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Me#1You#10
Site Admin
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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 Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 6:03 am Post subject: "Before you go..." |
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I received this message in an email and thought I'd pass it along. Our WWII vets are rapidly mustering out and I applaud each and every expression of gratitude to them for their inestimable contribution to the defense of all that is, and will be, America.
| Quote: | This is truly an awesome piece of music, and more so because it was written, composed and sung by a pair of USNA grads. How did they end up in the music business? I strongly suggest you take the time to listen to it by clicking on the Internet link below.
Bierstock, 58, and John Melnick, 54, of Pompano Beach - a member of Bierstock's band, have written a song: the mournful "Before You Go" does more than salute those who fought in WWII. It encourages people to go out of their way to thank the aging warriors before they die.
"If we had lost that particular war, our whole way of life would have been shot," says Bierstock, who plays harmonica. "Every ethnic minority would be dead. And the soldiers are now dying at the rate of about 2,000 every day. I thought we needed to thank them."
The song is striking a chord. Within four days of Bierstock placing it on the Web, the song and accompanying photo essay have bounced around nine countries, producing tears and heartfelt thanks from veterans, their sons and daughters and grandchildren.
Bierstock and Melnick thought about shipping it off to a professional singer, but because time was running out for so many veterans, they decided it was best to release it quickly, for free, on the Web.
They've sent the song to Sen. John McCain and others in Washington. Already they have been invited to perform it in Houston for a Veterans Day tribute - this after just a few days on the Web. They hope every veteran in America gets a chance to hear it.
Now, here is the link ...
http://www.managedmusic.com/beforeyougo.html |
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shawa
CNO
Joined: 03 Sep 2004
Posts: 2004
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| Posted: Mon Oct 23, 2006 6:38 am Post subject: |
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Beautiful.
Thanks Me#1. I am passing it on to everyone I know.
THANK YOU, VETS. GOD BLESS YOU ALL.
_________________
“I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.” (Thomas Paine, 1776) |
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dusty
Admiral
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 1264
Location: East Texas
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:31 am Post subject: |
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Thanks for posting this Me#1. Outstanding offering from these guys.
I'm passing it all around my circles too.
Dusty
_________________
Left and Wrong are the opposite of Right! |
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NortonPete
PO2
Joined: 13 Aug 2004
Posts: 385
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| Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2006 11:16 am Post subject: WWII Vet passes on |
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Nice account in my
local paper (New Jersey Herald ) of a WWII Veteran's passing.
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By TOM HOWELL JR.
Herald Staff Writer
SANDYSTON — Several days before farmer Enos "Cy" Harker died, he spread golden glow flower seeds on a hill behind his home along Old Mine Road.
It was the spot— beneath the pines on his beloved farm— where he wanted his ashes to be spread.
"It's almost as if he knew," said Judie Cesareo, a friend of Harker for 42 years.
Harker, 93, died Oct. 13 when his tractor overturned as he cut hay on steep grade in his fields. He was known as a township holdout who balked at government buyouts of property in the surrounding Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
He leaves many friends who remember his helpful hands on the farm and his many stories by the wood stove, "which he never ran out of," Cesareo said.
At noon Monday, more than 100 people honored Harker in a gathering behind his home. Old Mine Road is an isolated, bumpy path, and it was bitter cold, but nothing could diminish gatherers' warmth for old Cy.
Friends and loved ones marched up a hill of sprawling pines and a carpet of fallen autumn leaves to pay their respects.
"Lord, look at all these people who have come to honor Cy," Cesareo said in remarks that focused on Harker's faith.
Harker's best pal, his dog Sil, has a new home with Harker's niece, Jody Clark, in southern New Jersey. Sil was silent during the ceremony and looked around at his old master's fellow buddies.
The ceremony began with a prayer by four members of the Sussex County American Legion, who noted Harker's service during World War II.
"He has gone to report to the commander of us all," one legionnaire said in opening statements.
The quartet presented Clark an American flag, folded in a traditional triangle.
Cesareo and her daughter, Kathy Tynan, both of West Milford, spoke about Harker's love for his farm. Harker had several nieces and nephews, but no wife or children.
"He had a partner, and his partner was God," Cesareo told the silent crowd. "He didn't have a formal church, but this farm was his church."
Tynan shared Harker's personal prayer, a lengthy and poetic piece he called his "Daily Communication with God."
His prayer expresses gratitude for his family and way of life, and even offers thanks for being "average in looks, size and intelligence." His daily rite also sought blessings for the poor and gave thanks for the scenic farm.
"It's so quiet, so peaceful, so tranquil, so serene, early in the morning," Tynan said, quoting Harker's prayer. Attendees recited the "Our Father," which was included in the prayer.
Clark thanked the public for bringing wood to her uncle Cy and tending to his needs.
"You visited, checked often, and made sure he was OK," she said.
Clark, Cesareo, Tynan and dog Sil stood on a small hill and spread Harker's ashes in the spot he had requested.
A line of people processed past the spot, at which an American flag was planted in the ground with an attached eagle emblem to mark his military service, and a bouquet of flowers rested on a pile of branches laid in a criss-cross pattern.
Suzie Dickerson, of Dingman's Ferry, Pa., rode horses on Harker's property when she was 10 to 12 years old. That was 30 and more years ago, but she kept contact with Harker and bought hay from him in later years.
"His prices were so reasonable," she said, noting he could still sling bundles of hay at his advanced age.
"A little hearing loss was his only impairment, but other than that he was sharp as a tack," she said.
Ceremony attendees were invited to the Walpack Inn Monday afternoon, where they could share more memories of Harker on an open mic.
Richard Bootsma, of Wantage, worked as a mason alongside Harker roughly 30 years ago. They went their separate ways, but several years later he was out by Harker's farm and decided to stop in on his old acquaintance. They became good friends.
"He had a lot of friends," Bootsma said, "and he appreciated his friends."
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