Memorial Day

[Rocky Raab]

Hello, my brother.

We never met, but I know you. I could be like you, but for the chance of grace or the grace of chance. Instead, I stand here on this side of that long black wall, while you are on the other.

From that place that joined us, the place made us brothers, I returned in the Freedom Bird, and you returned in a flag-draped box. But we are brothers.

Now I stand here, my fingers tracing the engraved letters that you share with far too many. I wonder if you feel that touch and if you know what I feel from it. The pride, the honor and the satisfaction of serving, of pledging all that I am or will be; those things and more reflect back at me from that burnished stone. The awe of what we knew, of what we saw, of what we tried to accomplish; those things reflect from me – I hope – to those who will follow us.

I come here not to weep, although I do so freely. I come here not to remember, although I do so all too freely. I come here not with bitterness or anger or even sadness. I come here…simply to be with you once again. I come to say the things that were never said to us when we needed to hear them. A million million words would not be enough to repair the hurt we felt at not nearing those things. And so, my brother, I come here with only two.

Thank you.

[Dan Morris]

Nuff said.....great!
Dan

[Valigator]

Very nice Rocky...

[Aim to maim]

Very well said. My thanks to all who served and serve.

[rubicon]

I saw a bumper sticker on an old mans car this moring that I thought was great. It said: "Land of the free. Because of the great"

[Tater]

I've been lucky, so far, on my deployments to not have to deal with anything real bad. I still feel a kinship with those who have "been there and done that". I salute those brave men and women who came before me and those "over there" right now putting their lives on the line to fight for those who can't fight for themselves. At my son's kindergarten graduation yesterday, they started off with the Pledge of Allegiance and I noticed quite a few "tough guys" wipeing their eyes at the end. For so many people, Memorial Day means nothing more than a 3 or 4 day weekend and some really good sales:(

[bigkevmorgan]

to all the war vets thank you ! was to young to go to nam but older freind told me about it nad no nam wasn't the only war just the on thet millons died for and the war that millons hated ,
i don't like war but sometimes it's neccessary for freedom !! again thanks to those who served in all wars and in all branches of the greatest millatry that we'll know.....

[BILLY D.]

rocky

a great literary piece. a lot of people out there don't know and can never start to realize what it is like to stand in front of that wall and reach out and touch the name of a fallen comrade and brother. even us mean old sob's cry. theres still something deep down inside that hurts. we'll probably never get over it, but thats ok.

thanks for the post, i appreciate it for all the others.


bigkevmorgan

two things about war. #1. war doesn't decide who is right, it only decides who is left.

#2. was told to me by a strategic air command general who i was working for at the time as his enlisted aide. at this time in air force history the strategic air commands motto was "fighting for peace". enlisted aide= chief cook and bottle washer, chinese laundry boy, driver and body guard.

we were sitting in our quarters one evening enjoying some scotch he had imported in from god knows where, he took a sip, and looked up at me and said bill, "you know, fighting for peace is like f*@%ing for virginity". after almost choking to death and having to clean up my scotch i pondererd that thought. he's absolutely right. i loved that old guy, he was like a father to me. i'd have walked across burning coals for him.

[M.T. Pockets]

This evening I'll be taking my kids out to the cemetary at the little old country church where I grew up. There are two veterans that lost their lives in WWII that we stop to pay our respects, plus gravesites of several other veterans going back to their great, great grandfather, a Norwegian immigrant named Ole Larson, who was in the Minnesota Volunteers during the civil war. (There were so many Ole Larson's in the Minnesota Volunteers he had to change his name).

Tomorrow morning will be the ceremony in the town park put on by the local American Legion Post. It's like a Normal Rockwell picture stepping back in time, it hasn't changed since my dad brought me when I was a kid during the Viet Nam era, protestors and all, it hasn't changed. We lost a young man in Iraq this year, it will be a somber day in this small town.

[Dan Morris]

Went to Fort Logan today...a day early, wife still doesn't get it why I walk,look and remain silent... I've got my own way of hurting!...Rocky put it a lot better than I ever could!Just a weird old duck that whould rather remember the good times than the bad ones. Also, went to grocery store and a VET in a wheel chair was getting donations for Buddy Poppies...VFW...WW2 ventage.... I dug in...his reply..." If I could stand..sir I would salute you"... I told him that I salute him!...Just supporting my group... thats when my cold eyes lost it! His war and mine...25 years apart.
Dan

Damn, I'm getting old................

[Skinny Shooter]

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Never forgotten!












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