Memorial Day Salute to Vets

On this Memorial Day I salute the military men and women. Our Patriot Heroes if you will. I don't like the idea that these men and women have laid down their lives to protect my way of life and no one seems to notice. I know we have some of the finest cemeteries filled with young folks that have died defending our way of life. I know that many of our vets were disgraced for following the orders of the Commander in Chief. Today I would like to snap to attention and salute these fine folks.

Way back in the old days someone got the idea for Memorial Day to recognise the fallen Patriot Heroes of the time. They began in a simple manner of decorating the graves of these folks. Back then it was called Decoration Day. Memorial Day was first proclaimed on May 5,1868 and celebrated that year on May 30. For the last 140+years we have dressed up and saluted the fallen Patriot Heroes.

Have you ever given any thought to the living Patriot Heroes on Memorial Day? The tail gunners from WWII that are now living in a VA Nursing Home. How about the Ground Pounders from Vietnam that wake up in the middle of the night hearing the Charley crashing through the wire? What about the boat drivers from Korea that dreams are filed with searching the horizon for downed Navy Pilots? The tank driver from Afghanistan that awakes in the night still hearing the track sliding off the wheels after a road side bomb explodes? These men and women are just a few of the Patriot Heroes still getting up and going to work everyday carrying the memories of war...perhaps carrying a bit of shrapnel too.

Don't get me wrong these folks deserve every medal they have hanging on their cheat and more. My point is this Memorial Day let's look beyond the brass and look at these folks that put their pants on one leg at a time. They are true Patriot Heroes and they are true everyday Americans. This Memorial Day let us salute these folks when they are still alive and able to accept our gratitude.

These Vets performed a job we wouldn't want to do. These Vets ate food we wouldn't feed our animals. These Vets survived the horrors of fighting a war 24/7 for longer than most of us could imagine. This Memorial Day let us salute these Patriot Heroes. Patrick Henry, Pershing, MacArthur, JFK, all would be proud to have served with our Patriot Heroes this Memorial Day.... Mizpah ;-}}>