Memorial Day

[wvrailfan]

At the risk of being a bit sappy, this song has come to epitomize Memorial Day for me. When I talk to combat veterans, without fail they all say they are not a hero, they say "the real heroes didn't get to come home."

This relatively simple song makes me see these men in my mind, longing for the ones they had to leave behind. It was written for those of the second world war, but I think anyone who served can relate.

[Hippie 64]

To all of the Veterans , Thank you from the bottom of my Heart !!! If I had the chance I would shake the hand of everyone and Thank them !!

Bryan

[Corey Thunes]

I'm no veteran, but my dad is. Thank you for this.

[Alpha]

Thanks for posting!

I wouldn't say it's "sappy" at all, wvrailfan; there is beauty in the unique ways we find to individually commemorate the sacrifices of our fighting men and women. There is no wrong way serve those who served.

As time goes on, I believe it requires a more active effort by all of us to keep these sacrifices in the forefront of young peoples' minds. A history forgotten is one that might be repeated. The previous century's world conflicts and the remaining brave servicepersonnel still alive are in danger of seeing the horrible reality of their experiences --and the immeasurable cost of their sacrifices-- being reduced to the vague generalization of fuzzy mockumentaries and trite internet memes. The reality is that conflict continues not far from us. Men and women continue to serve and pay the price, bearing burdens seen and unseen. In any VA hospital today there are men and women representing several generations, some younger than some of our children, or grandchildren!

On days like these, it really pricks me in the heart that we should do more for our veterans. We can each do a little more and yield a greater collective Good. Speaking for myself, I would recommend anyone wanting to give to a local veterans charity to conduct a search on location/rating websites like www.CharityNavigator.org. Or find your local VA hospital and volunteer your time *listening* to the patients there. Or seek out a nearby air museum and become a docent. Or just embrace a veteran and share your willingness to serve them. More than money, to any organization large or small, I think the most important thing we can give is our time, our altertness, and our compassion. Take the time to preserve the memory of our of extended family, be alert to identify veterans in need, and pour out our compassion to that person however the situation is best served. My grandfather told me after years of silence about his service years, why he never shared his pain or triumphs, even with our military-centric family. "No one ever asked".

Let's resolve to make a more honorable Memorial.

[Grossman56]

We had an impromptu get together at our field today, everyone came out to honor the vets.
Took the Bearcat and the Avanti out and took time to remember that the reason I can enjoy this hobby, among other things, is because of the sacrifice of generations of fellow countrymen who fought to preserve our way of life.
Take the time to look at the casualty count on D Day alone. One day, one theater of war. They estimate 4,000 souls killed or wounded in what would amount to a few hours. Can you imagine announcing such a casualty list nowadays?

Thanks to all the WWI, WWII, Korean, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Iraqi vets, just to name a few, for their incredible sacrifice.

Grossman56