Latest news with #patriotism
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Appleton to honor ‘Old Glory,' celebrate Flag Day Parade on June 14
APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) – The City of Appleton is set to continue its longstanding tradition on June 14, the 74th Appleton Flag Day Parade! The celebration, which attracts more than 50,000 spectators and participants from throughout the country to Appleton, has honored 'Old Glory' on the second Saturday of every June since 1950. 'There's an unparalleled amount of pride and patriotism in the Fox Cities,' said Corey Otis, Chairperson for the City of Appleton Parades Committee. 'The Flag Day Parade provides a showcase for our community's ingenuity and artistry as well as a reason to come together and celebrate with friends and family.' More than 600 Wisconsin Guard soldiers ready for deployment with sendoff in Oshkosh The theme of the 74th Appleton Flag Day Parade is 'Honor, Courage, Commitment': these are the core values of the United States Marine Corps and Navy. Every year, the Flag Day Parade honors a branch of the military, but this year, Appleton will spotlight both the United States Marine Corps and Navy, who each celebrates 250 years of service in 2025. The Parade Grand Marshal, as always, is the United States Flag. The escort to the U.S. Flag is United States Marine Veteran Bob Lace of Neenah. Lace, 83, served during the Vietnam War era, and he is well known as the 'one-man honor guard' at the Memorial Day and Flag Day Parades in Appleton. This year's Honorary Parade Marshal is Retired Rear Admiral Jerry Clusen, a native of Manitowoc. Clusen, a Navy Mustang, served in 14 ranks throughout his 42-year career in the United States Navy Reserve. 'I love Appleton, we used to play here': Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen stops in Appleton for ROCK'N Vodka bottle signing The 74th Appleton Flag Day Parade begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday, June 14 with the Downtown Appleton Farm Market. Then, at 11:30 a.m., Houdini Plaza will host a pre-parade concert by the Marine Forces Reserve Band prior to the 1st Brigade Band at noon. The Flag Day Parade will begin at 2 p.m. at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and North Oneida Street, with the route traveling through State Street, College Avenue, and Drew Street. Notable entries in the 74th Appleton Flag Day Parade include: Nearly 20 musical units, including Navy Band Great Lakes, Marine Forces Reserve Band, 1st Brigade Band, Americanos Alumni Association, The 2/5th's Party Band, Big Top Brass, and The Badger Band (featuring members of the University of Wisconsin Band). Local marching bands, including all three Appleton public high schools, Valley Troubadours, New Horizons, Lakeside Lutheran High School, the Lutheran Vanguard, and Appleton City Band. Veterans organizations, tributes to the Armed Forces, patriotic floats, marching units, antique and collector vehicles, horses, clowns, scooters, fire trucks, tractors, and much, much more! Back for more: The Dancing Grannies will return to the Flag Day Parade along with Golden Gals MKE. Pierce Manufacturing and WHBY will hand out free flags to spectators just before the parade begins. The celebration continues after the parade. In Houdini Plaza, The Badger Band, featuring members of the University of Wisconsin Marching Band, will play music from the 'Fifth Quarter.' The free performance is expected to begin around 4:30 p.m. WFRV Local 5 will livestream the parade on our Facebook page and website. The parade will be broadcast at 10:35 p.m. on both June 14 and 21. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
National Post
16 hours ago
- General
- National Post
Raymond J. de Souza: King Charles' throne speech was a constitutional triumph
The speech from the throne was a spectacular constitutional triumph, which approaches the oxymoronic, in that constitutional matters in the Westminster tradition are designed not to be spectacular. The sovereign imposes upon himself the custom of reading the speech impassively, the flat tone indicating neither approval nor disapproval of the government's program. There is the prohibition, indicated in the instructions to all present in the chamber, to 'refrain from expressions of support or dissent.' Article content Article content Article content King Charles III began by noting that 'every time I come to Canada … a little more of Canada seeps into my bloodstream — and from there straight to my heart.' The desire to applaud was palpable in all present. But restraint was the order of the day, and order is part of our non-revolutionary constitutional history, along with peace and good government. Article content Article content Standing ovations, which plague question period with Americanesque barking and barracking, cheapen the coin of the realm. To be applauded in the Commons matters not at all. It is the norm of restraint which renders exceptional moments momentous. Article content Thus when restraint could restrain no longer, and sustained applause broke out, that singularity signalled that a great wave of patriotic passion had surged through all present — and across the vast dominion. It was a moment of high historic import, and of deep emotion. The King, properly, was unmoved, but permitted himself a pleased pause. Even the Queen joined in the applause. Not a few had tears in their eyes as they heard the King of Canada declare: 'The True North is indeed strong and free!' Article content Article content It was a moment both sober and stunning at the same time. Should King Charles III reign many years, it will remain the supreme discharge of his Canadian constitutional duty, that in a moment of distress, he came and, without melodrama, but dramatically enough, said simply that. Article content Article content That is constitutional spectacle. It has many parts. Article content The Senate's Usher of the Black Rod — in whose name invitations to the speech from the throne were issued — is not part of the constitution, but he is. Without his charge from the King to summon the Commons, and without him driving up Wellington Street to do so, Parliament does not begin. It took some time to attend to all that, and thus the King and Queen did an unusual walkabout in the Senate chamber to pass the time; Westminster conventions are meant to be adaptable things.
Free Malaysia Today
a day ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
The Soon family's amazing military odyssey
Retired lieutenant Soon Tet Leong's journey in the Royal Malaysian Navy was all about service, sacrifice and solidarity. PETALING JAYA : On Lorong Berani ( lane of the brave) in Butterworth, Penang, a modest home exudes quiet heroism. Inside, framed moments and keepsakes of the Soon military family chronicle a tradition defined by sacrifice. Each item whispers of courage passed down through the Soon family, whose Chinese heritage has been intertwined with Malaysia's uniformed ranks for decades. Seven Soons once stood in uniform together across the army, air force and navy. From World War II medics to modern elite officers, the Soons' proud line of service stands as a testament to loyalty beyond ethnicity. The family's narrative reminds us that allegiance to king and country can be as much a family heirloom as a well‑worn photograph. Retired navy lieutenant Soon Tet Leong, 74, who is of Chinese-Gujarati parentage, is the family's chronicler. In the 2019 anthology, 'Memoirs of the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans', he challenged claims that Malaysian Chinese lack patriotism or shun national service. Some of the Soons who stood shoulder to shoulder in uniform, (from left) Tet Leong, Tet Loy, Tat Kong and Tet Seong pictured during Chinese New Year in 2018. (Tet Leong pic) 'Our story depicts all the good ingredients of citizenry, loyalty, and love for the homeland,' he declared in a chapter tracing his lineage. Tet Leong said his article, titled 'A family serving the nation', was a typical Malaysian story about migration, ancestry, homeland and loyalty. Tonight, he will help launch the book's follow‑up, 'Memoirs: Malaya and Borneo at War', published by the Malaysian Armed Forces Chinese Veterans Association (Macva). It is a collection of firsthand recollections spanning the Malayan Emergency, Indonesian Confrontation and decades of counter‑insurgency. The first Soon In the early 1800s, Soon Ah Yoong fled the turmoil in Guangdong, China, and arrived in Malaya. Born around 1790, he settled in Bukit Mertajam, where his descendants would make their mark. Ah Yoong died in 1862 and stands as generation one in the family's ancestral archive. By mid‑20th century, his family members, including Tet Leong's late father, Boon Sooi, from generation five, were on the front lines of defence. The Soons during Chinese New Year last year at their family house in Butterworth. Roots in wartime sacrifice In 1942, brothers Boon Sooi and Boon Leong enlisted in the royal army medical corps at Tanglin Barracks, Singapore. Hoo Eng Chong, the future husband of their sister, Boon Chin, joined them. Together, the medics dubbed themselves the band of brothers. Boon Chin joined the police force at a time when it was uncommon for women to be educated, let alone be proficient in English. She was the stenographer to the British chief police officer for Kedah and Perlis during the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960). The band of brothers endured the fall of Singapore, makeshift field hospitals under fire, and captivity as prisoners of war after the British surrender on Feb 15. Released on separate marches home, Boon Sooi and Boon Leong trekked overland. Eng Chong remained interned until June 1943, when the Japanese sent him to build the death railway in Siam. Generations three, four and five in 1929 at the Soon family house in Bukit Mertajam. Tet Leong's uncle, Boon Leong and father Boon Sooi are the young ones seated third and fifth from right respectively. (Tet Leong pic) Their survival forged the family's ethos of grit and unity. Both brothers passed away in 1988, six months apart, but their tradition lived on. In the 1950s, as Malaya moved toward independence, the other Soons branched into the tri-service. Military life became their hallmark, not merely a career choice. Generation six Tet Leong followed suit, and was commissioned as a Royal Malaysian Navy officer in 1979. He served in the navy's first frigate, KD Hang Tuah, that conducted operations like Ops Cabut to prevent arrivals of Vietnamese refugees fleeing their homeland. Tet Leong rose to engineering officer before taking optional retirement in 1992 at age 40. His second career was in the oil and gas industry. Husband and wife defenders, Soon Tet Leong and Loo Lee Fum, at the ministry of defence's central officers mess in 1980, the year they got married. (Tet Leong pic) His wife, retired Lt-Col Loo Lee Fum, cultivated the family's service spirit. In 1977, Loo and Toh Lian Sim, from Kuala Terengganu, became the only Chinese cadets admitted to the army's first women's intake. Both Loo and Toh were selected to join the royal intelligence corps due to their educational background, and ability to speak in multiple dialects and languages. Her father, Loo Yok Tian, a rubber trader turned home guard volunteer in 1953, once defended remote villages against communist insurgents in Baling, Kedah. Soon Boon Chin (seated fifth from right) sits proudly as the only woman among male Kedah police personnel during an event in 1957. (Tet Leong pic) The couple's sons, Pow Lee, 43, and Pow Yik, 39, both born on Feb 28, honed their discipline at the Royal Military College. Their seven-year-old granddaughter, Yu Hui, continues as the eighth-generation Soon. In retirement, Tet Leong and his wife lobby through Macva for better recognition of tri‑service contributions and improved veteran transition programmes. Inspiring the next generation Across the globe, countries celebrate military dynasties with pageantry and parades. Here, families like the Soons and others such as the Thongs, Yuens, Kwongs, Rodrigues, Stevensons and Lais remain largely unsung. Their sacrifices never grace school syllabi or national remembrance ceremonies. Worse, self-serving politicians forget the contributions of all races in nation-building. Yet their steadfast allegiance, captured in worn service registers and cherished photographs, is as vital to Malaysia's story as any battle plan. As the next generation weighs life paths, the Soon family's saga offers both inspiration and a challenge: to recognise that devotion to king and country can be the finest inheritance of all. To purchase 'Memoirs: Malaya and Borneo At War', visit Macva's website.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fellow Republicans: Memorial Day heroes did not die for a party or personality
It was heartwarming to see so many Americans on Memorial Day post tributes to fallen heroes. For so many people, this past observance of the national holiday wasn't about barbecues or the unofficial start of summer. It was a day to reflect on the courage and sacrifice of the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. Predictably, my social media feed was flooded with patriotic posts from politicians — photos at memorials, quotes about sacrifice and tributes to the fallen. The hypocrisy was glaring. The very lawmakers who honor those who 'paid the ultimate price to protect our freedoms' are the ones seemingly disregarding the constitutional principles those heroes gave their lives to defend. Congress is a coequal branch of government, tasked with serving as a check on executive power. Yet too many Republican lawmakers have abandoned that responsibility, choosing loyalty to the president over constitutional duty. In doing so, they've effectively surrendered their legislative authority, allowing — and in some cases even encouraging — President Donald Trump to govern through a record number of executive actions. When Republicans are not turning a blind eye to executive overreach, they're folding under pressure — bullied, threatened and strong-armed by the White House into abandoning core principles and passing legislative monstrosities like the 'One Big Beautiful Bill.' Voters sent members of Congress to Washington to serve the people — not to act as lapdogs for the president. And while we're on it, the very concept of a 'One Big Beautiful Bill' flies in the face of everything Republicans have long championed. For decades, Republican leaders demanded stand-alone legislation so each proposal could be debated and judged on its own merits - not buried in bloated packages stuffed with poison pills. Yet here we all are, watching the extension of the Trump tax cuts being held hostage inside a massive spending package. And what about the Department of Government Efficiency cuts? If Congress was going to pass a bill of this magnitude, the least it could do is include those cuts and show real commitment to reducing the size of the federal government. Instead, we're staring at a $4 trillion debt ceiling hike. I expect that kind of recklessness from Democrats — not from a Republican-controlled Congress. Republicans used to draw a hard line on debt. Now, GOP leaders are caving to Trump's demands with little resistance. But this isn't about fiscal responsibility — it's about the integrity of the Constitution. It's about Republicans in Congress abdicating their authority and becoming an obedient extension of the White House. The separation of powers is meant to safeguard liberty, not to be brushed aside for political convenience. Democrats aren't off the hook. They're just as guilty — perhaps more so. They lied about President Joe Biden's health and participated in a coordinated cover-up to deceive the American people. I don't need Jake Tapper's book to tell me what I saw with my own eyes: a frail president incapable of executing the duties of his office. In choosing to gaslight the public, Democrats didn't just erode trust. They made it clear that holding on to power matters more than telling the truth, more than transparency, and more than the republic itself. America deserves better. Those men and women that Americans honored on Memorial Day did not die for a party or a personality. They died because liberty, freedom, and democracy are not just ideals to be admired — they are values worth defending, even at the highest cost. Their bravery is not simply a chapter in our history. It is the very foundation upon which our freedom stands. If we truly wish to honor the nation's fallen heroes, it must be through action. That requires preserving the separation of powers, upholding the rule of law and respecting the checks and balances that form the backbone of our republic. The greatest tribute we can offer those who died for our freedom is to prove ourselves worthy of their ultimate sacrifice. Matt Wylie is a South Carolina-based Republican political strategist and analyst with over 25 years of experience working on federal, state and local campaigns.
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong schools told to add national education elements to more subjects
Hong Kong's school curriculum framework has been revised to incorporate national education elements in more subjects, including English, maths, music, visual arts and sports. Advertisement Teaching examples include learning about ancient mathematicians' achievements, holding Chinese folk singing contests and learning how to play Chinese football games. Schools have also been asked to play patriotic songs on different occasions and broadcast major sports games live to boost patriotism. In a circular on Thursday, the Education Bureau told all schools, including those under the English Schools Foundation, Hong Kong's largest international school group, that the updated guide was to strengthen the learning of national security and align with the implementation of patriotic education. 'The Education Bureau has updated the curriculum framework and subject curriculum frameworks to keep national security education abreast of the times, providing teachers with clearer and more comprehensive guidelines, and helping schools further promote national security education on the existing solid foundation,' the circular said. Advertisement In 2021, less than a year after Beijing imposed the national security law on the city, the bureau released a master curriculum framework for national security education. Another 15 subject guides were released to detail how national security education should be implemented in primary and secondary schools.
