Memorial day

[fbhjr]

My mother’s father was in WWI. In both the Army and Navy. His lungs were damaged and he was listed as a disabled veteran for his remaining 55 years.
(My father’s father was a doctor in Northern Vermont. He was not drafted but instead assigned to support people working with the logging up there as it was considered critical.)
My father was drafted in WWII. He tried to get out of it, but didn’t manage it.
Both of my mother’s brothers were Naval Academy graduates. My uncle Ted was a civil engineer who was over in Vietnam for a while. (That’s the earliest I remember praying. Before that my mother took me to church. When her brother was in Vietnam, she told me to pray for him. I was maybe 4-5 years old.) He ended up becoming a Captain before he retired in the early 80’s.
My uncle Jack was on submarines. Don’t know where those took him. I’m told he made first officer of one of them.
Both of their sons are in the navy now. One over in Africa, one got back from Iraq last year and is in San Diego now.
One of my two best friends from high school joined the army and is a special forces instructor. (I haven’t seen him since 81. We were going to get together in the fall of 01, but it didn’t work out.)
My elementary school friend joined the marines. He was blown up in Beirut back in 83.

I don’t like the way the US military is being used. I think it has become the stick in the hand of a bully.
But, I do respect the people who serve their country. People who are willing to risk their lives to do what they are told is right.
I wish we had better people telling them.