# In honor of Memorial Day Weekend



## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

_*In honor of Memorial Day Weekend*_
July 4, 1776, the handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence declared that we are now an independent sovereign state.



(John Trumbull)

This was the first step towards forming the United States of America.

We are now and will forever be FREE!

But freedom is not free. This American Revolution claimed 4,435 lives.

November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivers one of the most important speeches in American history, the Gettysburg Address.

The Gettysburg Address, "a new birth of freedom!"

By the time the Civil war ended, in the spring of 1865,

this, 'New Birth of Freedom' had claimed 620,000 lives.

During the first national commemoration James A. Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, after which 5,000 participants helped to decorate the graves of more than 20,000 Union & Confederate soldiers who were buried there.



"We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke, but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizen. For love of country they accepted death and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."

James A. Garfield

Shortly thereafter Americans started to hold memorials each spring in honor of the country's lost soldier, lost heroes.

In 1882 Memorial Day became a holiday. In 1967 Memorial Day became a federal holiday to be celebrated on the last Monday in May.

MAY WE ALWAYS REMEMBER!



Fishing was a passion for many of our nations lost heroes.

Let's join them ' _*In honor of Memorial Day Weekend'*_

by spending quality time on the water.

Our boats of yesteryear were a 'little' different from the boats of today.

Way back when a mile off shore was deep sea fishing:



Headboats were also different.

25 miles off shore was deep sea fishing:



Fish the far off Florida Middle Grounds... Forget it!

Today even pleasure boats can easily make the 75-100 mile trip.

I snapped this picture on the Middle Grounds from the deck of the Florida Fisherman ll.





What makes headboats different today?

Let's take a look:

The finest restaurant grade food while fishing the Florida Middle Grounds.

If you think lunch is something...



Wait until, after a hot shower, dutch oven slow cooked pork with all the trimmings, and all you care to drink ice cold bottled water & soft drinks:



After dinner comes the long ride home. Our comfortable

bunks are calling us:



That Coleman sleeping bag will, even in August, be needed.

Those huge compressors play no games.

How good is Memorial Week End fishing on the fish famous Florida Middle Grounds?

Let's take a look.

Memorial Day Weekend, May 2019, what an honor having this proud, dedicated, retired Marine, an American hero, overseeing the mountain of fish he helped catch:

Mr. Leo Smith



Talk about proud, before taking charge of the Florida, Captain Bryon Holland drove one of the baddest of the bad, the Abrams tank:


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

Captain Bryan was our Captain Memorial Day Weekend, 2019, can he, once again, lead us to a 'mountain of fish?'

Let's go see!

Last year we were honored to have 'One of the Few', a proud Marine, with us.

2020, what an honor having a U.S. Navy man sailing with us. Marines, and now Navy, two of America's best:



Memorial Day Weekend. We will be fishing Captain Bryon's favorite time of the month, the new moon.

Let's take a look at what the Fish Famous Florida Middle Grounds has to offer:













Roy, that looks like a jackpot winner:



Wow! Roy is putting on a show for us:



Amberjack season closes 5/31.



June 1, marks the beginning of a super long Gag Grouper season, and a two month American Red Snapper season.



This is our Florida. As one season closes, another opens. They are fish just waiting to be caught 24/7 twelve months out of the year.

Here is one that does not 'wait' around too long.

First you see him; then you don't:



Captain Bryan was our Captain Memorial Day Weekend, 2019, can he, once again, lead us to a 'mountain of fish?'

Well...


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## Harbison (Apr 18, 2012)

We have been fishing since late Friday night. How great it is coming home Sunday morning in the money.



Captain Bryon is so proud of Roy & John:



Memorial Day Weekend...

"For love of country they accepted death and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue."





Credits:

Tammy Kotta

John Martin

Department of Veterans Affairs

Wikipedia

John Trumbull

Tampa Bay Times


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