Patriots Day 2010

Happy Patriots Day and many thanks to past and current Patriots who make this country great!

Toys For Tots 2009

W. L. French Excavating Corporation is once again an official drop off location for "TOYS FOR TOTS". Sponsered by the United States Marine Corps, our main office is now an offical drop of for new, unwrapped toys for those who are less fortunate.

Please join us in helping those with difficulties this holiday season by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to our office.

W. L. French Excavating Corporation wishes all employees and their families a safe and happy Labor Day and thanks each one for their continued hard work and dedication to our company.



Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Founder of Labor Day

More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those "who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold."

But Peter McGuire's place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic."
dol.gov

W. L. French Excavating Corporation Observes Veterans Day November 2008

W. L. French Excavating Corporation would like to honor Veteran's Day by thanking and acknowledge all America's Veterans - especially those employed by our company. We are appreciative and proud of your service to our nation and sacrifice you and your families have made and continue to make.

We are reminded today that Freedom Is Not Free.

"Many Americans mistakenly believe that Veterans Day is the day America sets aside to honor American military personnel who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained from combat. That's not quite true. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor America's war dead.

Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors ALL American veterans, both living and dead. In fact, Veterans Day is largely intended to thank LIVING veterans for dedicated and loyal service to their country. November 11 of each year is the day that we ensure veterans know that we deeply appreciate the sacrifices they have made in the lives to keep our country free."

Memorial Day....A Day of Remembrance

Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of rememberance for those who have died in our nation's service. There are many stories to its actual beginnings, with over two dozen citizens and towns laying claim to being its birthplace. There is also evidence that organzied women's groups in the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War; a hymn published in 1867 hymn "Kneel Where Our Loves are Sleeping" by Nella L. Sweet, carried the dedication "To The Ladies of the South who are Decorating The Graves of The Confederate Dead." While Waterloo, NY was offically declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, its difficult to prove conclusively the exact origins.

It is likely that it had several separate beginnings with the many planned or spontaneous gathers of people to honor the war dead in the 1860's, culminating with Gen Logan, national commanders of the Grand Army of the Republic, giving his official proclamation in 1868. It is not imporant who was the very first. What is important is that Memorial Day be observed. Memorial Day is not about division. It is about reconciliation; it is about coming together to honor those who gave their all.

Thank you for those memembers of the miliary service who have proudly served our country and we remember those who have fought and died for our country.