To all those that have served in our military forces...THANKS!!! I owe ALL my freedoms to you. It is because of your sacrifice and the sacrifices of your family that I enjoy the freedoms I take for granted on a daily basis.
We spent this weekend with my parents. We heard a LOT of stories from my grandfather about his time in World War II. I heard for the first time that he actually saw 3 of his war buddies (one of which he grew up with) die right in front of him. That explains so much. My Uncle Mark is actually named after one of them and I never knew.
My dad was finally able to talk about his time in Viet Nam. That's the first time I've EVER heard him talk about it.
I also found out that this fallen soldier not only served with H in the Tennessee National Guard, but also served with him in full-time service before the Guard. If I knew that, it was something I forgot. I will never forget that now.
While there, we saw a commercial where servicemen and women were walking through an airport and everyone stood up and clapped. Those commercials ALWAYS make me cry. I don't know why. Dad looked at me and just smiled. I told him I felt like a dope, but he said I was just extremely patriotic, never lose that, and vote every time I'm able. I also always cry when I hear the National Anthem (in person - hearing it over the radio or TV doesn't do the same thing to me for some reason).
On the way home, we passed the Kentucky Veteran's Cemetery and saw a group of men in front of the entrance holding hands in a circle with their heads bowed. I cried. a. LOT! I cried so much, H reached over and held my hand.
Hope everyone has a great Memorial Day. Please don't ever forget why we enjoy our freedom. I now realize what is so important about the war in Iraq. We are trying to give the people of Iraq the same freedoms we take for granted. I also realized today that the leader of our country should be someone that has served in our military. We cannot expect someone who has never been in our military to lead our military. There is so much they just wouldn't understand.
Until later...
k
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3 comments:
You're not a dope, you're human. And we wub you!
Happy Hump Day!
Happy Memorial Day, to you, too! (belated)
I do that too! On base, every movie begins with the National Anthem, and I tear up every time. My Dad was in the Korean war and did a lot of "Vet" things. We were raised to put our hands over our hearts and stand when a flag passed. I couldn't believe it when I went to our first parade in NM and everyone but us sat as the AF Color Guard walked by carrying our flag... sad times. So, good for you, and for your parents that instilled this gratefulness in you! (did that make sense?)
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