[NFBMT] Veterans Poem Kate Smith Song And Natasha Ishaq Poem

[Bruce&Joy Breslauer]

>From Joe Ruffalo President of the New Jersey affiliate.  Hope you have a 
pleasant Memorial Day week end, and remember who paid for it so you can.  Joy

Greetings to all!
Hope all are enjoying the Memorial Weekend.
Please remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice to continue our freedoms 
we all love and enjoy!

I have pasted several inspirational thoughts.
Please read, listen to the songs and share with others!

****

Veterans poem
It's the veteran
not the preacher
Who has given us the freedom of religion.

It's the veteran
Not the reporter
Who has given us the freedom of the press.

It's the veteran
Not the poet
Who has given us the freedom of speech.

It's the veteran
Not the campus organizer
Who has given us the freedom to assemble.

It's the veteran
Not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It's the veteran
Not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It's the veteran who honors the flag
It's the veteran who serves under the flag No matter where they serve, God 
Bless Them All!
God Bless America!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nz_js_aMaV0

**

God Bless The USA
https://www.youtube.com/embed/daqwGRdRIsk?feature=player_detailpage



Frank Sinatra considered Kate Smith the best singer of her time, and said that 
when he and a million other guys first heard her sing "God Bless America" on 
the radio, they all pretended to have dust in their eyes as they wiped away a 
tear or two.  Here are the facts... The link at the bottom will take you to a 
video showing the very first public singing of "GOD BLESS AMERICA". But before 
you watch it, you should also know the story behind the first public showing of 
the song.  The time was 1940. America was still in a terrible economic 
depression. Hitler was taking over Europe, and Americans were afraid we'd have 
to go to war. It was a time of hardship and worry for most Americans.  This was 
the era just before TV, when radio shows were HUGE, and American families sat 
around their radios in the evenings, listening to their favorite entertainers, 
and no entertainer of that era was bigger than Kate Smith.  Kate was also 
large; plus size, as we now say, and the popular phrase still used today is in 
deference to her, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings".  Kate Smith might 
not have made it big in the age of TV because of her size and appearance, but 
with her voice coming over the radio, she was the biggest star of her time. 
Back then, music was more important than appearance or the "program". Kate was 
also patriotic. It hurt her to see Americans so depressed and afraid of what 
the next day would bring. She had hope for America and faith in her fellow 
Americans. She wanted to do something to cheer them up, so she went to the 
famous American song-writer, Irving Berlin (who also wrote "White Christmas") 
and asked him to write a song that would make Americans feel good again about 
their country.When she described what she was looking for, he said he had just 
the song for her. He went to his files and found a song that he had written but 
never published, 22 years before -- way back in 1917. He gave it to her and she 
worked on it with her studio orchestra. She and Irving Berlin were not sure how 
the song would be received by the public, but both agreed they would not take 
any profits from "God Bless America". Any profits would go to the Boy Scouts of 
America. Over the years, the Boy Scouts have received millions of dollars in 
royalties from this song.  This video starts out with Kate Smith coming into 
the radio studio with the orchestra and an audience.
She introduces the new song for the very first time and starts singing.
After the first couple verses, with her voice in the background still singing, 
scenes are shown from the 1940 movie, "You're In the Army Now." At the 4:20 
mark of the video you see a young actor in the movie, sitting in an office, 
reading a paper: it's Ronald Reagan.  To this day, "God Bless America" stirs 
our patriotic feelings and pride in our country. Back in 1940, when Kate Smith 
went looking for a song to raise the spirits of her fellow Americans, I doubt 
whether she realized just how successful the results would be for her fellow 
Americans during those years of hardship and worry..... And for many 
generations of Americans to follow. It has been suggested that this song 
replace the "Star-Spangled Banner" as our national anthem because it's easier 
to sing, and most folks already know the words.

Now that you know the story of the song, I hope you'll enjoy it. Many people 
don't know there's a lead in to the song since it usually starts with "God 
Bless America"....." So, here's the entire song as originally sung.....
ENJOY!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/TnQDW-NMaRs?rel=0       Virus-

**

The following was written by Natasha ishaq,  an Employment Development 
Engagement Guidance, EDGE, program blind high school student.

Heroes: A Tribute To Those Who Sacrifice Themselves For Others By Natasha Ishaq

You venture to the lands beyond
To the seas that shall forever stand strong Living as legends Dying as heroes

Out on those battlefields
You serve as our shields
Bearing those great burdens of pain
Through sunshine and through rain

When the homes burn down
And we all weep
When the bombs explode
And we all loose sleep

Our prayers are with you
Because we want you to be safe too
For you are out there sacrificing yourself Saving the lives of others, as it is 
not one man for himself

Where you go and what you do
You are always pushing through
All the war zones of blood and death
Where you struggled to catch your breath

Up in the air you fly
Through the hard-blowing winds that sigh But come down to respond to the 
injured ones who cry Calming them down as their tears begin to dry

Living on the sea
Because an unknown face needed help to be free Riding the ocean waves In order 
for all those who are lost to be saved

>From the shooting guns
To the many runs
To the child who is dying
You carry them away from harm, even though inside crying

Out there where piercing screams slice the air Out there where the dirt and mud 
of the earth cling to the clothes you wear Out there where the arms of death 
may embrace you at any given time Out there is where you fight for us while we 
wait to hear the chime

The chime telling us that the streets you roam Will become the ones of your 
home The chime telling us that the battle is done And your journey home has 
just begun

You venture to the lands beyond
To the seas that shall forever stand strong Living as legends Dying as heroes

To all of those who serve our country--soldiers, veterans, firefighters, 
physicians, rescue teams, police officers--all of you who put the lives of 
others before you in times of great catastrophe, I thank you all. Whether you 
roam the streets today, or rest at last in peace, your efforts and sacrifices 
are the marks that are forever engraved in the world that shall forever 
remember you, as your simple but complicated acts of extreme kindness and 
compassion speak for themselves.

Sincerely,
Cadet Private Natasha Ishaq