Steve,
Thank you for your memorial day message. Too often people do not realize the price that was paid to live in Freedom. I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I would like to relate a little story.
I retired from the US Navy on 1/1/1995 after 23 years of service. I served in Viet N am from 1971 - 1972. In1988 we went back east to visit Grandma. One of the side trips we took was to Washington DC. My goal was to visit the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial. After avoiding it for most of the day, we were at the Lincoln Memorial and I was looking down at the Memorial. My wife and sister asked if I was going to go down to the Memorial. I finally headed down to it. If you have never been there. You go down this small hill and for me, there was nothing but silence. I looked at the panels. Each name is about 1/2" high and they seem to go on forever. I was doing OK. I got to the middle and looked to the left and right. Very humbling. I was about half way up the other side when I noticed what I assumed was a Mother and Daughter at the wall. They were both staring at a name, hugging each other and crying. My better sense told me to go, but that didn't happen. I started to walk past them when the little girl, well not so little, about 18 or 19, reached up and started rubbing her fingers across a name. Then she said "Daddy, I graduated." Needless to say, I lost it. Reality finally set in. This young lady has to go through life without her father.
You look at all the names and wonder. These were sons, brothers, fathers, uncles, nephews, friends. There are 8 names on the Wall that were mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts nieces, girlfriends and friends. What could these people have contributed to Society. Young men and women going in harms way. I have the utmost respect for todays young men and women who go in Harm's Way. Please remember all those who made the ultimate sacrifice as well as all of those who have served, are serving and will serve.
