The Royce Files

Molly Marine replica A salute to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice serving in the US Armed Forces. This year let's tip the hat to the ladies who served in the Marine Corps.    Molly Marine has the distinction of being the first statue of a service woman in uniform in the United States. Erected in 1943 in New Orleans, the original statue was used to encourage women to join the Marines during WWII. Artist Enrique Alferez created the monument from a composite of a few female Marine models. More information here . 2 full sized replicas were later made and stand at Quantico, VA and Parris Island, SC- training centers for women Marines.  Pictured above is a small replica that I found at the local antique store. It probably sat in some Marine recruiter's office for years before findings its way to Moorhead. Actress Bea Arthur, famous for the TV programs "Maude" and "Golden Girls,"  joined the Marines a few months before Molly appeared. T...

Trillions of dollars of debt there but there is still a whole load owed to those who served our nation during the many conflicts of the last century. Harry Truman's sentiments sum it up: Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.  The quote is inscribed at the World War II Memorial in D.C. Harry tells it like it is

The poppy has been a popular symbol used around Memorial Day in the States and in the UK and perhaps elsewhere. The VFW distributes them yearly. I don't know if they are sold or what. I haven't seen that many around my neck of the woods for years. I have an old one I keep on hand. The VFW website explains it. Although all veterans are often honored on this holiday, it was originally for those men and women who died in the Civil War. I think I mentioned this in last years Memorial Day post. The poppy symbol, however, is from WWI, a war my great uncle served in. I am told he had to alter his age in order to enlist. Eventually he did such a good job the Government asked him back for WWII. I believe he was a boiler maker of some kind. I think he was in the Pacific during WWII. Now a poem: Remember now the smoke and grime Battering and bellowing towards the line Stand did they, when came their time Refusing to relinquish but for Liberty to shine. These things were d...

War at the best, is terrible, and this war of ours, in its magnitude and in its duration, is one of the most terrible. Abraham Lincoln 16 June 1864 Not being in a war with weapons and being shot at I would agree that war is unpleasant to say the least. My family doesn't have many veterans. None died during their service. My great-great-grandfather, Robert Palmer (not the singer), during the Civil War and may have been injured during his term but I can't make out the words on the 1890 Veteran's Census form. Above is the monument in Grand Forks, ND to the lads who fought in the Civil War. It stands on its own ground less than a mile from the downtown. I am not sure how oft it is observed what with the downtown mostly quiet these days. But I took note of it many times when I was in town. It looks very similar to one in Island Park in the Go. I recall another lonely monument in Washington DC. A WWI monument that sits on the edge of the Mall. Not sure if it gets much atten...