[NFBNJ] Celebrate Veterans Day November 11

[joe ruffalo]

Greetings to all!
This Saturday, November 11 is Veterans Day.
Please read and share my traditional email message remembering Veterans Day.


***

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

We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
973 743 0075
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www.nfbnj.org
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