Two Viewings Have Been Scheduled For Frank Woodruff Buckles While The Capitol Rotunda Proposal Was Categorically Denied

We finally have the U.S. government's decision on how to "honor" Frank Woodruff Buckles. The Capitol Rotunda proposal did not even make it to a vote. Absolutely disgraceful. This will ultimately be a stain on the United States Of America's record forever. Future generations will view this atrocious decision as utterly shameful. Apparently, politicians from both major parties see no gain in commemorating the sacrifices of the Great War Veterans so they will not bother to organize a state tribute. This refusal is an opportunity thrown away ... an opportunity we will never have again. An enormous number of young Americans were introduced to World War I by being contemporaries of Frank Buckles and hearing about his passing. This introduction could have been supplemented by an official ceremony where the public could participate in paying tribute to the entirety of America's Veterans of the First World War.

Two viewings have been scheduled for Frank Buckles: one at Joseph Gawler's Sons Chapel on Sunday and Monday and one at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday. The public may attend both. These three days comprise our only chance to pay our respects and say farewell to the last of America's World War I Veterans. I will be driving to Washington, DC and Virginia on Sunday and Tuesday respectively.

Links with information:

http://www.wvpubcast.org/newsarticle.aspx?id=19314

http://wvgazette.com/News/201103111525

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Frank-Buckles&lc=2216&pid=149063452&mid=4581823&locale=en-US

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Visitation-for-Last-Surviving-WWI-Vet-Begins-Sunday-117829743.html

Jonathan Sandys, Winston Churchill's Great-Grandson, Supports Capitol Rotunda Ceremony For Frank Buckles While Arlington Funeral Leaves Americans Out

The controversy concerning how Frank Buckles will be honored, if one can even use the word honored at this point, has taken yet another preposterous turn. The date has been set for Frank Buckles' funeral at Arlington Cemetery (Tuesday March 15 at 4 P.M.), yet, so far, only family members and friends may attend. As of right now, the U.S. government is not allowing the American people to pay their respects to Frank Buckles and the entire World War I Generation. According to David DeJonge, Frank Buckles' photographer and spokesperson, there is still uncertainty as to who may attend. Arlington Cemetery is as secretive and aloof about the burial ceremony as John Boehner and Harry Reid are about denying Frank Buckles the opportunity to Lie In Honor at the Capitol Rotunda. This article describes the current situation: http://wvgazette.com/News/201103101151

Jonathan Sandys, great-grandson of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, has weighed in on the matter accurately describing it as "disgraceful" and "shameful". He released an "urgent statement" to United States President Barack Obama calling on him to "personally intervene immediately" and allow Frank Buckles to Lie In Honor. Here is the full press release: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/AN-URGENT-STATEMENT-FROM-WINSTON-CHURCHILL-RELATIVE-ON-FRANK-BUCKLES.html?soid=1103274555229&aid=R77pON5qrng

I consider Jonathan's involvement to be very incredible. He has more drive and motivation than most Americans. It is appreciated.

A petition for those who support the Capitol Rotunda initiative was created and can be found at this url - http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/frankbuckleslieinhonor

While working on this particular blog entry, I discovered some new, but not Earth-shattering, information. This article - http://www.herald-mail.com/news/hm-frank-buckles-last-wwi-vet-to-be-buried-in-arlington-service-20110310,0,6252810.story?track=rss - claims Frank Buckles will Lie In Honor at Arlington Cemetery's Memorial Amphitheater on March 15 from 8 A.M. to 3 P.M., yet, it too does not specify whether the public may attend. It only mentions a memorial service for local West Virginia residents that will take place one day later. Will local status be strictly enforced???

This is all that I have for now. I will keep everyone abreast of any new developments pertaining to this ongoing (and unfortunate) saga.

I Believe Frank Buckles Should Lie In Honor At The Capitol Rotunda

There is a very unfortunate controversy taking place pertaining to the ceremony to honor the life and Veteran status of Frank Woodruff Buckles, America's Last Survivor of World War I. I, like many others, believe Frank Buckles should Lie In Honor at the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. Other people, specifically John Boehner and Harry Reid, disagree. There are both Democrats and Republicans who believe that this should happen and there are both Democrats and Republicans who believe that this should not happen so this is not a partisan issue. Some opponents state that this will create a negative precedent. I disagree - this is a very positive precedent that should be set. Allowing Frank Buckles to Lie In Honor would open the door to all future Last Survivors of America's conflicts (World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq).

The url in case the video does not embed properly: https://youtu.be/ZNSXu1RWijw

This is what I have been e-mailing or saying on the telephone (for the most part):
"Good afternoon. My name is Michael. I called this morning in reference to the subject of Frank Woodruff Buckles Lying In Honor in the Capitol Rotunda and I am following up with this e-mail message. I fully support the initiative to allow Frank Buckles to Lie In Honor. I visited America's Last World War I Veteran at his home two years ago, and it was a very extraordinary experience ... one that I will always remember and cherish. Allowing the Capitol Rotunda to be used would provide the American people with a very unique opportunity to pay tribute to and say farewell to Frank Buckles and all of this country's Great War Veterans. If approved, I would certainly make the trek to Washington, DC. In no way would I forsake the opportunity to participate in such an important moment in our nation's history. Thank you for your time. Michael"

These are the people to contact ...

1.) Leaders (these are the two people blocking the initiative):
John Boehner 202-225-6205
Harry Reid 202-224-3542

2.) The Senators and Congresspeople from your respective states!!!

3.) West Virginia (to show support):
Jay Rockefeller 304-347-5372
Joe Manchin 202-224-3954
Shelley Moore Capito 304-925-5964

Thank you everyone. This is a very noble cause. All help is appreciated.

Claude Choules Turned 110 On March 3, 2011

Claude Choules, British World War I Veteran currently living in Australia and the absolute last surviving man to have served in the Great War, turned 110 on Thursday, March 3, 2011. Claude is the last person alive to have seen action in both World Wars: he was a seaman who witnessed the surrender of the German Imperial Navy and the scuttling of the German fleet in World War I and he was the Acting Torpedo Officer and Chief Demolition Officer whose tasks included diffusing mines in World War II. He served in both the British Royal Navy and the Australian Navy. He is currently blind and near deaf and no longer grants interviews.

Here is an interview with Claude from 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npTBuJdiqoc

An article:
http://www.herald-mail.com/news/hm-australias-last-wwi-veteran-turns-110-today-20110303,0,1010484.story?track=rss

Another article which states he had THREE pieces of cake on his birthday!!! That's a party I needed to go to!
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/veteran-the-last-man-standing-at-110/story-e6frg6nf-1226015595074

My Tribute To Frank Woodruff Buckles

Ladies and gentlemen: The United States Of America has lost its sole surviving Veteran of World War I. The Last of the Doughboys went on his Final March. Frank Woodruff Buckles passed away in the early morning of February 27, 2011. Although I have been posting various tributes and messages for Frank Buckles since February 28, I wanted to give myself time to create an appropriate tribute to him via video.

As some of you know, I met Frank Buckles back in 2009. In this video I discuss what occurred on that day from speaking German to Frank Buckles to his daughter Susannah telling me I "look like a Founding Father" to working out to artifacts to Megaliths to, of course, the two World Wars. I will always cherish the time that I spent with him, and, in the future, when I think back to our meeting, I will always remember it with a smile.

The url in case the video does not embed properly: https://youtu.be/eAmMB9QTZf4

By the way, I forgot to mention that, when he told me he went to England on the Carpathia, the ship that rescued survivors of the Titanic in 1912, I told him there was still one Titanic survivor living (Millvina Dean).

Here are my blog entries pertaining to Frank Buckles over the last three years:

http://michael-the-researcher.blogspot.com/2009/02/happy-108th-birthday-to-frank-woodruff.html

http://michael-the-researcher.blogspot.com/2010/11/veterans-day-2010-and-importance-of.html

http://michael-the-researcher.blogspot.com/2011/02/frank-woodruff-buckles-americas-last.html

Let us all give a very hearty salute to Frank Buckles and all of America's Great War Veterans!!

My Response To The Gesture Of Appreciation By The Egyptians

Early yesterday morning I watched a video made by the Egyptian Freedom Fighters titled "Thank You World Media". Here is the video:

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SSpZJMTT_WM" title="Thank you world media" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The url in case the video does not embed properly: https://youtu.be/SSpZJMTT_WM

This is a very sincere and beautiful gesture, and I felt compelled to respond.

Here is my verbal response:

The url in case the video does not embed properly: https://youtu.be/7Rh503PIzwM

When I heard about Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the disgraced ex-President of Tunisia, fleeing his country after the uprisings, I, like many others, immediately thought about Egypt.  Most backed off claiming that it was not possible to overthrow Hosni Mubarak, and Egypt is a nation of 80 million compared to 10 million in Tunisia so it would be harder for Protesters to mobilize. I continued to believe, went online to research, passed along information and then attended three rallies in New Jersey and New York - two in January and one in February. In my very limited capacity, I did my best to spread the word of this revolution on blogspot and youtube. Watching the Egyptians' video and recognizing its gesture of appreciation was very special for me. I was deeply touched. Love, Michael

Here are the blog entries for the three Rallies I attended in NJ and NY:
http://michael-the-researcher.blogspot.com/2011/02/freedom-for-egypt-rally-held-in-new.html
http://michael-the-researcher.blogspot.com/2011/01/freedom-for-egypt-rally-held-in-new.html
http://michael-the-researcher.blogspot.com/2011/01/freedom-for-egypt-rally-held-in-jersey.html

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Hypocritical Criticism Of Muammar Gaddafi's Brutality Toward Libyan Protesters

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the alleged President of Iran, has made headlines once again ... this time for his hypocritical condemnation of the way Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has been handling the recent uprisings that have rocked Gaddafi's own North African nation.

I have included three articles ...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41736967/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa
http://articles.cnn.com/2011-02-23/world/iran.mideast.unrest_1_mideast-leaders-protests-opposition-leaders
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/368747,ahmadinejad-condemns-killings-libya.html

I will address a few of Ahmadinejad's statements (his statements will be in italics and quotes and my responses will follow) ...

1.) "I seriously want — from all heads of states — to pay attention to their people and cooperate, to sit down and talk, and listen to their words. Why do they act so badly that their people need to apply pressure for reforms?"
Ahmadinejad seriously wants this??? His desire for all applicable parties to cooperation is absolutely absurd given his, and his Republic's, complete lack of engagement toward the Green Movement. Has Ahmadi or anyone in his cabinet ever sat down with reform activists and leaders? To the contrary - just last week members of Parliament were calling for the deaths of opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi. The following video clip shows the lawmakers chanting against Mousavi and Karroubi:

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KcK2BjfyI48" title="" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ahmadi asks, "Why do 'they' act so badly"? He need only to go the local parliament building in his own country to see people acting "badly". It is abundantly clear the savages in the video above are in no capacity, mental or otherwise, to "sit down and talk" to the opposition, especially when they want to kill them.

2.) "This is very grotesque. It is unimaginable that there is someone who kills and bombards his own people. I strongly advise them to let nations have their say and meet their nations' demands if they claim to be the officials of those nations."
The word grotesque can be accurately used to describe Gaddafi's handling of the matter in Libya, but the word grotesque can also be accurately used to describe the Iranian regime's brutal crackdown of the protests that followed the disputed presidential election of 2009 ... the grotesque crackdown that Ahmadi conveniently neglects to mention. This neglect is a combination of hypocrisy and delusion. The regime in Iran has killed many of its "own people". Some names of the victims of the Islamic Republic's campaign of slaughter include Sohrab Aarabi, Taraneh Mousavi, Neda Agha-Soltan and Amir Javadifar from 2009 and Sanee Zhale, Mohammad Mokhtari and Hamed Nour -Mohammadi from this year. I can name many, many more victims. Iran does not meet demands - it squashes dissent.

3.) "Instead of killing people, listen to them."
Can Ahmadi hear himself? Does he understand what he is saying? He certainly does not believe what he is saying and his regime's actions reflect this lack of belief and lack of all ethics and civility. It is of no surprise that the regime hastened executions once the uprising in Tunisia took place. It is believed that a person was executed every eight hours so far in 2011 (Source: http://www.iranhumanrights.org/2011/01/iran-on-“execution-binge”-immediate-moratorium-urged). That amounts to three people per day. It seems the regime in Iran is exempt from Ahmadi's suggestion to other nations. Why are human rights activists and attorneys constantly arrested and threatened with execution? Is Iran exempt from the same standard Ahmadi is trying to apply to Libya and elsewhere? The truth is Iran kills activists rather than listens to them.

4.) "How is it possible that a state leader uses bombers, tanks and canons to kill his own people and again warn that whoever says something will be killed?"
Just this month, the regime has warned protesters not to demonstrate multiple times. Here are two links: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/iran-rally/2011/02/09/id/385427 and http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/19/us-iran-opposition-rally-idUSTRE71I3IG20110219 ... yes, neither of these articles show regime members claiming people will be killed if they march in the streets, but, by now, everyone knows how the regime responds to such gatherings. There is no need for the regime to threaten to kill ... it is well known and expected the regime will kill.

5.) "Of course anyone who does not heed the demands of his own nation will have a clear fate."
This I agree with ... I know the regime in Iran will have a clear fate - it WILL fall and the end of the Islamic Republic Of Iran is at hand. I Am Michael The Researcher.

George Washington's 279th Birth Anniversary

Once again, this blog has come to George Washington's birthday and, as usual, I have some old antique Washington items to show you. This entry features a Masonic Program as part of a Birthday Celebration from 1855 and a flyer advertising Washington products from 1925. Both give a glimpse at how some people of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries observed his birthday.

The following photographs show the cover of the program, the table of contents, the final page and a close-up of the artwork on the last page ...











The following photographs show the flyer, the top half of the flyer and the bottom half of the flyer ...

George Washington's Birthday Celebration And Musket Drills In King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania

I returned to the Valley Forge National Historical Park once again. Today is considered President's Day so I will start this blog entry with a postcard that I purchased at the gift shop. It features all of the United States Of America's Presidents.



The Visitor Center of the Park hosted a Birthday Party in honor of General and President George Washington. He and Martha were portrayed by living historians. The first couple of photos show the musical portion of the ceremony.





Here is the cake with Washington's exact birth anniversary age listed (it was described as being from Martha's own recipe) along with some cards children made as presents:


He is looking at a card that was just handed to him:


Posing for photographs:


I went outside and walked up to the area where the Muhlenberg Brigade Huts are located to watch some musket drills and demonstrations. Here is a video of a drill with brief introductory statements (you will note a misfire at 4:11): https://youtu.be/tBGH2kFimRM

The next few photographs show the reenactors walking back to the audience and continuing the discussion ...









The next group of photographs show the step-by-step process of a drill created by Baron Friedrich Wilhelm Von Steuben (his instructions were in official use by the United States Military until the year 1812). You will see the preparation, the dumping of the gunpowder, the shots, a repeat of the three, the charge with the bayonets and the return.





















He had misfired so he is going to try again ...



















A few more photographs can be found at this link: http://s169.photobucket.com/albums/u213/portaltothepast/Reenactments/Revolutionary War/Valley Forge 2-21-2011

A large number of people turned out for this event. It was a great success. The Valley Forge National Historical Park has more fine events in future weeks and months. Information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/vafo and http://www.facebook.com/ValleyForgeNHP

Revolutionary War Encampment At The Valley Forge National Historical Park In Pennsylvania

The Valley Forge National Historical Park hosted an Encampment with various demonstrations today. I arrived very late due to massive traffic on Route 76 West.  Despite this, I did get to see a few sights. The parking lot was filled ... there was a really great turnout. Here are some photographs of the tail end of the event ...



















The Valley Forge National Historical Park has more fine events in future weeks and months. Information can be found at http://www.nps.gov/vafo and http://www.facebook.com/ValleyForgeNHP