In Honor of Our Service Men and Women...

[Chiefster]

The Star Spangled Banner Lyrics
By Francis Scott Key 1814



Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

[Chiefster]

The original "Star Spangled Banner" has four verses, but I have only posted three of them. The reason for this is that the third verse makes mention of "the slave" and I simply did not want to create an issue here on the boards that could be potentially volatile.

Here's a link to the song in its entirety.

http://www.usa-flag-site.org/song-ly...d-banner.shtml

[Connie Jo]

Thanks for the beautiful post. :)

[Chiefster]

Thanks for the beautiful post. :)

Thanks Connie, I just wanted to post something to honor our veteran service men and women to reflect my undying respect and gratitude for their sacrifice and service to all of us and our great nation.

God bless all in our Armed Forces and God bless America!

[N TX Dave]

I want to think those who remember us. When I got out of the service in '76 we were not looked at very favorably in fact we were looked at as being bad people and I generaly felt despised for serving my country and doing something I was drafted and told to do in '68.
I still have personal problems because of that war and mainly how I was treated when I came back. I know it was the first war we ever lost and I feel bad about that but it was not the soldier that lost it it was the politicans that lost it.

Anyhow thank you all for remembering us it does mean a lot to us believe it or not.

[Chiefster]

I want to think those who remember us. When I got out of the service in '76 we were not looked at very favorably in fact we were looked at as being bad people and I generaly felt despised for serving my country and doing something I was drafted and told to do in '68.
I still have personal problems because of that war and mainly how I was treated when I came back. I know it was the first war we ever lost and I feel bad about that but it was not the soldier that lost it it was the politicans that lost it.

Anyhow thank you all for remembering us it does mean a lot to us believe it or not.

Thank you Dave, and God bless!

[tornadospotter]

God Bless all of our service men and women! I thank each and every one of you, not only military, but also those on our home front, the men and women who are our police, fire, and ems folks, who also serve our nation.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pfBUUZNbFM"]YouTube - Thank You Soldiers - Veteran's Day/Memorial Day Song[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEXwN7atst8"]YouTube - Fire and EMS Tribute[/ame]

[Connie Jo]

Oh, I'm sorry to read that you were treated like that Dave. I know many were, as some of my friends were in Nam. I never really understood why our soldiers were treated the way they were after Nam...radical anti war movements I suppose, but it still made no sense.

I didn't think to post my gratitude here, but thank you. May God Bless all our brave Soldiers past, present, and future...as well as their families, who also sacrifice for our freedom.

Today is my brother Ricky's (RIP) 52nd birthday...so I'm often preoccupied with thoughts of him on this day. He was proud to have been born on Veterans Day. I sure miss him...missing him triggers missing my Miss Lily too, cause they were great buddies while Ricky lived here with us his last few months of life.

[tornadospotter]

I want to think those who remember us. When I got out of the service in '76 we were not looked at very favorably in fact we were looked at as being bad people and I generaly felt despised for serving my country and doing something I was drafted and told to do in '68.
I still have personal problems because of that war and mainly how I was treated when I came back. I know it was the first war we ever lost and I feel bad about that but it was not the soldier that lost it it was the politicans that lost it.

Anyhow thank you all for remembering us it does mean a lot to us believe it or not.

You, and your fellow service people did not lose that war! The people of our nation lost that war, the politicians lost that war, not you and your fellow service men and women. I for one thank you for your service.

[N TX Dave]

I want to thank all the kind words and thoughts. My son is in the Air Force now and I am so glad the people of our great nation are supporting the service men and women now it would have made a lot of difference to us who served 40 years ago. I have had young people (twenty and thirty) talk to me about it and tell me that we were not spit at and treaded bad by the public I try to tell them we were I had it done to me and though I was lying to them, that is an example how history is being changed by the liberal media who in my mind is one of the reasons we lost that war.