He may have never fired a shot in battle.
But a nation slept peacefully last night because he grabbed a rifle and stood his post.
She may have been criticized for serving an unpopular cause or occupying a non-traditional role.
But thousands of voices are free to cry out – even in criticism – because she does her duty. [click to continue…]
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I showed up at the gym yesterday, ready to tangle again with Jacobs Ladder, its newest chamber of horrors, among other things. Just as I hit the sidewalk, I passed an older couple getting out of their car. “Older” as in mid-to-late sixties, I suppose.
There was something different about him. Maybe it was that he moved with a straighter, more invigorated gait than other men his age. Maybe it was the intentionally-tight silver buzz haircut. Maybe it was the black Army t-shirt he wore – something similar to the one pictured here.
“Stop,” said that little voice inside my head. (You have one too… you may want to pay more attention.)
A bit out of character for me in places like this, I paused to ask: “Are you a veteran?”
His already-alert face lit up as he helped his wife to the curb. “Yes, I am,” he smiled. [click to continue…]
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For every mother who saw her son off to something benignly called, “deployment,”
For every pharmacist, plumber, or school teacher who learned the true meaning of “citizen soldier,”
For every sailor who remembers Pearl Harbor, or Marine who stormed Normandy,
For every soldier who remembers Fort Hood, Saigon, or Baghdad,
For every mechanic who ever rebuilt a helicopter engine, or pilot who left a vapor trail in the name of freedom,
For every broken heart, haunted in a cemetery by the last fading notes of “Taps,”
For every tri-cornered flag, decorated grave, or salute rendered on this day…
Thank you.
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