Monday, May 29, 2017

Memorial Day 2017. It is a beautiful day out there; 73 degrees, sunny, relatively low humidity (for here at least). So, BBQ grills will be firing up around the area, beer tabs will be pulled, sweet tea, unsweetened tea, and lemonade will all be made to go with the chicken, briskets, ribs, potato salad and other goodies at picnics and family gatherings. Older folks will visit cemeteries and the generation of today won't have an idea why.

This is Memorial Day, not to be confused with Veteraan's Day. This is the day that we honor those who have died fighting for the freedoms we enjoy today in this country. I served for 32 years as a member of the United States Air Force. I know a lot of Veteran's who have served and some who continue to serve. However, I personally know of a very small number of my former friends who actually died fighting during the war; and they were killed during the Vietnam War. In the past three decades our nation has been fighting in the Middle East. We have twenty five year old people in this country that have never known us not to be fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. As of October of 2016 we had lost 2400 military men and women in just Afghanistan and we had also lost another 1200 American contractors; ---- and yet --- who knows. Since this military issue is not "an American Effort" like the world wars were were in, it seems to be lost in the minutia that is daily life. Reports come in sporadically and a local soldier is honored as his or her body is layed to rest but there is no national recognition or mourning. My point, which out rambling even more is that Memorial Day is not just about "those old guys" from WWII or Korea or Vietnam. We have a whole generation of newly mourning parents and wives and children and other loved ones that will be at a cemetery today laying flowers on graves. So, today, I offer up prayers for those for comfort for those loved ones and I offer up thanks for your sacrifice to those who gave their lives. I also send up prayers for safe conduct for all of our military men and women and civilians who are in harm's way today and tomorrow and in the future. I ask that they be allowed to come home safely. And I offer my thanks to them for their service to an ungrateful nation.

 Walk in peace today. The ability to do so, was paid for a a very height price.

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