The Guardians - Memorial Day reflections...

I have a picture of my grandpa standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. The date is November, 1944. He's dressed handsomely in an Army uniform, a cigarette between his fingers and the sly grin of a 19 year old on his face.

He's never revealed what he did during World War II. When anyone asks what he saw, where he fought or what he did, he turns the answer into some kind of joke. The usual response is, "I delivered candy to the guys on the front line."

No one probes because within the sarcastic response is the unspoken answer, "Don't ask me to explain. Don't ask me to live that again." So no one asks, we only wonder.

This is the unspoken part of Memorial Day. We celebrate our heroes, our soldiers, their service, their sacrifice and their death. We gladly proclaim gratitude for the past, present and future freedom.

What we don't thank them for is what we don't see. The silence they resume upon return from war is the silent protection of our innocence. They live with memories, sights and sounds that would cripple most of us. And they live it. And live it again.

They unassumingly slip back into the life they left, before they bore the nightmare for us. We sense they are not the same people they were before they left. But we both pretend they are.

Even in the face of opposition and protest, few talk. Few give details. There seems to be an unspoken rule that not only are they supposed to do the fighting on our behalf, they also keep the fight to themselves. As if the fight itself is too much, which it is.

On Memorial Day we celebrate and commemorate lives lost. Entwined in the celebration are the soldiers still living who have spiritually and emotionally died a thousand deaths. Yet, they still guard us from the horrors that haunt them day and night. Their selflessness is not restricted to a time period or geographical border.

While we thank those who have bravely fought for us and now rest in peace, we need to remember those who have fought for us and just need to rest. Sometimes I sense an attitude that says, tomorrow, when you are buried, we will thank you properly for your sacrifice.

Today is the day.


To all the present day heroes-

Thank you-for allowing my family to celebrate Memorial Day, as if it's just another day off work and school.

Your bravery, sacrifice and silence have not gone unnoticed.



*reprinted from May, 2007

Marines, Thin Mints and Country Music

Well, I did it. I got myself a swarthy Marine from Illinois. He wears size 12 boots and likes Girl Scout cookies. I ordered him from www.operationac.com. You simply fill in the blanks and the soldier of your choice is all yours. You can even choose one from a particular branch, deployment, and/or state. I kinda felt like I was man shopping. Of course, you can choose females too.


I've been doing some thinking about Memorial Day and the upcoming presidential elections and immigration and the cost of gas and Keira Knightly's lips. When I think about our servicemen and women, I think, when?

When will someone stand up and tell the wax faced politicians to quit treating our soldiers like minimum wage workers at Jiffy Lube who aren't fulfilling their 20 minute promise?

Who will defend our defenders? We all want a safer world for our children or so the political mantra goes. Here are someone else's children stepping in harm's way for the sake of OUR children. That kind of uncommon courage deserves a rousing ovation. When will the real America please stand up?

I like the chorus of this Rascal Flatts song, Stand:

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand, Then you stand.

Our country can't be content to sit back and watch our soldiers go to war without knowing that somebody here has their back. Has our government made mistakes? Hell, yes. Heinous ones. That doesn't mean we sit down and shut up. It's not over. I for one, would like to play some part in this war on terror. By George, if I have to buy Samoas and Thin Mints, I'll do it.

Stand up.
Defend their honor.
Defend this country.
Pray. Again.

And go buy some Girl Scout cookies.

OK. Enough depressing talk. Next post topic: reproduction.

Thank You.

Thanks everyone for your comments and e-mail about the last post. One of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis said, "We read to know we're not alone." It's reaffirming to find out that we're not alone in our thoughts and we're more together than we realize. I appreciate your feedback.

I almost feel like I need another day to recover from Memorial Day. What a dichotomous holiday. On the one hand, it's an anguishing, grieving type of day. On the other, it's a "Buy one get One Free" day at Macy's.

A great Memorial Day story broke Monday about 42 Iraqis who were freed by US soldiers just outside of Baghdad. Some had been tortured for months while hanging from the ceiling. According to the article, the Iraqi's were taken prisoner because they were beginning to trust and listen to the American soldiers.

Wow. Hollywood couldn't come up with a better story line.

The Guardians

I have a picture of my grandpa standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. The date is November, 1944. He's dressed handsomely in an Army uniform, a cigarette between his fingers and the sly grin of a 19 year old on his face.

He's never revealed what he did during World War II. When anyone asks what he saw, where he fought or what he did, he turns the answer into some kind of joke. The usual response is, "I delivered candy to the guys on the front line."

No one probes because within the sarcastic response is the unspoken answer, "Don't ask me to explain. Don't ask me to live that again." So no one asks, we only wonder.

This is the unspoken part of Memorial Day. We celebrate our heroes, our soldiers, their service, their sacrifice and their death. We gladly proclaim gratitude for the past, present and future freedom.

What we don't thank them for is what we don't see. The silence they resume upon return from war is the silent protection of our innocence. They live with memories, sights and sounds that would cripple most of us. And they live it. And live it again.

They unassumingly slip back into the life they left, before they bore the nightmare for us. We sense they are not the same people they were before they left. But we both pretend they are.

Even in the face of opposition and protest, few talk. Few give details. There seems to be an unspoken rule that not only are they supposed to do the fighting on our behalf, they also keep the fight to themselves. As if the fight itself is too much, which it is.

On Memorial Day we celebrate and commemorate lives lost. Entwined in the celebration are the soldiers still living who have spiritually and emotionally died a thousand deaths. Yet, they still guard us from the horrors that haunt them day and night. Their selflessness is not restricted to a time period or geographical border.

While we thank those who have bravely fought for us and now rest in peace, we need to remember those who have fought for us and just need to rest. Sometimes I sense an attitude that says, tomorrow, when you are buried, we will thank you properly for your sacrifice.

Today is the day.


To all the present day heroes-

Thank you-for allowing my family to celebrate Memorial Day, as if it's just another day off work and school.

Your bravery, sacrifice and silence have not gone unnoticed.



To adopt a soldier, check out www.operationac.com