Honoring our Veterans on Memorial Day Weekend

[BigBadBrian]

http://rds.yahoo.com/S=96062883/K=Military+Salute/v=2/SID=e/l=IVI/SIG=127rs41v0/EXP=1117375632/*-http%3A//users.ev1.net/~medosier/Cool_pics/Salute.jpg

[FORD]

Gonna sticky this one for the weekend. Please respect the purpose of honoring those who sacrificed themselves for this country and leave the political shit out of this one......

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/uploads/large/WWIIMem062004-05-25.jpg

[Nickdfresh]

Normandy

http://search.eb.com/normandy/art/onormay059p4.jpg
The Normandy American Cemetery, near Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, containing the graves of 9,386 dead

[Redballjets88]

http://www.ipanda-graphics.com/ww1.jpg

[Nickdfresh]

:)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y240/Nickdfresh/VH.jpg

[FORD]

http://www.leg.wa.gov/legis/vetmemrl/vietwomn.jpg

Washington State Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It's a black granite wall with the names of the KIA/MIA. Just like the one in DC, only smaller.

The memorial was designed by Kris Snider, architect with EDAW, Inc. of Seattle. It is a semicircular wall that stretches partially around a 45-foot base on a rolling course, seven feet tall at the apex, one foot at its lowest point. The top of the wall represents the highs and lows of the life of the nation until it is interrupted by a jagged line in the outline of Vietnam, symbolizing the break in the circle of life caused by the conflict. Sixteen green granite slabs make up the wall and are positioned so that they are accessible to all who come to reflect and remember. The wall is engraved with the names of the more than 1,000 men and women from Washington State who never returned home, and are listed in chronological order from 1963 to 1975, the order in which those veterans gave their lives. A small cross has been engraved next to the names of those who remain missing in action.

Since its dedication, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has been the site of many private reflections and tributes. Items such as flags, flowers, letters and personal effects have been left to honor the memory of those who did not return. All items are collected and placed in the state archives.

http://www.leg.wa.gov/legis/vetmemrl/vietvet.htm

[FORD]

http://www.leg.wa.gov/legis/vetmemrl/350_kor.jpg


The Korean War Veterans Memorial was authorized in 1989 by the Washington State Legislature and has two purposes: to express the gratitude of the citizens of this state for all who served in Korea; and, to project the spirit of service, willingness to sacrifice, and dedication to freedom in remembering those Washingtonians who lost their lives in the war.

Nearly five years of fund raising efforts raised almost $400,000 for the project. More than $320,000 came from private donations, with $70,000 in state matching funds. Since 1991, the lead for the project's fund raising was the Chosin Few, a veterans service organization of Korean War veterans who served in one of the bloodiest battles during the war.

The sculpture is the work of Spokane artist Deborah Copenhaver and is of three battle-weary soldiers huddled around a campfire. It was erected on the east capitol campus and was dedicated on July 24, 1993, three days from the 40th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.

Of the 2.5 million Americans who served in Korea, 122,000 were from Washington State. The names of 528 state residents listed as killed in action during the war are permanently engraved on the memorial. More than six million Americans served in the military during the Korean War, and nearly 53,000 lost their lives during that time.

http://www.leg.wa.gov/legis/vetmemrl/korean.htm

[FORD]

http://www.leg.wa.gov/legis/vetmemrl/350_ww2.jpg
The World War II Memorial was authorized in 1995 by the Washington State Legislature. The memorial was dedicated on May 28, 1999, during a patriotic and emotional ceremony that drew a crowd of 5,000.

The design features a star-like cluster of five, 14-foot high bronze blades engraved with the names of nearly 6,000 Washington residents who lost their lives in WWII. The engraved names form silhouette images of military personnel and civilians. These blades are placed upon a granite world map.

The memorial also includes a cast-bronze wheat field with 4,000 individual stalks, symbolizing the service men and women who died in the war. Large rocks engraved with the significant battle names and events of the war surround the wheat field. The memorial also pays tribute to those who contributed during the war on the civilian home front, such as doctors, nurses, factory workers and others.

Nearly 3,000 commemorative granite tiles are permanently placed along the memorial’s walkways, each with a unique message of gratitude or remembrance on behalf of a veteran, friend or loved one. A bronze plaque describes the major historical aspects of the war, while an amphitheater provides a place for educational gatherings and personal reflection.

The design is the work of artist and sculptor Simon Kogan, a Russian immigrant who now makes his home in Olympia. His design was chosen after an extensive statewide competition which drew more than 40 entries and solicited unprecedented public input.

Fund-raising efforts raised over $800,000 for the project, most of it from private contributions and municipalities, with $200,000 provided by the state legislature. The memorial is located near the General Administration building on the corner of Capitol Way and 11th Avenue.
http://www.leg.wa.gov/legis/vetmemrl/ww2mem.htm

[Cathedral]

I was watching the History Channel a few weeks ago and learned an interesting fact about that historic picture of the 4 soldiers raising the flag.
3 of those soldiers were killed in combat before that picture was even released a week later.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Cathedral
I was watching the History Channel a few weeks ago and learned an interesting fact about that historic picture of the 4 soldiers raising the flag.
3 of those soldiers were killed in combat before that picture was even released a week later.


This page (http://www.iwojima.com/raising/raisingc.htm) provides mini-bios of the 6 guys in the original photo (4 raising the flag, and 2 in back)

As for the 4th man raising the flag, he survived the war, but like many vets, never really came home :(

Johnny Cash wrote a song about this Marine, Ira Hayes
http://www.iwojima.com/raising/57ira.gif

Ira Hayes,
Ira Hayes

CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Gather round me people there's a story I would tell
About a brave young Indian you should remember well
From the land of the Pima Indian
A proud and noble band
Who farmed the Phoenix valley in Arizona land

Down the ditches for a thousand years
The water grew Ira's peoples' crops
'Till the white man stole the water rights
And the sparklin' water stopped

Now Ira's folks were hungry
And their land grew crops of weeds
When war came, Ira volunteered
And forgot the white man's greed

CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

There they battled up Iwo Jima's hill,
Two hundred and fifty men
But only twenty-seven lived to walk back down again

And when the fight was over
And when Old Glory raised
Among the men who held it high
Was the Indian, Ira Hayes

CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Ira returned a hero
Celebrated through the land
He was wined and speeched and honored; Everybody shook his hand

But he was just a Pima Indian
No water, no crops, no chance
At home nobody cared what Ira'd done
And when did the Indians dance

CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Then Ira started drinkin' hard;
Jail was often his home
They'd let him raise the flag and lower it
like you'd throw a dog a bone!

He died drunk one mornin'
Alone in the land he fought to save
Two inches of water in a lonely ditch
Was a grave for Ira Hayes

CHORUS:
Call him drunken Ira Hayes
He won't answer anymore
Not the whiskey drinkin' Indian
Nor the Marine that went to war

Yeah, call him drunken Ira Hayes
But his land is just as dry
And his ghost is lyin' thirsty
In the ditch where Ira died

[Cathedral]

Ya gotta love Johnny Cash.......

Thanks for the link, I have been on a military history kick for a couple of months now and it will add to the interesting reads i have already been through.

[Hardrock69]

I served in the Army. Keeping a tradition alive for the third generation in a row in my fambly.

My Dad served in Korea in the Navy.

His Dad served in the 45th Infantry Division in WWI.

His brother (My Uncle) joined the Navy at age 16 to fight in WWII, and was career Navy until the mid-60s.

My great-great-great-grandfather was killed in the Civil War fighting for the South at the Battle Of Pea Ridge in North-Western Arkansas.

His great-grandfather served in the Revolutionary War.

I say if it were not for the Rise of the United States Of America as a world power, the world might be much worse off. Sure some other country could conceivably have emerged as a bastion of Freedom....and sure the USA has caused a lot of bullshit, but I say the good far outweighs the bad.

God Bless our soldiers alive and dead, for helping to keep the Earth a fairly decent place to live, not just the United States.

[Nickdfresh]

The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner
by Randall Jarrell

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from the dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.

Six miles from earth, loosed from the dream of life...

"A ball turret was a plexiglass sphere set into the belly of a B-17 or B-24 bomber and inhabited by two .50 caliber machine-guns and one man, a short, small man. When this gunner tracked with his machine-guns a fighter attacking his bomber from below, he revolved the turret; hunched upside-down in his little sphere, he looked like the foetus in the womb. The fighters which attacked him were armed with canon firing explosive shells. The hose was a steam hose." (Jarrell's notes)
http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/images/b17-016.jpg

[Cathedral]

To all of those who have served, are now serving, and to those who gave their lives in the line of duty.

I Thank You from the bottom of my heart to the top where my respect for you all is overflowing in a continuous spring.
It takes selflessness to put on that uniform and perform the tasks that have been and will be asked of you.
Mere words cannot express my gratitude, love, and support enough to satisfy me or do any of you justice.

This American is truly grateful for your acts of courage and sacrifice.

I salute you all and owe you a great debt of gratitude i will never be able to repay.

From this proud American to all of our awesome soldiers, Thank You!

[4moreyears]

Thank you to all members of the military past and present for their service to our great nation. No matter who is in charge Republicans or Democrats this is the greatest nation because of all your sacrifices. I Thank You for providing the freedom that my family and I cherish.

[Nickdfresh]

http://www.vietnampix.com/bilder/end2.jpg
Helmets, rifles and jungle boots tell a grim tale of the action fought by
the 1st Brigade, 101st airborne paratroopers in Operation Wheeler near Chu Lai.
This battlefield memorial honors the soldiers killed during
the offensive between September 11th and November 25th, 1967.

[Nickdfresh]

WAR'S SACRIFICE

Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham threw himself on a grenade to save his men—but his life was extraordinary even before that final moment
By ANTHONY VIOLANTI
NEWS (http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20050530/1066761.asp) STAFF REPORTER
5/30/2005
http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2005/05/30/0530phillips_a.jpg
"The rawness and sense of loss for us will never go away. It's easy for people to forget about the sacrifice Jay made, and as his mother, I don't want anyone to forget."
—Deb Dunham

"I have no idea if he will get the Medal of Honor. Whether he gets it or not, the Marines who served with him know what he did for them."
Author Michael M. Phillips

Jason Dunham was a walking Marine poster. The Southern Tier native stood 6-feet, 1-inch tall, with handsome chiseled features and a muscular body. At 22, he had piercing, dark hazel eyes and was brimming with charisma and leadership.

On his face was an engaging smile, tattooed on his chest was the ace of spades. He was a tough Marine corporal with a soft heart, "a good old country boy" who liked to play pool, flirt and listen to Tim McGraw CDs.

That is the Jason Dunham that Mark Dean remembers.

Not the mortally wounded, disfigured and bloodstained figure Dean found on a hot and dusty Iraqi street after Dunham threw himself on a grenade, probably saving the lives of at least two of his men.

"The face, bloated and bloodied, didn't look familiar. Then (Dean) . . . realized he was looking at one of his best friends. "Dunham, if you can hear me, give me a sign,' Dean begged. Jason didn't speak, although Dean noticed his left leg move a bit . . . Dean prayed to himself and spoke aloud to Jason to try and keep him steady . . . "You're going to be all right,' said Dean. "We're going to get you home.' "

The scene was included in "The Gift of Valor," a new book on Dunham written by Michael M. Phillips and excerpted in Sunday's Parade magazine in The Buffalo News. Today, Dean still lives with that moment, and with thoughts of Jason Dunham, who has been recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor. The medal, which has only been awarded once for the Iraq War, would put Dunham among the most select company in military history.

"I think about him every day," Dean said last week in a telephone interview from California, where he is stationed. "Some days are tougher, and some aren't."

"Cpl. Dunham had a gift from God," Dean added, his voice breaking. "Everybody who came in contact with him wanted to be like him. He was the toughest Marine but the nicest guy. He would do anything for you. Cpl. Dunham was the kind of person everybody wants as their best friend. It's hard to explain in words."

In his book, Phillips faced that journalistic challenge. Phillips, an embeded reporter for the Wall Street Journal, never met Dunham. Phillips arrived in Iraq in May 2004, a few weeks after the Marine's death. But Phillips said that everywhere he went, some Marine would tell him about Dunham.

"I never met Jason, but I kept hearing about him," said Phillips, 42. "You hear about a man who jumped on a grenade and could get the Medal of Honor, and right away you know it's a good story."

Phillips wrote a front-page piece on Dunham for the Journal last May. It struck an immediate, emotional chord with the American public. The paper received hundreds of letters and e-mails. Back in Scio, which is near Wellsville in Allegany County, Dunham's family members said they received nearly 1,000 letters since the Journal ran his story, which was also reported in The News.

Dunham's story was one "of extraordinary valor on the part of a brave Marine," retired Army Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf said in a statement.

"Everybody seemed touched about one young man who gave everything for his country," Phillips added.

On the surface, it seemed a simple story: Small-town boy transformed into a war hero. But, as Phillips discovered, Dunham's life and death had complex and profound meanings.

Family turmoil filled Dunham's early childhood. Dunham's mother was just 16 and a sophomore in high school when he was born, Phillips writes. Her boyfriend, Jason's father, soon left her. His mother eventually married a man named Dan Dunham, but that ended in divorce. He nonetheless adopted Jason and was granted custody, along with another son named Justin.

Dan Dunham married his current wife, Deb, a few years later, and the couple had two other children - Kyle, 16, and Katelyn, 12.

"We told Jason from the beginning that he was adopted," Deb Dunham said this week. "It didn't matter, I consider him my son, and we're all one family. I remember when he was about 6 or so, he would hug me and say, "You can be my mother.' "

In Scio, Jason had a passion for baseball and other sports. He was a popular student at Scio Central School but always rooted for the underdog. "He was easy-going, but he stuck up for people who needed help," Deb Dunham said.
http://www.buffalonews.com/graphics/2005/05/30/0530a1pkg_b.jpg
Dunham was 17 when he signed up for the Marines during his senior year in high school. Late in 2003, he found out he was going to Iraq. Before shipping out, Jason talked to his parents about what might happen if he didn't come back.

If his wounds left him incapacitated, Phillips writes, Jason told his father he didn't want to remain on life support.

"Dad, don't let me lay there for a day if I'm going to be that way forever."

In the book, Phillips describes a conversation Jason had with his mother as he was leaving for Iraq: "As Jason walked to the doorway of his home to leave, Deb looked at him and said: "You want your dress blues?'

"Yep," Jason replied.

"And you want a full military service?"

"Yep."

"Nothing more was said," Phillips writes, "they both knew they were talking about Jason's funeral."



A prayerful decision

A few months later, shortly before his death, Jason phoned his mother from Iraq.

"I just felt he was saying good-bye," Deb Dunham said last week. "I don't know if it was premonition, but when you love people, especially love between a parent and child, you feel a special kind of bond."

On April 14, 2004, Dunham led a 14-man foot patrol into a town called Karabilah. Dunham approached a line of seven Iraqi vehicles along a dirt alleyway. An Iraqi in a black suit jumped out of one of the vehicles and grabbed Dunham by the throat. The two men fought as two other Marines raced to the scene.

The Iraqi had a grenade in his hand, and Dunham yelled to two Marines near him, "no, no, no, watch his hand," Phillips writes. The grenade rolled loose, and the other Marines believe Dunham placed his helmet and body over it to protect them. It exploded, and Dunham lay face down and unconscious in his blood.

"Cpl. Dunham was in the middle of the explosion," Pfc. Kelly Miller, 21, one of the Marines who raced to the scene, was quoted by Phillips. "If it was not for him, none of us would be here. He took the impact of the explosion."

A helicopter flew Dunham, near death, to battalion headquarters in Iraq. He was then transferred to another base in Iraq before being flown to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. That's where Deb and Dan Dunham went to see their son.

Phillips describes how doctors told the couple the damage was "irreversible. He would always be on a respirator. He would never hear his parents or know they were by his side. Another operation to relieve pressure on his brain had little chance of succeeding and a significant chance of killing him."

After much thought and prayer, the Dunhams decided to remove the life support.

"Jason left a living will, and Dan and Jason talked about this," Deb Dunham said last week. "It was hard to know you have to do this. You give birth to a child and you love and support and do things for your child his whole life. You meet your child's needs.

"Ultimately, we felt this was another way we had to meet Jason's needs. I saw my husband's heart torn out. But we met our child's needs. This is what he wanted."



View of Iraq War

The thought of a Medal of Honor is helpful for Deb Dunham and her family.

"It won't bring back my son," she said, "but Dan and I believe Jason is deserving of the medal. Not because we want him to have it, but because he earned it on his own merit."

"I was there, and I believe he deserves the medal," Dean said. "If he doesn't get it, I will be really disappointed because I don't know what more you can do."

So will the rest of the country when "The Gift of Valor" (Broadway Books, $19.95) is released Tuesday. Phillips will be in Scio to mark the occasion, and Deb Dunham will be there with him.

"This has been a very difficult year," she said. "The rawness and sense of loss for us will never go away. It's easy for people to forget about the sacrifice Jay made, and as his mother, I don't want anyone to forget. With this book, Michael has made it possible for people to remember Jay."

The book offers a grunt's-eye view of life in Iraq. Phillips has an accessible, easy-to-read, writing style. Like famed World War II reporter Ernie Pyle, Phillips makes the personal side of war a universal experience.

"The book tells what it's really like to be over there," Dean said. "People in America need to hear about Cpl. Dunham."


e-mail: aviolanti@buffnews.com

[Angel]

I notice nobody has mentioned your veterans from the War of 1812. They were honoured in Canada yesterday:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1117465051256_15

American soldiers honoured after 200 years
CTV.ca News Staff

Dignitaries from the United States and Canada came together in Halifax Monday to honour the lives of 195 American soldiers who were captured by the British during the War of 1812.

The men died while imprisoned on Melville Island almost 200 years ago. Most of them were buried on nearby Deadman's Island in unmarked graves.

"In this, the year of the veteran, as we honour our veterans, we will also honour yours," Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly told the visiting dignitaries.

Deadman's Island, which is actually a small peninsula, was almost sold to condo developers five years ago but heritage groups from Halifax and the U.S. lobbied to have the burial ground protected. The land is now owned by the Halifax Regional Municipality.

American diplomat John Dickson told the gathering: "It's hard for me to imagine this could happen in any other country but Canada. Thank you Halifax. Thank you, Nova Scotia. Thank you Canada."

May 30 is Memorial Day in the United States, a time when Americans remember those who died serving their country.

During the special ceremony held on the island, the U.S. Consulate presented an American flag to the people of Halifax in exchange for a promise to preserve the site and honour the memories of the soldiers.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs unveiled a bronze plaque to remember the dead. It is inscribed with the names of the captured Americans who are buried at the site.

"We can now walk peacefully through this sacred ground in quiet reflection," said Cmdr. Brad Renner, of the U.S. Navy. "We can reach out and touch this monument and tell our fallen brethren you helped keep an old promise…not to forget."

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain from June 1812 to the spring of 1815 and ended in a stalemate. More than 8,000 American prisoners were held at the military detention camp on Melville Island after being captured in sea battles off New England or in land battles in Upper Canada, now Ontario.

Many of those who died in the prison succumbed to typhus, smallpox, pneumonia and tuberculosis, according to British records.

This is just the first step in commemorating Deadman's Island.

The site is also believed to be the burial ground of at least 104 Chesapeake black refugees, who died from smallpox while under quarantine on Melville Island.

A ceremony to mark that piece of Canada-U.S history is already in the works.

[BigBadBrian]

Thanks for that post, Angel. :)

[Cathedral]

Originally posted by Angel
I notice nobody has mentioned your veterans from the War of 1812. They were honoured in Canada yesterday:

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1117465051256_15

American soldiers honoured after 200 years
CTV.ca News Staff

Dignitaries from the United States and Canada came together in Halifax Monday to honour the lives of 195 American soldiers who were captured by the British during the War of 1812.

The men died while imprisoned on Melville Island almost 200 years ago. Most of them were buried on nearby Deadman's Island in unmarked graves.

"In this, the year of the veteran, as we honour our veterans, we will also honour yours," Halifax Mayor Peter Kelly told the visiting dignitaries.

Deadman's Island, which is actually a small peninsula, was almost sold to condo developers five years ago but heritage groups from Halifax and the U.S. lobbied to have the burial ground protected. The land is now owned by the Halifax Regional Municipality.

American diplomat John Dickson told the gathering: "It's hard for me to imagine this could happen in any other country but Canada. Thank you Halifax. Thank you, Nova Scotia. Thank you Canada."

May 30 is Memorial Day in the United States, a time when Americans remember those who died serving their country.

During the special ceremony held on the island, the U.S. Consulate presented an American flag to the people of Halifax in exchange for a promise to preserve the site and honour the memories of the soldiers.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs unveiled a bronze plaque to remember the dead. It is inscribed with the names of the captured Americans who are buried at the site.

"We can now walk peacefully through this sacred ground in quiet reflection," said Cmdr. Brad Renner, of the U.S. Navy. "We can reach out and touch this monument and tell our fallen brethren you helped keep an old promise…not to forget."

The War of 1812 was fought between the United States and Great Britain from June 1812 to the spring of 1815 and ended in a stalemate. More than 8,000 American prisoners were held at the military detention camp on Melville Island after being captured in sea battles off New England or in land battles in Upper Canada, now Ontario.

Many of those who died in the prison succumbed to typhus, smallpox, pneumonia and tuberculosis, according to British records.

This is just the first step in commemorating Deadman's Island.

The site is also believed to be the burial ground of at least 104 Chesapeake black refugees, who died from smallpox while under quarantine on Melville Island.

A ceremony to mark that piece of Canada-U.S history is already in the works.

Thank You and all your countrymen and women for the sentiment. That was a nice gesture and if you hadn't posted this i probably wouldn't even have known about it since our media has not covered it to my knowledge.

Oh, and way to go breeding that young lady that became Miss Universe last night; she is a complete doll baby... :)

[Angel]

Actually, she was bred in Russia, but we'll keep her! ;)

[Angel]

Originally posted by Cathedral
Thank You and all your countrymen and women for the sentiment. That was a nice gesture and if you hadn't posted this i probably wouldn't even have known about it since our media has not covered it to my knowledge.

When they showed the coverage here last night, they did say they called it the "forgotten war". I believe they meant in the States it is forgotten, most Canadians I know are well aware of it, it's something we take great pride in - If it hadn't ended in a stalemate, and you guys had won, we'd part of the US today (shudder). ;)

However, BBB will argue that it wasn't Canadians, it was British. Well, we were all British subjects at that time, but as far as we Canucks are concerned, we were fighting for our land... and you didn't get it! :D

We had our own Paul Revere type situation at the time. Laura Secord overheard the U.S. plans to invade, and ran numerous miles to warn us. Many of the POW's in that site were captured because of the warning she gave.

And yes, I say warned "us" because I actually had an ancestor that fought in that war. No, they weren't British, they were Canadian (French)

[Nickdfresh]

Originally posted by Angel
I notice nobody has mentioned your veterans from the War of 1812. They were honoured in Canada yesterday:


I think we have a joint U.S.-British war cemetary near the BUFFALO-NIAGARA INT'L AIRPORT where troops from both sides are buried.

http://members.tripod.com/~wnyroots/index-1812.html

I also remember that the remains of a group of nearly 200 U.S. soldiers was found in ONTARIO during 90's. They had a big ceremony, bringing in the Old Guard, to transfer their remains to Arlington National Cemetary.

[FORD]

Bumping this one back up for the weekend. If any of the moderators are around, you might want to sticky this through Monday...

And as always, let's keep the political debate out of this one :)

[ELVIS]

What's a moderator ??

[ELVIS]

We need an auto response of some kind for that...