[NFBNJ] Remember Veterans Day Veterans Poem and God Bless America

[joe ruffalo]

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-



****



Warmly,

joe



We care. We share. We grow. We make a difference
Joe Ruffalo, President
National Federation of the Blind of New Jersey
973 743 0075
nfbnj1 at verizon.net
www.nfbnj.org

Raising Expectations To Live The Life You Want!



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