2013 61st Old Soldiers Day Parade, Alpharetta, GA

• The Old Soldiers Day Celebration Spans The Years

   

• An Historical event is celebrated on the first Saturday of August in Alpharetta, Georgia, known as Old Soldiers Day.  This is sponsored by The American Legion, Department of Georgia, Post #201, Alpharetta.  Present day veterans are privileged to participate in and carry on the heritage established by old soldiers.

   

• Soon after guns were silenced in the War Between the States, Confederate soldiers living in and around old Milton County, now apart of Fulton County, established a time during each year when they could bivouac for several days to remember the fellowship founded during the tragic time when families became divided over different philosophies.  They came by horse back, horse and wagon, and on foot, meeting in a small town called Alpharetta.

   

• Many were bivouacking in Alpharetta when the young soldiers of World War I returned home.  Best evidence indicates that during 1920, an elderly Confederate soldier invited these "younguns" to assemble to the rear and parade with them down Alpharetta's main street.

   

• The days went swiftly by, and soon the old soldiers' physical capabilities lagged far behind their spirit and desire to continue the tradition.  In 1924, the reunion was abandoned.

   

• Twenty eight years later on a Sunday afternoon in June, 1952, a group of men who were vitally concerned with veterans and their loved ones, unanimously agreed that Old Soldiers Day should be more then a memory.  These gentlemen, themselves veterans, sounded the bugle that would again rededicate the first Saturday in August, as a living memorial to veterans of all wars.  This historical significance is why this day will always remain personal to all veterans.

  
  

  American Legion Post 201 

  * August 3, 2013 - The 61st annual Old Soldiers Day Parade.

   

  The 2013 Grand Marshall is Leon “Lee” Ellis, a Retired US Air Force Colonel and a former fighter pilot who endured 51/2 years as a Prisoner of War in the infamous “Hanoi Hilton” prison near Hanoi. Today Colonel Ellis is a Fox News Military Analyst, Executive Coach and Corporate Consultant. He is the author of “Leading with Honor,” also the theme of the 61st Old Soldiers Day Parade.

  
  

  

   

  Artwork from “The Pledge” (incorporated into montage above)
  Courtesy of Artist Matt Hall and Valor Studios

   

   

  The artwork on the 2013 Old Soldiers Day T-shirt incorporates a collage of military scenes incorporated around the POW-MIA flag. The center-most figure is that of Mike Christian, also imprisoned by the North Vietnamese with cellmate John McCain and many other American Captives. A bombardier/navigator aboard a Navy A-6 Intruder, he too was shot down during a bombing mission on a strategic bridge near Haiphong.

   

  Christian, used bits of scrounged cloth which he dyed with ink and ground up red clay roof tile and a bamboo needle to sew an American Flag to the inside of his prison shirt. Each night the men in his cell would gather as Mike removed his shirt, hung it on the wall and they would recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

   

  One night the cell was searched, the flag discovered and Lt. Christian was taken away and beaten nearly to death by the guards. When he was returned to his cell, his eyes were swollen shut and his cellmates were concerned that he might not survive. In a few days, with more cloth and another needle he started sewing another flag.

   

  That is why his story of bravery, defiance and love of country is the central element of this year’s Old Soldiers Day t-shirt. God Bless America and its heroes.

60th Annual Old Soldiers Day Parade

Anyone up for a parade supporting American Veterans of all American wars and conflicts? It is the 60th Annual Old Soldiers Day Parade in Alpharetta, GA on Saturday, August 4, 2012. Come out and support our veterans and show them your appreciation for their service to our country. Tell them THANK YOU. Click Here Parade Info Hygun Group will be there, how about you?

http://www.alpharetta.ga.us/index.php?p=520

Welcome Home, Shawn and Bandit Troop

We were so glad to finally put a face to a name. Lisa was so good to help Hygun Group and the DAR pick, package and send all the "goodies" out to our "Adopted Platoon". God Bless America and Shawn's "Bandit" troop. What a great smile and a wonderful person to have back home. Every one should write, send stuff and just keep letting our troops know how special they are for "Standing in Harms Way". Shawn will forever be a "Hygun". Hire The Veterans, you will see why they are so great.

Jan 1, 1966: New Year’s Day – Vietnam War

Jan 1, 1966: New Year’s Day – Vietnam War

On this day, January 1, 1966, advance elements of the 1st Regiment of the Marine 1st Division arrive in Vietnam.  The entire division followed by the end of March.

The division established its headquarters at Chu Lai and was given responsibility for the two southernmost provinces of I Corps (the military region just south of the DMZ). At the peak of its strength, the 1st Marine Division consisted of four regiments of infantry: the 1st, 5th, 7th, and 27th Marines. It also included the 11th Artillery regiment, which consisted of six battalions of 105-mm, 155-mm, and 8-inch howitzers. Other divisional combat units included the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Antitank Battalion, 1st Amphibious Tractor Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, and the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company. The division numbered nearly 20,000 marines by the time all elements had arrived in South Vietnam.

During the Tet Offensive of 1968, the 1st Marine Division assisted the South Vietnamese army forces in recapturing the imperial city of Hue. The 1st Marine Division was withdrawn from Vietnam in the spring of 1971 and moved to its current base at Camp Pendleton, California.   During the course of the Vietnam War, 20 members of the 1st Marine Division won the Medal of Honor for conspicuous bravery on the battlefield. The 1st Marine Division was twice awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for gallantry in action in Vietnam and received the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm and the Vietnamese Civil Action Award.

As it is the end of the year and a beginning for a new year, time for reflection is the order of the day. As our active service military personnel are currently deployed internationally serving with honor it is a time to remember those who came before us like these and other divisions who served in Vietnam and other wars or conflicts, now and forever, may Hygun Group always wish you the strength and fortitude to serve with patriotic honor and the ability to complete your mission so you can come home to a thankful country.  For our many friends of Hygun, we want to wish you a safe and prosperous New Year for 2012.

Happy Holidays!

Hygun Group would like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday's!!!

REMEMBER, HONOR and TEACH

Nearly 4 million veterans of every American conflict from the Revolutionary War to Afghanistan are buried in national cemeteries around the country—and many of them go unremembered.  Wreaths Across America is hoping to alleviate that void, at least a little. 

Twenty years ago, the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine, began a tradition of placing wreaths on the headstones of our nation's fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery during the holidays.  Since then, the firm has donated some 90,000 wreaths to Arlington, and in those 20 years the event has grown and spread.

This year, more than 700 locations in addition to Arlington are participating. 

The mission of Wreaths Across America is to "remember, honor, and teach."  What better time than the holidays to remember and say thanks for these many sacrifices. 

Georgia has two National Cemeteries that are on the national register, Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA and Marietta National Cemetery in Marietta, GA. 

Georgia National Cemetery is located near the site of the Etowah burial mounds, created by American Indians of the Mississippian culture between AD1000-1550. This site is one of the largest American Indian burial mounds in North America. Archaeological investigations have been conducted on Etowah mounds for over one hundred years. 

Marietta National Cemetery is home to one of five monumental masonry archways that originally served as the formal entrance to national cemeteries found in the South. Three are managed by NCA: Marietta, GA., built 1883; Chattanooga, Tenn., built ca.1880; and Nashville, Tenn., built ca.1870. These Roman-inspired structures are approximately 35 feet high with Doric columns, a pair of ornamental iron gates, and inscriptions above. The two other memorial arches are found at Arlington National Cemetery, built 1879, and Vicksburg National Cemetery, ca. 1880, properties managed by the Department of Defense and National Park Service, respectively.

Load up the family “Truckster”, create a new holiday memory with your family and visit these National Cemeteries for the rich and empowering history that our brave soldiers from all eras can share with our many generations.  Our fallen deserve to be thanked for their ultimate sacrifice to our country, so take some time out of our hectic holiday season to remember, enjoy the majestic landscapes that we know as our National Cemeteries of the United States of America.  Bring a wreath, remember those before us, honor their memory, and teach history for future generations. It’s worth the trip.

 

Hygun Group, Inc.

Made In America Campaign

Hygun Group is an American Made, American and Veteran owned business. We are proud Americans who have pledged to buy "Made in America" products during the holidays, when ever possible. If every household would spend $64 on American Made products this holiday season you would be able to employ 200,000 Americans. Stand-up to retailers and say you want American Goods and Products, this is a great band-wagon to be on, show your patriotism and pride in OUR country, support the BUY AMERICAN CAMPAIGN. Even if your household were to buy American products when you can at least a little more often, you will be making a difference on the economic growth of U.S.A.

These are just a couple of websites with helpful resources to find these American Companies & Products.

www.howtobuyamerican.com

www.digusout.com