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Posted by Dave on 11/11/2004, 14:02:29 It was midmorning on Veterans Day. My wife Rita and I were walking across the Wal-Mart parking lot on our way to do some last minute food shopping for the cookout we were having that afternoon. Since my health has been failing of late, long-term plans are not a good idea. So, since I felt fairly well that day, at the last minute we invited the neighbors to join us at our home for an informal get together to celebrate the day and happily they accepted. As we approached the entrance to the food section of the store, I noticed two elderly gentleman sitting at a frayed card table that held a basket of artificial poppies, two small pads, some pencils and a couple of small containers, the kind used for accepting donations. Both men were dressed neatly in white shirts, black trousers and garrison caps (piss cutters) with the letters VFW emblazoned on the front. This was a familiar sight to me on Veterans Day as Im sure it is for many of us. What struck me as being different was the age of these men. In previous years, the men who were doing this work seemed much younger and never sat down. They were always STANDING outside doorways or on corners holding the poppies and donation cans. As I got closer to the table I realized why they were sitting. They both were very thin and frail and appeared to be in their late seventies or early eighties. (I later found out in our conversation one of them was 81 the other 84) I asked Rita to go ahead into the store without me as I stopped at the table to greet these old soldiers and to make a donation. Having never met these gentlemen before, as I do every year when I pick up my poppy from a volunteer, I shook their hands, introduced myself and thanked them for their service to our country and their continued dedication to Veterans organizations. During the course of our conversation I learned that both men fought in World War II against the Japanese and both of them were decorated for valor. They informed me that they had stayed in touch with one another over the years after the war (They had lived in different states) and hooked up again when both retired and moved to Florida. They then thanked ME for being so kind in asking them about their service and for taking an interest in their background. Then one of them said you must be a Vet yourself; I proudly but sheepishly stated that I was. I have always been in awe of these great warriors of WWII (My brother was one of them.) for several reasons. Among which was their great ability to persevere after having seen so much death and destruction. They came home after the war and despite tremendous odds against them, went back to work, started families and became productive civilians again. These great men humbled me. These old warriors that have withstood the test of time. These outstanding Americans that have given so much to all of us and have asked for very little if anything in return. For the most part these brave soldiers have lived quietly without recognition for most of their lives I would be willing to bet that most of the people living near them are unaware of the fact that they have been living next to greatness for years. As I left them and proceeded towards the entrance to the food section of the store, I looked around at all of the other last minute shoppers that were hurrying in and out of the store. Most were not even giving these men a second glance much less stopping to acknowledge them. Some of them deliberately avoided eye contact so that they would not have to give up a lousy dollar for a poppy. Yet these same people would give hundreds of dollars for a ticket to see some singing group that would openly badmouth our country or pay 7 or 8 bucks to see a movie starring Hollywoods finest anti-Americans. I thought to myself, What a terrible waste..These people were walking right by the biggest celebrities that they could possibly ever meet without so much as a hello. They were in the presence of greatness and they were too stupid to even realize what an opportunity they had. In this era we now live in it seems so unfair to see how millions of people hold entertainers and sports figures in such high esteem. Young girls faint at rock concerts and fight each other for a piece of clothing from some demented moron who couldnt carry a tune in a bucket. Others will kill to get an autograph of some actor or actress who will go to a foreign country to bad mouth our President and our military
Still others will look upon a former football player who murdered his ex-wife and her friend as a hero. I sincerely hope that its not to late for many Americans to wake up and realize just how great this country of ours is and to truly appreciate the sacrifices that have been made by the millions that have served and are now serving to keep it that way. As you enjoy your day today say a little prayer of thanks for all of our military and remember the job that have done and are doing for us as a nation. And please do not forget the thousands of our finest that are in the many VA hospitals throughout the world. (I spent almost a year in a VA hospital in N.J in the late 60s.) I have a special place in my heart for these great Americans....these are the forgotten heroes who spend their days going through painful rehab day after day and wait for visitors that in most cases never come...Maybe not today but some day make it your business to visit one of these hospitals to shake hands with and thank those that have sacrificed so much on your behalf. And if you should see one of our World War II vets, stop him or her and thank them for their service before its to late. Time for the 3pm toast...Happy Veterans Day to all....United We Stand. Dave
67.34.168.19
Now that the election is over, and although some of us are republicans and some of us are democrats, Id like to believe that we are all proud Americans.
I was moved to write this story last year on Veterans Day. Although its rather long it expresses some of my feelings about this special day. I just thought that I would share it with all of you today.
This may sound a bit stupid, but as I stood there I began to realize that TIME was the difference in the sitting and standing of these volunteers. They have gotten much, much older. In any event, as the TV commercial states Their numbers are dwindling.
We are losing some of the greatest people that have ever worn a military uniform in service to our country. As many Americans have, I have been taking these people for granted. I assumed that these living monuments would be around forever..This of course is not so. Just as the great warriors of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War have become extinct, so too shall the men and women of WWI and WWII.
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B Co, 2-112th AR, 49th AD
