Saturday 9: Soldier (2016)
Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.
Memorial Day is a federal holiday that honors men and women who served and died in the United States Armed Forces. We want to make sure that message is not lost this weekend.
1) Are you a veteran? Are there veterans in your family? Do you know anyone who is active military? We are grateful and want to hear about it.
I'm not a veteran. Nor is my husband. Nor our daughters. However, my dad, paternal grandfather, paternal uncle, maternal uncle, my father-in-law, and my nephew (Dave's brother's son) were all in the army! Dad served during the Korean war and Grandpa M served in WW2. Our nephew did 2 turns in Afghanistan. I know Dad's brother (Uncle Art) was in the Korean war same time as Dad and I don't know where my mom's brother (Uncle Don) served. My father-in-law served here in the States (long story but he was in California during the Korean war).
2) This song is about the courage it takes for soldiers to march into battle. Gen. Patton said, "The soldier is the Army. No army is better than its soldiers." He was emphasizing that each individual's dedication is essential to the unit's success. Do you work well as part of a team? Or are you better on your own?
I was a Master teacher for Special Education prek children with disabilities so I was in charge of my classroom of 10 students ages 2.5-6 yrs old and overseeing my teacher assistant's duties. I had 2 different interns in my classroom at 2 different times whom I had to oversee. My classroom team was: my TA, 2 Speech therapists (sometimes 1 depending on the year), an OT, a PT, a social worker, a psychologist (2 for several years as I taught children who were survivors of abuse/domestic violence so 2 were needed to serve them). I would run the team mtgs each week and we all got along great. For IEP conferences, it was usually me, the speech therapist, 1 OT, 1 PT (depending on the child) and the social worker. Sometimes it was just me and the speech pathologist. I always had great teams of people so I was very fortunate.
Now that I'm running my own hiking group, I find I like working independently!
3) As of 2025, California is the state with the most military bases. Have you ever visited or lived on a base?
I used to live near a military base when I was growing up. My parents took us there once. It was called Griffis AirForce Base but is no longer a military base. It is now an airport and a business tech park. Now we live about a 1.5 hour drive north of West Point. I've only ever driven past...I've never been on the grounds.
4) At the turn of the of the 20th century, wristwatches were considered non-essential jewelry items, with pocket watches preferred for everyday timekeeping. During WWI, soldiers in the trenches needed to both synchronize actions across the battlefield and keep their hands on their weapons, so the wristwatch went from "fashion item" to "standard issue." Do you often wear a watch, or do you depend on your phone for the time?
I wear an Apple Smartwatch SE and love it.
5) Jeeps were originated by the US Army during WWII. Back then they were specifically for soldiers deployed to the European Theater, today there are more than 18 million Jeep-branded vehicles on the road all over the world. Have you ever driven a Jeep?
Yes my college (freshman year) roommate Marsha owned a jeep and she let me drive it once to the beach. We had a blast! We went several times during college years as Rochester is not that far from that beach on Lake Ontario.
6) While Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses are a timeless symbol of cool, they were designed during WWII for a specific purpose: to give American flyers relief from glare at high altitudes. Tell us about your sunglasses.
I just ordered new sunglasses from my youngest daughter this past Tuesday! I chose some Ray Ban frames but then saw the Ralph Lauren ones and preferred those for my face shape. They should be available for pick up sometime next week. I will have the same lenses as my regular glasses (progressive) but with the anti-glare, etc. Because I just got new regular glasses a few weeks ago, I qualified for my 2nd pair to be 50% off! Plus with the discount from Target I was able to get brand new high end sunglasses for less than $300! That's huge for me. My current pair with my old prescription were about $820. Having an optician in the family now is saving us some bucks!
7) Memorial Day kicks off the summer season. What's your favorite picnic food?
I enjoy a lot of different picnic foods but my fave is my homemade potato salad made with the vegan Hellmann's. It's SO very creamy!! Another fave is making corn on the cob over the grill.
8) This marks the weekend when Americans traditionally step up their outdoor activity and do things they may not have been able to do during the cold winter months. For example, when is the last time you worked in the garden or tended the lawn?
I mowed the lawns on Wednesday evening and I tended my flower garden yesterday afternoon.
9) As you answer these questions, is there an air conditioner or fan on?
No, it's nice out....in the upper 60s which is perfect for Spring.
HAPPY SATURDAY!
