outer islands; they were now directly attacking Kwajalein and Eniwetok.World War 2: The Battle Of Kwajalein - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkKVSAKYwF0
Feb 18, 2011 - Uploaded by Michael
This is a video of lost Films that have been found after a 2 year search, this video have picture that have never ...WW2: Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands (31 Jan-4 Feb, 1944 ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNmkF4MaVJU
Jun 13, 2013 - Uploaded by The Digital Implosion
Footage shows the invation and capture of Kwajalein Atoll during operation Flintlock.Video
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Battle of Kwajalein - World War II - HISTORY.com
www.history.com/topics/world.../battle-of-kwajalein
Battle of Kwajalein - History Channel
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World War 2: The Battle Of Kwajalein - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkKVSAKYwF0
Feb 18, 2011 - Uploaded by Michael
This is a video of lost Films that have been found after a 2 year search, this video have picture that have never ...What Makes A Battle? 1944 WWII Kwajalein (full) - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTBTt5DB66s
Jun 25, 2013 - Uploaded by WWIIPublicDomain
National Archives description: "On the capture of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, emphasizing the cost in ...Battle of Saipan Video - World War II History - HISTORY.com
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Battle of Kwajalein Exclusive Videos & Features - HISTORY ...
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US troops capture Roi-Namur island in Kwajalein Atoll ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMoNh4wrEtY
May 23, 2014 - Uploaded by CriticalPast
US troops capture Roi-Namur island in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands ... in Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall ...Battle of Guam Video - World War II History - HISTORY.com
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Millennium: Battle of Kwajalein - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVJjKCmzCdk
Mar 4, 2014 - Uploaded by simsburytv
Bob Kalechman discuses the history of the Battle of Kwajalein on this episode of Millennium.7th Infantry Division at Kwajalein Atoll - YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyR-gUKiK8M
Dec 9, 2011 - Uploaded by okrajoe
Invasion of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands by the U.S. 7th ... Marshall Islands in World War II "What ...
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