Memorial Day 2018

So, today, I went to the Memorial Day Service at the City of Lubbock Cemetery.  The cemetery is not very far from the wind farm and railroad tracks.  Sometimes, in years past, a train has passed by during the service, but not this year.  This year, though, the wind was strong enough to keep the windmills churning, and there was a constant drone from them. 

Although there was a microphone and amplifier for the speakers, the speakers were very difficult to hear.  The ceremony went off okay, but it was frustrating to miss much of what was said.

I feel bad for the guest speaker. He received a polite welcome and response, but much of what he said was lost.  

Memorial Day Service

I could not find the announcement about this year's Memorial Day Service.  So, I contacted the City of Lubbock, and received a response back:

That was nice of them to do so.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 21^st, 2018

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT:

Leslie Morgan, Management Assistant, (806) 775-2669/ lmorgan@mylubbock.us

Memorial Day Service at the Historic City of Lubbock Cemetery

In commemoration of Memorial Day, the Nancy Anderson Chapter of The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in conjunction with the Historic City of Lubbock Cemetery, will be holding a Memorial Day Service on Monday, May 28^th, 2018, at 10:00 a.m.  The service will be held in the gazebo in front of the City of Lubbock Cemetery office at 2011 E 31^st Street (two blocks east of Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. on East 31^st St). Admission is free of charge.  Guests are highly encouraged to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets as chair seating will be limited. 

Colonel (ret) Michael Bob Starr, United States Air Force will be the featured speaker.  Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts Troops will be placing flags on gravesites that have a Veterans Administration Memorial headstone or footstone.  Friends of Indiana Avenue Baptist Church will be singing The National Anthem and God Bless America and The Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard will be presenting our Nation’s colors and honoring our Veterans with a 21 Gun Salute followed by the playing of TAPS.  It is estimated that there are more than 2,000 veterans who are buried at the Historic City of Lubbock Cemetery.  Everyone is encouraged to attend this service and place an American Flag on the grave of a Veteran.

Memorial Day 2017

In recognition of Memorial Day, I went to the ceremony at the City of Lubbock Cemeteryhttps://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x86fe6cbc2b936f5d:0xd97d0d076c73dc91!2m19!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m13!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!3m1!7e115!4shttp://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page%3Dcr%26GRid%3D492%26CRid%3D151541%26!5scity+of+lubbock+cemetery+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e1!2shttps://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/find-a-grave-prod/photos/2012/349/CEM151541_135561713366.jpg&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjokNms55XUAhVq_IMKHYOlA3YQoioIdTAK
The service is organized by the Nancy Anderson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution http://www.texasdar.org/chapters/NancyAnderson/.  There was a nice crowd, and after the service Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts put flags on the about 2000 graves of veterans in the cemetery.

After the service, I went to the Lubbock Area Veterans War Memorial https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en&pb=!1s0x86fe7271a5c99123:0x5618d02a9f4624e7!2m19!2m2!1i80!2i80!3m1!2i20!16m13!1b1!2m2!1m1!1e1!2m2!1m1!1e3!2m2!1m1!1e5!2m2!1m1!1e4!3m1!7e115!4s//lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ISsJq0rjoJc/WQvYR_XnsuI/AAAAAAAAAEE/PWY73y_dTFYrn1y-jNmaFzcOoGh3vD_YgCLIB/w213-h160-k-no/!5slubbock+area+veterans+war+memorial+-+Google+Search&imagekey=!1e3!2s-ISsJq0rjoJc/WQvYR_XnsuI/AAAAAAAAAEE/PWY73y_dTFYrn1y-jNmaFzcOoGh3vD_YgCLIB&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiH6dCO6ZXUAhXs64MKHa-YB14QoioIbDAK.  There was a good number of people there, including one veteran who was explaining about the meaning of Memorial Day to two young girls, presumably a daughter or both were daughters. I do not have roots in Lubbock, so most of the names mean little to me.

In the same park is the statue of William "Willie" McCool http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/23173 who lost his life on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003 when it disintegrated upon re-entry.  One year, I was at the statue, and Astronaut McCool's father was there.  That was an honor to meet him.

My last stop was the Lubbock Regional Public Safety Memorial https://www.facebook.com/LubbockRegionalPublicSafetyMemorial/. I did not know any of the fire department, EMS or police honored, but some of the names and stories of the honorees are familiar to me, having heard about them on the news.  I knew the wife of one of the firemen. I was the only person at the memorial at the time I was there. 

Memorial Day Weekend

I am looking forward to a quiet Memorial Day weekend. I did some shopping yesterday and housework today, then watched Concerto, One Night In Central Park.  I need to do some yard work, so will do a little this evening after it cools off some, or at least, when the yard is in the shade.

I usually attend the ceremony at the City of Lubbock Cemetery https://www.mylubbock.us/departmental-websites/departments/city-cemetery/home.  Sometimes, I have gone to the Mass at the War Memorial in Lubbock, but often, the Mass begins about the time the City of Lubbock Cemetery ceremony ends.  http://www.kcbd.com/story/35527553/2017-memorial-day-events. I might drive over that way, anyway.

There are other events and ceremonies. Some conflict, and others, I just do not care about.

Big Papi

I just watched the tribute to Big Papi https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=Boston%20Red%20Sox by the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball.  It moved me very much. This is a man who came to the Red Sox organization after being cut by the Minnesota Twins, and made baseball history.

During his final year in baseball, he has had a stellar performance http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/o/ortizda01.shtml.  I have to think it is because 1) he wants to go out with a bang and 2) he does not want to leave anything on the table, so to speak.  He can give his maximum effort because he does not have to worry about how he will feel next year.

He is so intelligent about baseball, I have to believe he comes back to baseball as some sort of coach or manager.  It would be baseball's loss if he is not at least invited to do so. 

For all of his clutch performances, and walk off hits, my favorite David Ortiz moment is his "Boston Strong" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUQUFm2icyQ&list=RD28jF__vAm_qRM speech in 2013 after the Boston Marathon bombing.  And guess what, the FCC stood with him http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2013/04/20/david-ortiz-boston-red-sox-speech-fcc/2100051/, which I agree with and understand, because sometimes, you just have to stand up for free speech and say what comes out of the our emotions.  (I don't swear much, and the f word is not one I can abide usually, but sometimes, just sometimes, it says what nothing else can say.)

Fallen Officer Ceremony

Today at work we had a Fallen Officer Ceremony https://www.odmp.org/agency/3822-texas-department-of-criminal-justice-texas.  This is a simple ceremony recognizing officers who have died in the line of duty since the last year.  This year, two were highlighted: they died in a bus accident transporting offenders from Abilene to El Paso http://www.oaoa.com/news/traffic_transportation/article_ecb9a086-9c05-11e4-8b48-5bab3838995d.html.

Usually, this ceremony starts with Amazing Grace played on bagpipes.  One year, we had real bag pipes.  Often, the rider-less horse with the boots pointing backwards is present. This year, the ceremony was inside due to the weather, so no horse. One year, the ceremony was moved inside at the last minute, so the rider-less horse was out in the rain seen through the windows. There are prayers, a short speech, and the reading of fallen officers names.  This varies.  Sometimes it is historical. Sometimes it is the list that have died in the line of duty for the agency, the state and/or the nation. 

The agency also sets a fallen officer table http://www.ehow.com/how_8721497_prepare-fallen-soldier-table.html in the foyer.

Tradition and ceremony is important to the place I work.  It might be corny, but I respect, admire, and appreciate tradition and ceremony, when it is purposeful and meaningful. This is purposeful and meaningful.  It shows respect for our downed colleagues. It reminds us that correctional work is dangerous, and we need to be careful. It honors those who have gone before us. 

Thank you for that.

Employee Appreciation Week

This was Employee Appreciation Week at the prison where I work.  Monday, we had the opportunity to get free popcorn. I did not bother to go get some, but the popcorn purveyors delivered, and I had a bag in my mailbox! That was a pleasant surprise.

Tuesday and Thursday, the chow hall served a special meal:  pulled pork sandwiches with multiple sides, 3 deserts: cookies, a cobbler, and soft serve ice cream.  Every employee was encouraged to partake one of either day.  

Wednesday was free popcorn, again. I was asked several times if I wanted popcorn.

Today was the fallen officer ceremony.  There was a good turnout of staff, both correctional and clinical.

Also, starting May 6 going through May 12 is National Nurse's Week http://nursingworld.org/NationalNursesWeek. 

It is nice to acknowledge ourselves and our co-workers, and appreciate them for their efforts.  Even if all they are doing is their job, it needs to be done, and the people at my place of employment try to do it well, for the most part.

March is Professonl Social Work Month

March is Professional Social Work Month.  Last night, the South Plains Branch of NASW had an awesome awards banquet, planned by our chairperson, Bonnie Anne Rudd, and her co-workers at Trustpoint Hospital. I have posted about it on my blog, Lisenby Lines: http://lisenbylines.blogspot.com/

Last week, our supervisor called a staff meeting and we had muffins and fruit in honor of March is Social Work Month. (Celebrations in a prison, given the security constraints, tend to be minimal.)

At work, our assistant director of nursing, who is married to a social worker, always remembers to acknowledge us. 
 
I got into social work because I wanted to help the underserved in our society.  While all of my social work jobs were meaningful, my employment as a correctional social worker puts me where I can serve some of  the most underserved in our society.

If you know a social worker, thank that person for their service to our country.  Because like the first responders, and the military, social workers' contributions to our country often go unseen and unnoticed

Memorial Day Commemoration

I went to the Memorial Day Service at the City of Lubbock Cemetery http://www.kcbd.com/story/25611710/memorial-day-service-to-be-held-at-city-of-lubbock-cemetery. There were 3 ceremonies at 10 AM today, and a Catholic Mass at 11 AM.  It is unfortunate they plan the ceremonies to conflict with each other, but it is good that there are plenty of options for people to attend.

The crowd was small today.  That may be a function of the other available options.  I think it may also have been a function of the overnight rain, and the continued rain clouds in the sky.  People in West Texas do not do rain well. 

The ceremony was brief.  A prayer, the posting of the colors, "The Star Spangled Banner", the Pledge of Allegiance, the featured speaker, who was on an Honor Flight, closing remarks, including recognitions, and the singing of "God Bless America."  The group was invited to join in, and we did.

The rains was noted as a blessing.  Veterans and their families were recognized.

I am watching the Red Sox vs. Braves on TV.  At 3 PM, Eastern Time, the game was halted for a moment of silence, and a commemorative video, per order of President Obama.  I thought it was a nice touch.

I will watch the Yankee vs. Cardinals game next.  

It is pretty out: grey, cool, but nice.

Memorial Day Celebration

When I was growing up, my home town had a Memorial Day Parade.  As a Brownie and Girl Scout, I participated every year.  When I was no longer affiliated, I always went to watch the parade.

 

My home town had an American Legion Post and a Veteran's of Foreign Wars group. When I was young, we had the Millers Falls Drum and Bugle Corp, which marched in the parade. In addition to Scouts, the fire department marched. As did other local organizations.  The Boy Scouts put flags on the graves of veterans at the cemetery. The graves were marked with veteran's markers.

 

The parade started at the Ervingside park at the local war memorial, and proceeded to the cemetery.  At the bridge, crossing from Ervingside to Montague, the parade stopped.  There was usually a prayer, and a 21 gun salute.  Then, taps was played.  Not once, but twice. Once at the bridge, the second time in the distance.  It was a haunting rendition and somehow made the ceremony more solemn.

 

I have been to military honors burials, and many Memorial Day ceremonies in Lubbock.  The lack of the second distant rendition of taps leaves me wanting.

 

This year, as for the last 10 years, there is a Memorial Day Ceremony at the City of Lubbock Cemetery at 10 AM. I plan to be there.  Join me if you will.

 

http://www.ci.lubbock.tx.us/news-item/2014/05/20/default-calendar/memorial-day-service-at-the-city-cemetery