Friday, November 10, 2006

Thanks Vets

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. These are men and women who left their home, family and friends to serve their country. Some were drafted, some volunteered, and some were sent as a condition of not going to jail.

Each had his/her own reasons for joining and some paid with their life. But the bottom line is, they served. They may not have liked it - probably hated it - but they stayed to the end. Some stayed many years and retired. They were all changed. Some profoundly.

No matter what they did or became after their service, for a while they were heroes. I read the book and saw the TV series on A Band of Brothers, the stories of a company of 101st Air Bone Rangers who dropped behind the lines in France the day before D-Day. One of the men was the sergeant – and I apologize that I don’t remember his name – who received repeated praise for his heroism and sound judgment and leadership. After the war the demons got to him and he died alone in San Francisco as a cab driver. Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a cab driver. The point is, there was a time when he was strong, proud, and brave. Simply a hero.

That’s just one of millions of stories about our vets. After serving they went different ways and pursued different paths in life. They have their memories and their own stories. If you want to be fascinated and blessed just take the time to ask them what they did in the service. Some won’t, or can’t, answer. That’s okay, too. Just be aware that they have their demons because they were serving their country. Thank them anyway.

Thanks, guys and gals. OOH RAH!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said, dad.

katy said...

i will be going to the rememberance service on sunday, we will remember them. thank you for your words

DJ Andi said...

I feel really out of touch. I guess I didn't watch the news last week because I wondered why I didn't get mail yesterday and it wasn't until I watched the local news this morning that I realized it was veterans day. I was watching a program yesterday on the History channel about an American who was parachuted into France. It was amazing to see just how bad things were because of the Germans. The French were scared to help anyone because they would be killed. The American was finally captured by the Germans and he was shipped to Buchenwold (I think it was) Nazi camps. It was terrible. I am torn with the whole war thing. I just don't understand it is that when we do help others, they criticize us. We never seem to get the credit that is due us. I easily get emotional about our service people. They really are not appreciated enough.

Coffeypot said...

her indoors: I was fortunate to be on a cruse ship form last Saturday until Thursday with a bunch of veterans, WWII through the present, and it was truly inspirational to sit and talk with those guys. While you are enjoying Thanksgiving there will be a Marine, Soldier, Airman or Sailor standing watch somewhere in the world so that you and your family can eat in peace.

dj andi: That is what makes the US the greatest country in the world. We don’t ask for thanks. We do. We may have to go somewhere and break things and kill, hurt and maim, but when we leave we have helped the country rebuild – Japan, France, Germany, Africa and Iraq and Afghanistan, too name a few. We send aid and money to people in other countries who hate us and want to harm us. But we help them anyway. No Thank You notes need. And we can do this because we are free and want freedom for other countries, too. And this freedom comes from veterans who serve unselfishly. Never be confused about why we fight or why we help. We are the USA.