“Memorial Day is also about a grateful nation.”
Each year I remember the vets who had a hands on approach to every aspect of their peacetime communities, and all for the good. A WWI vet who taught me how to fish; a WWII vet who taught me how to pack, hike, and camp with low visibility, a Korean War vet and former POW (Chosin Reservoir) who taught me to NEVER accept a superficial assessment of any situation, claim, document or authority;
a Vietnam vet who taught me how to make scale models from scratch. These are just a very, very few of those I recall.
Most of all I remember my dad. So many of those guys taught me ‘dad’ things in his absence, as he was gone half the time helping to win the Cold War on five different continents. I always sulked when he was TDY, feeling very hard done by, and never thought until after he passed away how much he missed home, but never whined about it.
I don’t think most veterans’ service to the their nation and their people ends in the military. It begins there.
For those who have passed, may God keep, comfort and restore you.
For those still living, may God bless and keep you, and show you how appreciated and beloved you are.
http://www.theatomicatoms.com/store.html
It’s right I think to honor our military. At the same time, I know that the families of our troops have a life different from everyone else. We don’t thank them for their service, but it never hurts to think of the cost to family that the military life entails.
Your post about growing up military isn’t just you. Go to the above link for a song about growing up a military brat. Go down to the song entitled “For the brats”.
It plays there for free, so don’t think this is some kind of come on to buy anything. Fair disclosure: it is written by my son and from his band.
There is, I repeat, ZERO cost. Just click the “for the brats” link.