Memorial Day

God and solider we adore,
In time of danger and not before.
The danger past and all things righted
God is forgot and the soldier slighted.

Never forget - not just for 9/11

1100 More Miles

500 down, 600 to go. I love, love, love, the Sunday before Memorial Day. It is a racing fan's dream day. The Indy 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and, if you wake up early enough, the Grand Prix of Monaco. Now I never remember that F1 is racing this weekend, although I was able to catch the final 10 laps today. I would really like for F1 to have more of a presence in America. The cars are an amazing feat of engineering. The courses are amazing.

The 500 was spectacular as usual. The ending was unbelievable. Hillebrand did an amazing job. He let his team put him in the position to win. Unfortunately, his inexperience cost him. I am sure the causal IRL fan loved seeing Danica out if front with under 20 laps to go. I know I was excited to see her up there. It was also great seeing a young American Hillebrand almost win. The more Americans that do well in the IRL the better it will be for the series. I honestly believe that NASCAR's success it due to is almost exclusively American drivers and the split in the open wheel series.

I am also looking forward to the 600 tonight. It is an impressive race. The dynamics of the start of the race in the day and then moving into the night is incredible. This really shows what teams are prepared for the race. The drivers need to be able to tell the crew how the car is feeling. Those who cannot do that will not have a chance to win.

Overall it is a great day to sit on the couch and just enjoy the show on tv.

VE Day

The Allied armies, through sacrifice and devotion and with God’s help, have wrung from Germany a final and unconditional surrender. The western world has been freed of the evil forces which for five years and longer have imprisoned the bodies and broken the lives of millions upon millions of free-born men. They have violated their churches, destroyed their homes, cor- rupted their children, and murdered their loved ones. Our Armies of Liberation have restored freedom to these suffering peoples, whose spirit and will the oppressors could never enslave.

Much remains to be done. The victory won in the West must now be won in the East. The whole world must be cleansed of the evil from which half the world has been freed. United, the peace-loving nations have demonstrated in the West that their arms are stronger by far than the might of dictators or the tyranny of military cliques that once called us soft and weak. The power of our peoples to defend themselves against all enemies will be proved in the Pacific was as it has been proved in Europe.

For the trimuph of spirit and of arms which we have won, and of its promise to peoples everywhere who join us in the love of freedom, it is fitting that we, as a nation, give thanks to Almighty God, who has strengthened us and given us the victory.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby appoint Sunday, May 13, 1945 to be a day of prayer.

I call upon the people of the United States, whatever their faith, to unite in offering joyful thanks to God for the victory we have won and to pray that He will support us to the end of our present struggle and guide us into the way of peace.

I also call upon my countrymen to dedicate this day of prayer to the memory of those who have given their lives to make possible our victory.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington this eighth day of May in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-five and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and sixty-ninth.

[THE GREAT SEAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA]

By the President:
Harry S. Truman