Remembering Those Who Served

Post-Memorial Day Thanks

For many of us, it’s easy to forget the people who fight our wars. Increasingly, they fight in places we’ve never seen and for causes we might not understand or support. Those who come home unscarred,  move on. We may never even know what they did. The scarred we may only read about; they’re often hidden from our view in VA hospitals and private homes. The ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice — their lives — come home silently, their bodies met by fellow soldiers and, sometimes, family. There are few front page accounts of the last journey and fewer flag-draped coffins, as we saw during the Vietnam War. We sometimes see the young men and women going (They seem so young!) off to far-away places while we board planes for work and leisure. I try to thank them then, but it seems inadequate. Once a year, we pause and thank them as a country, but that too seems insufficient. I dislike the wars they fight but thank them nonetheless for doing their jobs.

Have a good week! Barbara