“In anticipation of its upcoming World War II miniseries The Pacific, HBO will foot the bill for 250 veterans to visit the World War II memorial in Washington next week, The Associated Press reported.”

“The pay cable channel said it is working with the Honor Flight Network, which pays to transport veterans to the capital.”

Read the whole story here.

1. Who controls the National Guard in times of peace?

1. State governors 2. Congress 3. The Army 4. The U.S. President

2. This branch of the military operates as part of the Navy during war time.

3. This branch of the U.S. military was officially created November 10, 1775, but was disbanded in 1783 (only to be recreated a few years later).

1. Navy 2. Air Force 3. Army 4. Marine Corps

4. The United States Naval Academy is located in what state?

1. New York 2. Florida 3. Delaware 4. Maryland

5. This branch of the U.S. armed services has no official motto, but is often associated with the phrase “Non sibi sed patriae” (“Not self, but country”).

1. Marine Corps 2. Army 3. Navy 4. Air Force

6. Which World War II general went on to become a U.S. President?

7. This, the first branch of the U.S. Armed Forces to be created, was born June 14, 1775.

1. Navy 2. Marine Corps 3. Air Force 4. Army

8. Their motto, “Semper Fidelis” (often abbreviated as” Semper Fi”), means “always faithful.”

1. Marine Corps 2. Air Force 3. U.S. Coast Guard 4. Navy

9. Their motto, “Semper Paratus,” means “always ready.”

1. Marine Corps 2. U.S. Coast Guard 3. Army 4. Air Force

10. The U.S. Military is made up of how many fighting branches?

1. six 2. three 3. five 4. four

11. U.S. Armed forces invaded this country following terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

12. Their official motto of “This We’ll Defend” is incorporated into their seal.

1. Army 2. Marine Corps 3. Navy 4. Air Force

13. The Blue Angels (the world’s first officially sanctioned military aerial demonstration team) are a part of which branch of the U.S. Armed Services?

1. Navy 2. Army 3. Marine Corps 4. Air Force

14. This is the world’s oldest life-saving service.

1. U.S. Coast Guard 2. Navy 3. Army 4. Marine Corps

15. This World War II general went on to lead U.S. forces in Korea, but was removed from that position for disagreeing with President Truman. (Politics notwithstanding, the Korean people have honored him with a statue in Incheon’s Freedom Park.)

16. The U.S. Air Force Academy is located in which state?

1. Colorado 2. Arizona 3. Virginia 4. Maryland

17. This military institution has trained more officers than any other.

ANSWERS

1. State Governors 2. U.S. Coast Guard 3. U.S. Marine Corps 4. Maryland 5. Navy  6. Dwight Eisenhower 7. Army 8. Marine Corps 9. U.S. Coast Guard 10. Five 11. Afghanistan 12. Army 13. Navy 14. U.S. Coast Guard 15. General Douglas MacArthur 16. Colorado  17. United States Military Academy

Source: http://www.theholidayzone.com

Travelers who take the I-295 Bypass around Richmond, Virginia know Exit 9B—numerous gas stations, fast food restaurants, and quick stop stores.  After years of trekking between Alexandria and North Carolina, my family and I know these spots by heart.

Recently returning home from a UNC basketball game, my son and I stopped at Denny’s on Exit 9B for dinner.  I was tired and inwardly fretting about a Tar Heel loss, the economy, college tuition, gas prices…and then I saw them.

Three booths away from us sat a uniformed Army sergeant and her children.  The kids were well-mannered and seemed to be enjoying their meal.  I remembered that Ft. Lee was nearby and began thinking about this family.  Where was the father?  Was he in the Army too? Deployed?  Maybe the sergeant had been so busy with her duties recently that she asked for this Mom’s night out with her children and left Dad at home? Maybe she had just returned from Iraq or Afghanistan?

I didn’t want to intrude, but I was proud to be seated near them.  My worries and struggles seemed small compared to what so many military families face every day.  They deal with challenges on the home front in ways that most civilians do not understand or appreciate.  Finding a new home…packing and moving…leaving grandparents and friends…registering for new schools…registering cars…finding a new place of worship…finding a new temporary job…worrying about loved ones who are deployed…and a thousand other details.  Often military spouses have to handle these chores alone.  Money is always tight.

I said a short prayer for this Army family in Denny’s, quietly paid their bill when we left ahead of them, and headed back to my comfortable life.  It was the least I could do.

There are stunning memorials in Washington, D.C., honoring World War II, Korean and Vietnam veterans. The pity, however, is that while tens of thousands of tourists flock to see them on the National Mall every year, few of the visitors are veterans of those wars themselves.

A relatively new nonprofit organization called Honor Flight is out to change that. It’s a simple concept. The organization, which was founded in Ohio in 2005 and has now spread to 100 locations throughout the U.S., arranges flights to Washington for the vets, organizes a group of volunteer “guardians” to accompany them, and transports them to each of the memorials all in one day.

Through 2009, more than 35,000 veterans of our nation’s wars have been transported to Washington to see the monuments built in their honor.

Read the whole story here.

The state has unveiled a new set of commemorative license plates to honor veterans who have served in wars.

Six new plates are available – for veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Iraq War and the current war in Afghanistan.   Each plate features a medal of honor issued for each war.

Read more here.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Ray Vivier had been an adventurer, a Marine veteran who explored the country from South Carolina to Alaska, the father of five children.

The 61-year-old also was a man starting to get his life back together after living for years in a shanty beneath a Cleveland bridge. He had struggled with alcoholism, but by November he had a welding job, friends and a place to stay at a boarding house.

He rescued five people from that house when arsonists set it ablaze – but Vivier couldn’t save himself. He and three others died, and two people have been charged in their deaths. Vivier’s body, unclaimed and unidentified for weeks, seemed destined for an anonymous, modest burial.

However, Jody Fesco – who met Vivier while she was volunteering at a soup kitchen and had even invited him to her wedding – heard that Vivier may have died. Fesco and her husband contacted their friend Haraz Ghanbari, an Associated Press photographer, about the situation. Ghanbari took the lead to make sure Vivier wasn’t forgotten, tracking down the family members and arranging a proper funeral.

Read the entire story here.

NMAW will be holding their annual Open House the weekend of August 21st and 22nd.  You can register now by clicking here.

You can support the effort of sending letters to our troops.

Letters To Soldiers is a volunteer program of Save A Dog & Kids Inc. 501c3 since 1999 sending letters, care packages and support to our troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and a hospital in Kuwait.

Visit their web site to learn more.

www.letterstosoldiers.org

The headline promises Rockwall County’s planned veterans memorial will be “completely modern and new in every way.”

The date on the yellowed newsprint is March 2, 1945, the name of the newspaper has been lost to history and that memorial never happened.

But things have changed. The news now is that Rockwall County finally will have a place to honor its vets.

“The community is excited,” said Lee Gilbert, a Vietnam veteran, past commander of the Rockwall County American Legion and a member of the county’s memorial committee. “I haven’t heard from anyone who wasn’t supportive.”

County commissioners have set aside $500,000 for the project – apart from the budget for the new courthouse – and asked for design proposals. Ten came in before the Dec. 8 deadline.

Read the whole story here.