There was a lovely rememberance ceremony on our riverfront here in Windsor yesterday. Windsor has the only cenotaph in Canada, honouring the Canadian Veterans who served and died in the Vietnam war.
The Wall That Heals (edit to say I typed the wrong name in) was also there on display. The Wall of Memory is a scaled version of the Vietnam war memorial in Washington DC touring the United States and Windsor is the only Canadian appearance because of our memorial here.
It was very impressive even in half scale!
There were a lot of US vets attending, two colour guards from Detroit, Marine and Army, fly bys of F16’s, Coast Guard helicopters, a Canadian Legion colour guard, the pipes and drums of the Essex and Kent Scottish (local militia unit) and vets from both sides of the border standing together.
There were speeches and prayers but no rants just a very dignifying ceremony.
So I would like to wish you all a happy and glorious day.
Living here in Gettysburg, Independence Day celebrations sometimes feel overshadowed by the great hoopla (battle reenactments plus the local firemen’s carnival) surrounding the Gettysburg battle anniversary July 1-3.
But this morning I made a point of listening to NPR’s annual reading of the entire Declaration of Independence. It makes for a thoughtful morning.
Speaking only for myself, I thank you for your good wishes. It’s not perfect, but it’s home.
Of course, if you ever change your mind and want to come back we’ll be more than willing to accept your back taxes. > >
We let you keep Canada! Surely that’s enough. It’s a big old place. Way more space than England or the U.S. of A. or Wales or Scotland or the Rock o’ Gibraltar or what not!
Mind you, representation is quite another matter. >
Oklahoma was never under British rule, to my knowledge. The Cherokee Nation had a treaty with the U. K., but wasn’t under British rule, either.
I wonder if Vicksburg Mississippi celebrates the 4th or mourns it???
If you don’t know, on July 4, 1863, the day after the last day of Gettysburg, the garrison at Vicksburg MS surrendered to Grant after a long siege. Overshadowed in the papers and in modern memory by events in the East, the surrender of Vicksburg proved just as serious a blow to the Confederacy as Gettysburg.
Thank you MarkB. Our little town has a “grand” parade led off by the veterans sitting in the bed of a decorated pick-up truck—everyone stands when that truck goes by, then old and new tractors, the police cars running their sirens, the fire trucks, used car dealers, the mayor, the cheerleaders, and anyone else who wants to walk along. It is actually pretty jolly.
We go to the park at night for fireworks. Unfortunately today it is pouring so I hope the rain doesn’t keep up all day. The town collects money all year for the fireworks and it is always a matter of suspense to see if we donated enough to get some good ones. Last year everyone had to go home because of lightening and then go back to the park again for the fireworks.
My mom used to tell me what a big deal the 4th was when she was little—much bigger than now. She lived near a really tiny farming town and it was the highlight of the summer since people in the country pretty much worked on the farms non-stop in summer and they lived far apart and there wasn’t a lot of entertainment. They had a parade and I guess the whole town got together for picnics and games and the like. There was always watermelon.
In my neck of the woods, folks celebrate by raising their old and tattered flags, sit half naked on their front porch, guzzle beer and frighten their Pit Bulls with fireworks. I have to say, that witnessing this spectacle sho duz make me proud to be 'merican.
Yes, a lot of us can play that tune with a different name, far more familiar than the older tune but my questionis howmany can actually sing it and do it justice!
There was another thread about how much more venerated the flag is here. It’s because we have nothing else, besides the Constitution, to display and its hard to keep a piece of paper up on a flagpole.
I am celebrating no monarch; the continuing experiment of our political system; the ability to point, with gratitude, to a small group of brilliant thinkers as our founders; and the incredible diversity within the 50 states, demographically and geographically.
Meant to wish y’all all the best for the Fourth of July, but repeatedly got distracted by the day job.
Anyway, it’s still the Fourth here for another 23 mnutes, so best wishes to you all . The issues that I have with your government don’t detract for my appreciation of all that is good and likeable about the US and especially its people.
Thanks Mark, but I find it difficult to celebrate US independence when our government is contradicting so much about what the country supposedly stands for. I’ll feel more like celebrating if we ever win our independence from corporations.
As for Fourth of July activities in my household, I don’t do anything out of the ordinary except hope that the fog doesn’t settle in before the fireworks display at Fisherman’s Wharf starts. I live nearby and it’s a short walk to a staircase on the north side of Russian Hill where I have an unobstructed view of the proceedings. I have lived on this hill for 17 years now and only twice has the weather been perfect for such an event as fireworks. (I can hear the foghorn as I write, but I think they’re just practicing for the inevitable since I can see no fog sitting on the Golden Gate right now when I look out my window.)
The irony is that fireworks are best viewed in San Francisco on any day but the 4th of July. They seem to happen about once every couple of months and they’re just as spectacular – if not more so. The best one is produced by a local radio station that synchronizes the fireworks to music. One year they opened with “Magical Mystery Tour” perfectly synchronized in tandem displays. They concluded with another Beatles song, “The End” from Abbey Road, and the synchronized fireworks to the final crescendo is something I’ll never forget. Anyway… I digress.
I hear they refused to celebrate Independence Day for that very reason for many, many years. I don’t live anywhere near there, so I don’t know how they feel about it these days. It’s my experience (as a Southerner) that Southerners are capable of carrying a grudge for generations.
Happy 4th from me too! Too hot here to do much but sit inside. 95 degrees and 11% humidity - took the dog for a walk and am still recuperating. I love the 4th because there are always several documentaries on tv - today I watched one on Benj. Franklin and one on the history behind the Aaron Burr-Alexander Hamilton duel. As a history buff, I just eat it all up!
Haven’t you heard?.. you can never go home. 
. The issues that I have with your government don’t detract for my appreciation of all that is good and likeable about the US and especially its people.