A Memorial Day story that happened to me a few years back.

03 Jun 2007 5:48 PM Edit Quote Reply Alert
On Sunday the day before Memorial day I was once again heading out from home on my weekly run to NYC. I usually stop at the Walmart in Marshfield, Mo. but missed the exit completely as I was thinking about something or the other (and I'm a trucker!) so I decided to stop at the store at St. Robert close to Ft Lenard Wood.

I had ridden my scooter to work as I do every weekend and I was still wearing my leather vest with my PGR, MIA, US Army, and Fallen Heros patches.

Of course being in the over 50 group and having beaten my self up over the years and actually getting an extra day at home to do some of those "honey do list thingies" I had pulled my knee again (allergy to work maybe??) and was using my trusty cane (laugh and I'll beat you with it!) to get around!

I hobbled on down to the store to get a few supplies for the truck and while I was going down an isle I came apon another "older" vet with his Viet Nam ribbon on his cap. I stopped and put my hand out to shake his and welcomed him home as I do with every Viet Nam vet and talked to him for a few minutes and we went on our merry ways.

I turned the corner at the end of the isle and started up the next when I heard a voice from the isle I had just vacated say "Man did you see that? The way that one vet welcomed the other vet home" and the reply he got " Yeah, dude it was so freakin cool"

Then, as I was in the check out line several young troops came up to me and shook my hand wishing me a good Memorial Day. I told them I actually never have a "good" Memorial Day as I think of the reason we do have this day and that I prayed that if they do get called up and go "down range" that they come home so that we NEVER have to "remember" them on Memorial Day. I did wish them all good luck and keep your head down as that's the only thing I can think of to say to any young person going into harms way.

I got to thinking as I was back in the truck heading down the road looking thru the windshield how when we went to Vietnam those so many long years ago how the people of America were starting to get tired of warfare after having just come out of Korea it seemed like. We didn't welcome those we drafted or the ones who volunteered home from that "police action" and actually didn't until after September 11th when the horror we saw on television slapped us in the face and we were back at war!

We now clap and cheer when our boys and girls, yes, to those of us from an earlier era, we see our selves, young, not ready for the things we do in war but still young boys and girls coming home from the sand box, the look in the eyes that only those who have seen battle have, walking down the isle in the airports and we clap and cheer, not as conquering heros, but as our children and our futures coming home.

I just pray that as we try to bring something to a people who have never known true freedom we don't travel back to the years my youth saw and we stop cheering as our military come home. They didn't start the war, but they hear the calling we have all heard at one time or another and answered that call not as boys and girls but as the warriors they will become!


Welcome Home............because I will always remember you