planted Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I know I'm early, but in case I don't get "here" tomorrow. I wanted to share this with you. Holliston, MA isn't far from where I live, and is part of my commute. When I drive to work through this town, I turn my radio off and take it in. Many thanks to all involved in this undertaking. Veterans Day tribute continues in Holliston Loading multimedia... * Photos Blair Signs 2 Purchase this photo Kathleen Culler/Daily News correspondent Holliston resident Bobby Blair, a Vietnam veteran, shows a memorial placard for Cpl. Nicholas Xiarhos, a 21-year-old Yarmouth resident killed in Afghanistan in July. Blair's nephew was Xiarhos' baseball coach and Blair's sister, who lives in Dennis, also knew Xiarhos. Blair posts placards honoring servicemen and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan twice a year, for Memorial Day and Veterans Day. advertisement By Kendall Hatch/Daily News staff MetroWest Daily News Posted Nov 09, 2009 @ 12:00 AM HOLLISTON — Lining main roads in Holliston this week will be hundreds of signs remembering soldiers from the United States and its allies who have died since Memorial Day in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is the 13th time that resident and former commander of American Legion Post 47 Bobby Blair has posted the placards around town. He posts them twice each year, for Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Dubbed Roads of Honor and Streets of Sorrow, the sign project has been a tradition for the last six years, said Blair, who hung the memorials around town for Veterans Day, coming up on Wednesday. Twice a year, Blair and a small group of volunteers spends a morning affixing the double-sided placards to telephone poles. On Saturday, the group hung over 400 signs along the sides of Washington Street spanning from the Milford to Sherborn town lines and on Concord Street from the Ashland town line to Washington Street. Many placards were also placed on fenceposts at Finn's Field across from the high school. The signs, all hand-written by Blair, will remain in place until next Sunday, he said. The plain white signs display in bold, black letters the name, rank, and home state or country of every soldier killed in the two wars since Memorial Day. Blair, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, said that even though the signs have become an expected appearance in town, it's important for residents to take a minute and remember the sacrifices made by soldiers overseas. "Everybody gets busy in their own lives - including me - and you tend to forget," he said. Blair said the project began in 2003, after he had organized a memorial for the victims of the 9/11 attacks. A member of the town VFW suggested a poster board be displayed in front of Town Hall listing the soldiers who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan. A single poster with a long list of names, however, wouldn't have enough impact, Blair decided, so he suggested the current model. Since then, Blair has hung the placards and performed daily maintenance during the week they are posted. In one of the first years of the memorial project, Blair decided to list each and every serviceman and woman who had died in the two wars to date, instead of just the most recent names. The signs stretched on for a staggering 34 miles, spanning seven towns, he said. While it was a powerful symbol, the thousands of signs proved too difficult to maintain and many were ripped down in a rainstorm, so the group downsized the memorial project. (Kendall Hatch can be reached at 508-626-4429 or at khatch@cnc.com.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I'll be at a cenotaph tomorrow at 11-11-11 and will follow that up with a visit to the Royal Canadian Legion Unit #8 in White Rock. To all verterans of liberty and to all of those who continue to stand for the cause, I salute you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danelectro59 Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 for those who have served, or are serving, a salute in honor to you no matter what side of the political fence you're on, you can't find a reason to argue about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliet Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will be at the Remembrance Day services in Ottawa Canada tomorrow I plan to watch the event on CBC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangani Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Here in Britain even though we do commemorate the 11/11 on the actual day itself, most services and memorial events tend to take place on the second Sunday in November or the closest Sunday to 11th November purely so that more people can get involved and attend, as we don't have a public holiday for the event. So, we already had our main commerorations this past Sunday here. But I shall indeed be respecting the silence at 11.00 a.m. today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliet Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Hi Mangani: There was a report on the CBC about your event in London. I saw the Queen placing a wreath on a cenotaph.. Juliet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrycja Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 Thanks to all the brave men and women in uniform - past, present, and future - who sacrifice themselves for our benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imPLANTed Posted November 11, 2009 Share Posted November 11, 2009 I never seem to be able to find the words to express my gratitude to all of our men and women who have served and are serving so bravely. Your sacrifice means more than you will ever know. Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 After the ceremony this morning we all went to the Canadian Legion and I had the priviledge of meeting a well decorated Canadian Veteran who was part of the initial landing at Juno Beach on D Day. A towering figure of a man who was as overcome with emotion as all of us were when the pipe band played Amazing Grace. Couldn't help but feel for him and the sense of loss that must have been going through his mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zepaholic Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 The quality of life that we all enjoy today is all due to the astounding bravery of these heroic men and women who sacrificed their lives for all of us. We sometimes look at our world and shake our heads in disbelief, but our world is a virtual shangri-la compared to what it would have been if our armed forces had not participated and fought so hard for our freedom. I salute you, Grandpa, Dad and every single member of the military, deceased or alive. We owe you everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternal light Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 When I think of Veterans Day, an image of an MIA who kissed the ground immediately upon his return to the United States from Southeast Asia goes through my mind. I have never seen a soldier so happy to be home as that man was. He had almost been given up for lost but they found him thanks to the persistence of those who search for MIAs. I know that man is one person who appreciated freedom and did not take it for granted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juliet Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Hello: I watched the service from Ottawa with Prince Charles and Camilla, the Governor-General, Prime Minister,Silver Cross mother, many veterans and others in attendance. The Childrens Chorus of Ottawa sang. (O Valiant Hearts moved me to tears) I thought about my Uncle Bill who went overseas but never fully recovered when he reeturned home. Juliet PS I was impressed with the amount of young sea cadets who marched proudly passed the viewing stand...they made me smile... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pagemccartney95 Posted November 12, 2009 Share Posted November 12, 2009 Thank you, veterans, for your service to our country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mangani Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Hi Mangani: There was a report on the CBC about your event in London. I saw the Queen placing a wreath on a cenotaph.. Juliet Hi Juliet. Cool. I'm glad you saw that on t.v. It's always a poignant thing here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb126 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Bumping this thread. Thank you servicemen and women. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Bumping this thread. Thank you servicemen and women. Thank you for bumping I won't be able to attend any of today's Rememberance Day ceremonies with my family but I will be honouring it. Thank you to all who have served are serving and to all who made the ultimate sacrifice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjin-san Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magic Fills the Air Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I salute my brothers in arms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
planted Posted November 11, 2012 Author Share Posted November 11, 2012 Thank you. And to my 'baby' brother, all 6'3 225lbs of him..Semper Fi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepscoda Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Thank you to all who have served Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggie29 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, will be at the Remembrance Day services in Ottawa Canada tomorrow I plan to watch the event on CBC This year, they are in Auckland New Zealand, they left Australia on Saturday. Armistice Day is a reminder to us all of those who died in the "war to end all wars". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe (Liverpool) Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 My Grandfather fought in World War 1 and my Father fought in World War 2, fortunately both survived. I makes me think that they were so willing to fight for their country (both were volunteers), there were and still are millions just like them all over the world. Regardless of which side they were on they were all fighting for what they believed was right and I salute them all, except the nazis of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jb126 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 With respect and gratitude - thank you veterans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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