Barricades At The WWII Memorial Have Been Reinforced

Wired Shut: Barricade at WWII Memorial Reinforced -- Weekly Standard

On Tuesday morning, seven National Park Service employees were seen erecting and tending to a barricade around the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C. One NPS employee was operating a forklift. There usually aren't any NPS employees working at the World War II memorial.

A couple hours later, when an Honor Flight of World War II veterans arrived, accompanied by Democratic and Republican members of Congress, the fences blocking the memorial were easily moved away, allowing the veterans to enter.

But the barriers are still at the memorial, and they've been reinforced. This morning, I walked by the memorial and noticed that wires had been used to tie the fences together:

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My Comment: My suggestion .... bring the wire cutters.

No President Franklin Roosevelt’s D-Day Prayer At The World War II Memorial

Obama Admin Opposes Prayer at WWII Memorial -- FOX News

Republican lawmakers and conservative activists are expressing outrage after the Obama administration announced its objection to adding President Franklin Roosevelt’s D-Day prayer to the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The objection was noted during a congressional hearing on Rep. Bill Johnson’s (R-OH) bill – the “World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011.”

“It is unconscionable that the Obama administration would stand in the way of honoring our nation’s distinguished World War II veterans,” Johnson said. “President Roosevelt’s prayer gave solace, comfort and strength to our nation and our brave warriors as we fought against tyranny and oppression.”

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My Comment: The Democrat party of today is definitely NOT the Democrat Party of Roosevelt. If you are interested, Roosevelt's D-Day prayer is here.

Remembering Heroes From The Second World War

Major Herbert 'Blondie' Hasler, right, in training for Operation Frankton and, inset, the Royal Marines officer after his escape through Spain disguised as a vagrant Photo: MOD/PA

New Monument For Cockleshell Heroes -- The Telegraph

A memorial to Second World War heroes who canoed almost 100 miles into occupied France to blow up enemy ships was unveiled yesterday after a Telegraph-backed fund-raising campaign.

The raid by the "Cockleshell Heroes" in December 1942 was so important that Winston Churchill reportedly claimed it could have shortened the war by six months.

But despite their actions being immortalised in film just over a decade later, there has until now been no public monument to recognise the bravery of the ten men.

In October we reported how Maj Malcolm Cavan, former head of the Special Boat Service, had begun raising money for a memorial at La Pointe de Grave, at the mouth of the Gironde river where the mission code-named "Operation Frankton" took place.

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My Comment: A remarkable war story of courage and determination.

Keeping The Planes From The Battle of Britain Flying

A Mk XIX Spitfire at the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight hanger in Lincolnshire, wearing the colour scheme of 81 squadron, which flew the last RAF Spitfire sortie in 1954

How The Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight Keeps Spitfires And Lancasters In The Air -- The Daily Mail

This Friday a Spitfire and a Hurricane will fly over London to mark the 70th anniversary of Churchill's 'The Few' speech. But the fact that these rare aircraft can still fly is only because of the tireless, painstaking work of the men of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight

The Mk XIX Spitfire comes screaming through the skies. Banking to the left, the aircraft pulls up and swings around for another pass. It swoops down again, tearing fast and low above the heads of a small crowd gathered at the edge of the RAF base at Coningsby in Lincolnshire. A row of Typhoon jets - the supersonic fighters that head up the RAF's fleet - sit waiting for their pilots. But all eyes are on the Spitfire, as the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine's throaty growl echoes around the base.

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My Comment: To keep those planes flying .... that is a true labor of love.

Dole's Quiet Duty: Honoring Veterans

National World War II Memorial

From Wall Street Journal:

Bob Dole, a venerable 86 years old now, was back in the Washington limelight over the weekend, appearing on ABC TV to dispense counsel on a bipartisan approach to health care, popping up in newspapers explaining how to cut a deal, even suggesting Gen. David Petraeus as a presidential possibility.

But his most heartfelt weekend activity took place elsewhere, out of sight of Washington politicos and devoid of any potential for gain or notoriety. It came under a brilliant Saturday-morning sun, when the former Republican presidential candidate, now a bit more frail than most Americans recall him, stepped out of a car and strode to the National World War II Memorial to greet, one by one, 108 fellow World War II veterans who had been flown to Washington from South Carolina to see the monument built in their honor.

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My Comment: When my father passed away, I knew that I had lost my own personal connection to the Second World War. My only regret is that I could never convince him to go back to Russia and to visit the monuments that were set up to honor soldiers like himself .... he was always too afraid to go back .... and now it is too late.

Kudos to Senator Dole and the work that he is doing to make sure that some veterans and their families will not have that regret .... it makes a difference.

World War II Memorial

The Official World War II Memorial website is here.

From its website:

The World War II Memorial honors the 16 million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people. The Second World War is the only 20th Century event commemorated on the National Mall.

To search the World War II registry, the link is here.

Other related external links:
World War II Memorial -- Wikipedia
White House Dedication -- White House
World War II Memorial -- White House