In this latest micro-episode, the Substandard salutes our military and our favorite war movies. Sonny Bunch loves Inglourious Basterds and … Aliens? Vic and JVL remember meeting R. Lee Ermey, who explained how he landed the role of a lifetime in Full Metal Jacket. All on the latest Substandard!
A reader sent to TWS Fact Check this Memorial Day weekend an internet meme claiming that of the more than 58,000 fallen service members commemorated on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall, only eight are women. The engraved wall of names cuts into the topography of Washington, D.C.'s monumental core…
This year's annual National Memorial Day Concert on the National Mall featured a stirring tribute to veterans of the Vietnam War. The concert, which aired Sunday evening on PBS, included a surprising addition: Hans Zimmer's "Honor" from the HBO miniseries The Pacific.
This year's annual National Memorial Day Concert on the National Mall featured a stirring tribute to veterans of the Vietnam War. The concert, which aired Sunday evening on PBS, included a surprising addition: Hans Zimmer's "Honor" from the HBO miniseries The Pacific.
In his Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, President Obama seems to have taken it upon himself to update the greatest achievement in the history of the English language—the King James Bible. He was reaching for John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his…
Hillary Clinton and her husband, Bill Clinton, made their first joint appearance since the start of the 2016 presidential campaign. The event was a Memorial Day parade in Chappaqua, New York, the location of one of their multi-million dollar homes.
When thought-smiths have forged on the comfortable anvil of peace the belief that all war and conflict is wicked, foolish, and on the brink of extinction, then pain becomes the meaning of evil and rejecting evil becomes the revolt against pain in all its forms. Civil War veteran Oliver Wendell…
From the boss's newsletter, marking Memorial Day:
A book event on May 22 for the book Brothers Forver at the American Enterprise Institute, featuring retired Gen. John Allen:
Yom Hazikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, begins on Sunday night. Israel's Independence Day follows immediately thereafter on Monday night. "Ma Avarech" (English translation: "How Shall I Bless Him") is a song written by Rachel Shapira in memory of her classmate, Eldad Krook, who was killed during the…
At a ceremony marking Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery, President Barack Obama said that most Americans are able to remain unaffected by war.
On this Memorial Day, as on others, every American will turn to his own thoughts and prayers, and recall his own favorite speeches, music, and poetry. Memorial Day has no one dominant "text." But for those who aren't familiar with it, I recommend Theodore O'Hara's poem, "Bivouac of the Dead,"…
MSNBC host Chris Hayes has issued an apology one day after saying on national television that he is "uncomfortable" with calling fallen soldiers "heroes."
President Obama, an avid follower of left-wing media, is surely aware of the controversial remark by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who explained yesterday, in a discussion of Memorial Day on MSNBC, that he felt “uncomfortable” using the word “hero” for an American killed in battle:
Over the weekend, MSNBC host Chris Hayes told his viewers that he's "uncomfortable" with calling "war dead and the fallen ... 'heroes.'" Now, the Veterans of Foreign Wars group have responded by saying that Hayes's comments "are reprehensible and disgusting" and are asking for the MSNBC host to…
The muffled drum's sad roll has beat
A fair number of Americans would probably tell you that Memorial Day is held to celebrate the Indy 500. And, even those who are aware of why, actually, the day has been set aside tend to honor it in the breech, if at all. On my way, every year, to the service in our town, I am struck by how many…
Paul Mirengoff at Powerline has a post in his series, "This Day in Baseball History," reminding us that it was fifty years ago yesterday, May 26, 1962, that the Detroit Tigers defeated the Yankees 2-1 at Yankee Stadium:
Tom Manion has a moving article in today's Wall Street Journal, ahead of Memorial Day, explaining how he came "to fully understand the sacrifices of our troops and their families."
Dalibor Rohac says beware of Greek-style bailouts.
Here are a few posts worth reading, I think, on this Memorial Day.
President Barack Obama named nominees of new military brass today, on Memorial Day, for the positions of chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, vice chair of the Joint Chiefs, and chief of staff of the Army. USA Today reports:
American identity, character, and civic life are shaped by many things, but decisive among them are our national memories—of our long history, our triumphs and tragedies, our national aspirations and achievements. Crucial to the national memory are the words our forebears wrote, to show us who we…
The Scrapbook had some nice things to say about What So Proudly We Hail, a new anthology of American short stories, speeches, letters, and patriotic songs edited by Amy A. Kass, Leon R. Kass, and Diana Schaub (ISI Books, $35).