Holy Week Celebrations

Today begins Holy Week for Christians around the world.  It culminates next Sunday in the remembrance of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the day we celebrate as Easter.

Today is Palm Sunday, the day celebrated one week before Easter as the day that Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Less than one week later he would be crucified on the following Friday.

Thursday, Christians will celebrate Maundy Thursday, the remembrance of The Last Supper when Jesus ate his last meal with his Disciples in the Upper Room.  It is a Holy Sacrament in many Christian churches, celebrated with the Eucharist of bread and wine, which is a “thanksgiving and praise for the wonderful works of God.”

Friday, Christians remember the crucifiction of Jesus when he died on the cross in a celebration of “Good Friday.”  The Bible says that Jesus was beaten and scourged, then driven through the streets of Jerusalem to Mount Golgotha at Calvary, carrying a cross upon which he was hung until he was dead.  He was buried in a tomb, borrowed from Joseph of Arimathea. The tomb was ordered sealed with a stone and guarded by Roman Centurions.

Also on Friday, Jews around the world begin the celebration of Passover which is a remembrance of the exodus of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. The ritual observance of this holiday centers around a special home service called the seder (meaning “order”) and a festive meal; the prohibition of chametz (leaven); and the eating of matzah (an unleavened bread).  On the fifteenth day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, Jews gather with family and friends in the evening to read from a book called the haggadah, meaning “telling,” which contains the order of prayers, rituals, readings, and songs for the Passover seder. Today, the holiday is a celebration of freedom and family. (Wikipedia)  

On Sunday, April 1, Christians will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His victory over death.  Christians remember that Jesus died for the sins of mankind, that all might have everlasting life in Eternity with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  

 

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A Great Movie!

We went to see the movie, “I Can Only Imagine” this afternoon. I can truthfully say this is the best movie I have seen in years. But they were not kidding when they advised to bring a box of Kleenex. A great, feel-good movie.

My wife commented, “Enjoyed this from the opening scene to the final credits. So nice to watch a movie with a great story line…and they did it without sexual content and/or foul language! Go see it…take a friend…and a box of tissues.”

 

 

Website Updated

Today, I completed a major overhaul and update to my personal site, https://hbauld.com.

This site has needed a facelift for quite awhile.  I am now using the blog site, WordPress, to display my personal blog on the front page and several other pages on the tabs across the top.

Additionally, I added a new design background using the MacGregor tartan.  I am also in the process of changing the Header Banner from a Navy theme to a Scottish theme.  That will happen in the next week or two.

In the meantime, please peruse the new site and leave your comments on the Contact Me tab on the far right of the top or in the Comments Section at the bottom of this post.

Thank you for FOLLOWING this blog.

 

Back to the website

I have recently been encouraged to return to this website and update it and make a few changes by a good friend creating her own personal blog.

It is my intention to post more often here, at least once a week, more often, if time permits.

I hope you will check back often to see the changes as they progress and the new additions.  This is a fun little project.

And visit my friend, Jett’s, new blog about her cute little Corgi, Scamp, at Corgibliss.

 

Another “Bucket List” Checked Off

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After more than 60 years, I got to finally mark another one off of my “Bucket List” Saturday, March 3, 2018.

Ever since I was 12 years old, I have wanted to drive a Go-Kart. I never had the opportunity until today at age 72.

I drove one with my 15 year-old twin grandsons, Jordan and Justin Dixon. Of course, they lapped me several times. They said I drove like an old woman.

Now I see why people love NASCAR and the Speed Channel on TV.

All photos copyright Jannie Auld, 2018.

 

Memorial Day, 2016

Sgt Kenneth May

USMC Sergeant Kenneth B. May, Jr.

Today, on this Memorial Day, 2016, we pause to remember a hometown hero, United States Marine Corps Sergeant Kenneth B. May, Jr.

Marine Sergeant Kenneth B. May Jr. died May 11, 2010, serving during Operation Enduring Freedom. Sergeant May, 26, of Kilgore, Texas; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. Also killed was Marine Corporal Jeffrey W. Johnson.

Sergeant May and Corporal Johnson, of Tomball, Texas, were anti-tank assault guided missilemen assigned to 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines.

Sergeant May enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2005 and was on his third combat deployment when he was Killed In Action. His death came one day after his second wedding anniversary.

Corporal Johnson, who enlisted in 2007, was on his second deployment.

At the memorial service for Sergeant Kenneth May Jr., the musical selections included “Nothing Else Matters” by the metal band Metallica. It might be an usual choice for some, but not for the avid musician and guitarist.

“Only Kenny would have metal playing at his funeral and at his wedding,” said Mike Brooks, the pastor of a church in San Clemente, Calif., near where Sergeant May was based at Camp Pendleton. “I know he’s smiling about all this.”

Sergeant May was married to Krystal Barton, who marked their second wedding anniversary the day before her husband’s death.

He graduated in 2004 from Kilgore College, where he was in an international academic honor society and put his musical talents to use in the marching band and the chorale, a school spokesman said. Sergeant May also enjoyed gaming and working with firearms.

The Rev. John Gradberg said Sergeant May was a man of faith and humility, who would have told mourners to “save this accolade for a real hero.”

Survivors include his wife; his parents, Kenneth and Karen May; and a sister.

I was privileged to attend Sergeant May’s funeral in Kilgore, Texas, as part of the East Texas Patriot Guard Riders, and stand the Flag Line honoring Sergeant May. May he Rest in Peace, and his family be comforted in their loss.

The preceding information was provided by the Associated Press and KLTV, Channel 7.

Always Remember, that Day in December!

December 7, 1941 photo

Today, December 7, 2015, is the 74th anniversary of that “…day that will live forever in infamy” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt described it.  The below was written by my good friend, Jeff Morley.  He has described that day and its remembrances far better than I could.  His essay is published here with his permission.

By Jeff Morley, Guest Contributor

Today some 74 years ago in history, the USA was dragged kicking and screaming into war. Before then, we told the Axis powers to leave us alone and Churchill told us he needed our help. If the Axis Powers had paid attention to what we’d told them, England, France, and practically all of Western Europe with a good portion of Eastern Europe along with Africa would have had a drastically different history, a much darker history at that for most of those places. But the Axis Powers paid us no heed. We said don’t mess with us and they delivered one hell of a sucker punch to us in Hawaii on a sleepy Sunday morning. They should not have done that. They should have left this peace loving nation alone.

The world should never forget December 7th of 1941…unfortunately, most of the world has, to their peril. The United States should not either…unfortunately too many of our people have, to our peril.

I thank the US Navy for their sacrifice that day and I honor the sacrifice of our service men and women today in remembrance of that day “that will live forever in infamy”

Remember Pearl Harbor, remember the sacrifice of those brave sailors while you say a prayer for our men and women making the same sacrifices today, but most of all, teach this next generation about our past and the wounds of our predecessors.

God bless the warriors that guard our seas today, God bless the memory of those that guarded our seas yesterday.

50-Year Anniversary in the US Navy

Today is the 50th anniversary of the day I joined the US Navy.

I raised my right hand and swore to defend the US Constitution August 31, 1965. That naive 19-year old had never been out of deep East Texas, never flown on an airplane, and certainly never thought about seeing the world. It would be another 120 days due to the Delayed Entry Program, before I departed East Texas for Navy Basic Training in San Diego, arriving there the night of December 28, 1965.

Today is also the 28th anniversary of my retirement from the US Navy. I retired in 1987, 22 years after originally joining in 1965.

In between, the Navy allowed me to travel the world and see cultures and things I never would have had an opportunity to see otherwise. I passed through or was stationed in: California, Florida, New York, Hawaii, Alaska, and Indiana, as well as: Japan, Guam, Okinawa (before it was given back to Japan in 1972), Nova Scotia, Scotland, England, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Greece, and Turkey.

My two sons were both born overseas in Scotland and Okinawa, and attended school in Italy, getting an education that would not have otherwise been possible, were it not for the US Navy.

I made friends all over the world in all five branches of the US military services, as well as other countries. Many of these remain friends of mine today.

What a wonderful ride it was. Today is an important day in my life.

Navy Veteran patch

70 Years Ago Today

Today is the 70th anniversary of the dropping of the first atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima, Japan: August 6, 1945. The below article is a great discussion of the US’ “Target Committee” and what cities they considered as the first “target” and why.

As the article says at one point: “The committee unanimously agreed that the atomic bombs should be used: (1) as soon as possible; (2) without warning; and (3) on war plants surrounded by workers’ homes or other buildings susceptible to damage, in order to make a spectacular impression “on as many inhabitants as possible.”

Government leaders, including Secretary of War Henry Stimson, Major General Leslie Groves who was the Army engineer in charge of the Manhattan Project, scientist Robert Oppenheimer, and others all had their preferred targets.

Groves fought hard for Kyoto and it was first on his “list” of targets, but Stimson wanted Kyoto removed for a purely sentimental, personal reason: Stimson and his wife had visited the beautiful city of Kyoto with its wooden bridges and structures in 1926. Eventually Stimson, as Groves’ boss and the senior member of the target committee, won out and Kyoto was off the table.

Hiroshima was ultimately picked as the target and that sealed its fate. On August 6, 1945, the US dropped a uranium gun-type atomic bomb known as “Little Boy,” virtually wiping Hiroshima from the Japanese landscape.

Three days later, a US bomber dropped an implosion-type bomb known as “Fat Man” on the city of Nagasaki. The two bombings killed an estimated up to one-quarter million Japanese people.

The Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 15, 1945. Japan capitulated and surrendered on the deck of the USS Missouri September 2, 1945. Less than one month after the initial bombing of Hiroshima, World War II was over.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/08/hiroshima-nagasaki-atomic-bomb-anniversary/400448/