We Give Honor to Those Who Gave All

On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty naiton!

~Thomas W. Parsons

Today, we honor the brave men and women, who gave their lives for us serving in the United States Armed Forces. At Chagrin Falls High School, a small memorial honors graduates who died in service to their country.

Mary Jane Kashkoush is our own Gold Star mother.  Her story “Perchance to Dream” is in Love You More Than You Know. Her beloved son, Sergeant Michael Kashkoush lost his life in Iraq. Michael was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. My daughter, Meme went to school with Michael.

On May 7, 2008, President Bush signed Public Law no-224, naming the Chagrin Falls Post Office in honor of Sergeant Michael Kashkoush.

Mary Jane said, “This process of grieving and reconnecting to life is like trying to tune into a station on a car radio, the dial-in-knob kind, with static coming over the airways. . . My heart aches. . . Home is where the heart is, and my Mike is always with me.”

We remember their sacrifices and pray for Gold Star families on this Memorial Day.

IF NOT ME THAN WHO

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“IF NOT ME THAN WHO?” are the words on the grave stone of Travis L. Manion, a Marine. Brendan Looney, a Navy Seal, was Travis’ best friend. Both died defending their country. They now rest side by side in Arlington Cemetery.

On Memorial Day, we honor the brave men and women, who gave their lives for us serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Mary Jane Kashkoush is our own Gold Star mother.  Her story “Perchance to Dream” is in Love You More Than You Know. Her beloved son, Sergeant Michael Kashkoush lost his life in Iraq. Michael was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. My daughter, Meme went to school with Michael.

We remember their sacrifices and pray for Gold Star families on this Memorial Day.

Memorial Day: Honoring Our Fallen Heroes

On thy grave the rain shall fall from the eyes of a mighty naiton!

~Thomas W. Parsons

Today, we honor the brave men and women, who gave their lives for us serving in the United States Armed Forces. At Chagrin Falls High School, a small memorial honors graduates who died in service to their country.

Mary Jane Kashkoush is our own Gold Star mother.  Her story “Perchance to Dream” is in Love You More Than You Know. Her beloved son, Sergeant Michael Kashkoush lost his life in Iraq. Michael was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. My daughter, Meme went to school with Michael.

On May 7, 2008, President Bush signed Public Law no-224, naming the Chagrin Falls Post Office in honor of Sergeant Michael Kashkoush.

Mary Jane said, “This process of grieving and reconnecting to life is like trying to tune into a station on a car radio, the dial-in-knob kind, with static coming over the airways. . . My heart aches. . . Home is where the heart is, and my Mike is always with me.”

We remember their sacrifices and pray for Gold Star families on this Memorial Day.

Honoring Our Fallen Heroes and Gold Star Families

Today, we honor the brave men and women, who gave their lives for us serving in the United States Armed Forces. At Chagrin Falls High School, a small memorial honors graduates who died in service to their country.

Mary Jane Kashkoush is our own Gold Star mother.  Her story “Perchance to Dream” is in Love You More Than You Know. Her beloved son, Sergeant Michael Kashkoush lost his life in Iraq. Michael was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. My daughter, Meme went to school with Michael.

On May 7, 2008, President Bush signed Public Law no-224, naming the Chagrin Falls Post Office in honor of Sergeant Michael Kashkoush.

Mary Jane said, “This process of grieving and reconnecting to life is like trying to tune into a station on a car radio, the dial-in-knob kind, with static coming over the airways. . . My heart aches. . . Home is where the heart is, and my Mike is always with me.”

We remember their sacrifices and pray for Gold Star families on this Memorial Day.

Honoring the Sacrifice of our Fallen

Give a warm welcome to my special guest Marin Auth, an eighth graders from St. Francis Xavier Elementary School in Medina, Ohio. Marin wrote an essay sharing her thoughts about Memorial Day.

Marin is 14 years old. She will be attending Walsh Jesuit High School in the fall. She enjoys playing soccer and basketball. Marin is active in National Junior Honor Society, Drama Club, and Math Club. Her art has been exhibited in the Medina Community Center. Marin’s grandfather, Stan, fought in WWII. She honors him and all soldiers, sailors, and Marines with her essay.

Her essay in part reads:

Memorial Day is a truly important day recognizing and honoring all those brave souls that went and fought for freedom and didn’t come back. To become a soldier, you have to have incredible physical and mental strength.

Every soldier makes sacrifices to defend our county. They leave their families, friends, and everything they once knew.  They will give up their life in a split second.  We must remember all of those that had the courage to fight for our country and didn’t make it back.  They are the ultimate definition of sacrifice.

This day is for all those who endured the sweat, grit, dirt, grime, and know firsthand the horrific events of war. This day is for all those who rebuilt towns, villages, hopes, and dreams. This day is for all those soldiers who died fighting for the freedom we take for granted today. This day is for ALL those soldiers who DIED defending our country. We are forever grateful to them, and owe a debt of gratitude.

Marin, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Please join me in a National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day, at 3PM local time. Carmella Laspada, the founder of No Greater Love, asks us all to pause and remember our American heroes. We owe our American way of life to those who gave their lives for our freedom.

Pause and Give Tribute at 3 PM Local Time

Please join me in a National Moment of Remembrance on Memorial Day. Carmella Laspada, the founder of No Greater Love, asks us all to pause and remember our American heroes. We owe our American way of life to those who gave their lives for our freedom.

The National Moment of Remembrance, initiated by NGL in 1997, and officially established by Congress, asks Americans wherever they are at 3 p.m., local time, on Memorial Day to pause in an act of national unity. In this shared remembrance, we connect as Americans.

Giving All for the USA

Mary Jane Kashkoush & Mike

I mailed a letter today at the post office in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.  On May 7, 2008, President Bush signed Public Law no-224, naming the Chagrin Falls Post Office in honor of Sergeant Michael Kashkoush. We lost this wonderful man to war. My daughter, Meme went to school with Michael.

Mary Jane Kashkoush is our own gold star mother.  Her story “Perchance to Dream” is in Love You More Than You Know. Her beloved son, Sergeant Michael Kashkoush lost his life in Iraq. Michael was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.

Mary Jane said, “This process of grieving and reconnecting to life is like trying to tune into a station on a car radio, the dial-in-knob kind, with static coming over the airways. . . My heart aches. . . Home is where the heart is, and my Mike is always with me.”

We remember the sacrifices and pray for the gold star families.

The Mute Swan Ministry

Debra Classen shared information about Love You More Than You Know on her blog.

Always in Our Hearts

Joseph Vayo 18 yrs old 1942 grandfather of Joseph Reinart:Joseph Reinart 21 yrs old 2002

God bless our brave men and women of the military, who gave their lives so that we can live the American dream.  Bless their families who carry their memory in their hearts.

I have been thinking about my Dad, a WWII Navy veteran. He never spoke about his service to our country, especially to his daughter. He chose the Navy, even though he didn’t like water. (My Dad said his brother in the Army had things crawling into his bedroll while sleeping on the ground so that being on the water was cleaner.) My Dad was part of the team that kept  the boilers running on the ship. He did tell me if they were hit by a torpedo, they would be the first to go. His hair was blonde when he enlisted, but by age 21 it was completely white . He served from the age of 18 to 22 years of age. When my son was going to be deployed, my Dad finally started talking about his war experience to his grandson. Unfortunately, my Dad died within weeks of my son’s deployment. My Dad taught us this saying,”Pink sky at night is a sailor’s delight, pink sky in the morning is a sailor’s warning.” Whenever I see a beautiful sunset, I know my Dad is smiling down on me.

God bless all of our servicemen and woman.

Sailor’s Delight

Childhood is

Perched on a

Pink sky summer night

In a red maple tree

Reading

Feeling safe

As my Father

Walking by

Looks up

With a grin

Once more

So Strong

So Wise

Ready to protect me

Janie Reinart

Review by Gloria M. Hanson

Read a review at CoolCleveland.com.