Stars and Stripes Historic Region https://starsstripesregional.com/ Embracing Informed Citizenship, Commitment and Service Mon, 29 Jan 2024 19:32:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 230428629 Why did they stand up? https://starsstripesregional.com/2024/01/29/why-did-they-stand-up/ https://starsstripesregional.com/2024/01/29/why-did-they-stand-up/#respond Mon, 29 Jan 2024 19:31:41 +0000 https://starsstripesregional.com/?p=1766 What does Commitment, Service & Citizenship Mean? Why Did those who’ve served stand up? Why were they there? Why did they step forward? Billy Kanell, a young kid from a little town southwest of Poplar Bluff, stepped forward during the Korean War…. Falling on a grenade to save his comrades….. then unbelievably pulling another grenade […]

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What does Commitment, Service & Citizenship Mean?

Why Did those who’ve served stand up?

Why were they there?

Why did they step forward?

Billy Kanell, a young kid from a little town southwest of Poplar Bluff, stepped forward during the Korean War…. Falling on a grenade to save his comrades….. then unbelievably pulling another grenade under his body before the end.

Gen. Jim Livingston was a Marine company commander in Vietnam, who, though wounded three times over the course of the day’s actions and finally unable to walk, directed his company to take more than 100 enemy bunkers and then support another Marine company to protect them from being overrun. Then he refused evacuation… until the men of his company were safely able to withdraw.

You know what…. They’d probably say they were just doing their jobs… what they were called & trained to do.

However, I’d argue they had a vision.  Was it some type of elaborate vision of fireworks and Presidential citations?

Almost assuredly not.

In all likelihood, it was a vision of their families, their girls, their wives, their homes and their communities, their life….
“Back in the World”  ….  As we called it in Vietnam.

And, of course their friends, their comrades in arms out in the field…. Manning the line next to them, jumping out of the chopper, sitting in a muddy fox hole …. Or tramping across miles of frozen ground.

When push comes to shove, this is what filled their minds and hearts when they stepped up.

Was there a limit to their commitment, their service, their willingness to protect their families and loved ones, their friends and communities, their values and culture, their freedom to worship and work, to choose how they wished to live their lives, to choose their representatives and public servants and the laws they would live under?

They might not have been able to put it into words…. But I would argue, that freedom, that vision is what impelled them… impels us…. To step up to commit… to serve…. In whatever way we can.

 

And that vision is epitomized in the 160 year tradition and story of commitment & service of our Stars & Stripes!

We must do whatever we can, whatever God lets us…

To re instill this vision …. In our communities….. in our youth…. In our nation!

Can we do it?

With your…. And God’s help!

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]]> https://starsstripesregional.com/2024/01/29/why-did-they-stand-up/feed/ 0 1766 Jim Martin Introduction https://starsstripesregional.com/2024/01/02/jim-martin-introduction/ https://starsstripesregional.com/2024/01/02/jim-martin-introduction/#respond Tue, 02 Jan 2024 05:04:54 +0000 https://starsstripesregional.com/?p=1753 I’m a lifelong Missourian, Vietnam veteran and retired educator. Founding board member of our county military history museum, Past president of the Stars & Stripes National Museum Board member of the state Veterans’ Hall of Fame And…. I’m here representing the 26 county Stars & Stripes Historic Region Designated by unanimous vote of the Mo. […]

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I’m a lifelong Missourian, Vietnam veteran and retired educator.
Founding board member of our county military history museum,
Past president of the Stars & Stripes National Museum
Board member of the state Veterans’ Hall of Fame
And…. I’m here representing the 26 county Stars & Stripes Historic Region
Designated by unanimous vote of the Mo. Legislature & signed into law
By the Governor the week of the 4th of July.
What are we about?
Celebrating Commitment, Service & Informed Citizenship.
In our communities, with our students ….
And communicating it …. telling the stories of it …. And the culture, beauty and attractions of it and our people …. to visitors and potential visitors from around the nation…. and potentially the world.
We’ve already got billboards up on major highways coming into the region.
We’ve got a website up which will communicate about institutions, attractions and events in everyone of our 26 counties.
We’ve met with 23 county commissions to secure their partnerships for the effort.
We’ve already got more than 20 coordinators on the ground around the region to begin reaching out to bring on board local Chambers of Commerce, businesses, school districts, news media, spiritual institutions, etc.
In the coming months we’ll be securing thousands of digital exposures to communicate about our events and attractions, as well as social media geofencing to mark attractions & note events on social media.
And, what we’re really excited to talk about today….
We’re working with the Mo. Humanities Council, the Lt. Governor, businesses, banks and a terrific historical artifact exhibitor to begin offering what we hope will become annual, potentially weeklong Commitment, Service and Citizenship Campaigns in local communities around the region.
However, in order for this huge effort to be successful, we need your help!
Myself and other advocates for the cause are going to be coming around each of our communities to talk to you and get to know you and your community’s stories. Think about what you’d like to tell us about, and others you know who can help tell your stories…. And we’ll connect up with you and those folks.
It takes all of us.
God Bless you for your service:  to your family, your community and as citizens, to this beautiful region and country!

 

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