Thank you, Lorraine. For whatever reasons, today I thought a lot about service women and men. I hope I have lived a life worthy of the sacrifices they made.
Yes, real heroes… I have an uncle that was a Korean War POW… which is all that needs saying… then, when that thought settles in, and you imagine what the reality of that meant… it’s staggering.
With you - and thankful for these men and women .. my dad, my uncles, those who went resolved to stop the spread of the malignant future the Nazis envisioned for all of us.
I echo Lorraine. This is beautiful. My dad served in the South Pacific. He was a 19 year old kid who served from January of 1942 until January of 1946. Nineteen years old when he enlisted, he was a impoverished kid from Detroit. His dad was an alcoholic and my dad had to scramble to provide for family during the Great Depression). The Navy made him a corpsman and pretty much all he would say was war , for him, was about packing his buddies into body bags to be sent home. He felt a sense of duty and I know he suffered terribly from (what is now know as) PTSD. He didn't talk about his military service but I watched his reaction to the Vietnam War. I have seven brothers and he did not want any of them enlisting. One was drafted (the lottery) but was sent to South Korea instead of Vietnam. Sigh.
You come from a family of heroes we all own a debt to. Experiencing war is a terrible burden.
One of my heroes when I was a kid growing up was Corpsman Desmond Doss. I was fortunate to meet him in person before he died.
He could have deferred because he worked in a shipyard, but he felt he had a duty to serve. As a square peg who didn’t fit into the army’s round peg holes, he fought to stay in the army to serve as a medic. The movie, Hacksaw Ridge, was his story, but only apart of it. By the time he was sent to Okinawa, he was already a decorated hero, but his service to his brothers in arms on Hacksaw Ridge was above and beyond the call of duty. The army said he saved the lives of more than a hundred men. Doss said it wasn’t over fifty (only 50!), so they compromised at 75 for his Medal of Honor citation.
When the movie came out in theaters, there were a lot of kids reviewing it on YouTube who were amazed at his courage and his dedication to his faith. Kids need to hear stories about men and women like Desmond Doss, instead of fake heroes.
And it’s not only men like Desmond Doss. Few know the story of Shoshana Johnson, the first Black American female prisoner of war who survived captivity in Iraq, along with Jessica Lynch. Heroic service is not limited by race, gender, or religion. We are a nation of heroes, and we owe them much.
People DO need to hear the stories of heroes. Not the fake ones. Not the media influencers. No, we need to hear the stories of courage and of overcoming obstacles and of serving others , of searching for justice. Kids need to hear these but so do adults. The heroes make us all want to be better human beings. Thanks , again, for your stories of heroism.
May I share with you a flash story about a personal experience:
Veteran's Curse
He stood on crutches while waiting with his family at the counter. Their arms were loaded with books to check out, but his left arm and leg were missing. Hard lines scarred his face. When he scowled at me, waiting nearby, I wondered if I was worthy of his sacrifice.
What we think of our life's worth and what the veterans think may be quite different. Maybe this particular man remembered me from a previous incident in the blood lab. Several dozen of us all sat in the lobby, awaiting our turn when someone walked out the door, flipping the corner of the rug upward in the process. This same veteran sat directly across from me in his wheelchair. He glared at me then and I got the distinct message that he expected me or someone to do something about it. I didn't respond properly for reasons I won't go into here, so he ootched over in his chair and flipped the rug back into place with his remaining foot. Then he sat there and glared some more. It's self-centered of me to think he recognized me at the library. Maybe he just has this perennial glare ... which he rightly deserves to have. Anyway, both experiences sit in my head, festering with a guilt that I refuse to accept. For one thing, I'm tired of cleaning up after other people. Why did he task me with dealing with the rug?
I don't do that either, but I do were a small red Komsomol pin on my hiking hat. When some lefties see it, they smile and give me a thumbs up. When someone on the tight sees it, they ask me about it. I tell them it's a Russian MAGA pin. Everybody who sees it loves me.
It must be an odd feeling as an international aide worker to relate to people whose patriotism is either right or left. Aide workers help everyone in their missions. As Jessica Buchanan said, the child soldier was one of the children she was trying to save. Americans can't even grok what's going on or how people in other countries feel about us. We're both ally and enemy at the same time.
Beautiful homage, Switter. Thank you.🙏🏻💙🌺
Thank you, Lorraine. For whatever reasons, today I thought a lot about service women and men. I hope I have lived a life worthy of the sacrifices they made.
Me too, I have the same hope..
Plato nailed it all those centuries ago. We don't seem to learn, do we? Even after the incredible sacrifices.
I too, am grateful for each and every person who has made that choice. Thankful for the reminder, Switter. J
Did you ever hear about Jessica Buchanan, an aid worker in Somalia who was kidnapped and held for ransom for 93 days until she rescued by SEALTeam 6?
https://youtu.be/qSqMjK85tfc?si=MlWGlHgYLRQ1Ur2L
I just put up a post about her experience.
Yes, real heroes… I have an uncle that was a Korean War POW… which is all that needs saying… then, when that thought settles in, and you imagine what the reality of that meant… it’s staggering.
Yes.
With you - and thankful for these men and women .. my dad, my uncles, those who went resolved to stop the spread of the malignant future the Nazis envisioned for all of us.
We owe them much.
I echo Lorraine. This is beautiful. My dad served in the South Pacific. He was a 19 year old kid who served from January of 1942 until January of 1946. Nineteen years old when he enlisted, he was a impoverished kid from Detroit. His dad was an alcoholic and my dad had to scramble to provide for family during the Great Depression). The Navy made him a corpsman and pretty much all he would say was war , for him, was about packing his buddies into body bags to be sent home. He felt a sense of duty and I know he suffered terribly from (what is now know as) PTSD. He didn't talk about his military service but I watched his reaction to the Vietnam War. I have seven brothers and he did not want any of them enlisting. One was drafted (the lottery) but was sent to South Korea instead of Vietnam. Sigh.
Thank you for posting this moving tribute.
You come from a family of heroes we all own a debt to. Experiencing war is a terrible burden.
One of my heroes when I was a kid growing up was Corpsman Desmond Doss. I was fortunate to meet him in person before he died.
He could have deferred because he worked in a shipyard, but he felt he had a duty to serve. As a square peg who didn’t fit into the army’s round peg holes, he fought to stay in the army to serve as a medic. The movie, Hacksaw Ridge, was his story, but only apart of it. By the time he was sent to Okinawa, he was already a decorated hero, but his service to his brothers in arms on Hacksaw Ridge was above and beyond the call of duty. The army said he saved the lives of more than a hundred men. Doss said it wasn’t over fifty (only 50!), so they compromised at 75 for his Medal of Honor citation.
When the movie came out in theaters, there were a lot of kids reviewing it on YouTube who were amazed at his courage and his dedication to his faith. Kids need to hear stories about men and women like Desmond Doss, instead of fake heroes.
And it’s not only men like Desmond Doss. Few know the story of Shoshana Johnson, the first Black American female prisoner of war who survived captivity in Iraq, along with Jessica Lynch. Heroic service is not limited by race, gender, or religion. We are a nation of heroes, and we owe them much.
People DO need to hear the stories of heroes. Not the fake ones. Not the media influencers. No, we need to hear the stories of courage and of overcoming obstacles and of serving others , of searching for justice. Kids need to hear these but so do adults. The heroes make us all want to be better human beings. Thanks , again, for your stories of heroism.
Tears come readily these days. The end of this beautiful tribute is particularly sobering right now. Thanks for the reminders.
Extremely powerful video. Thank you.
May I share with you a flash story about a personal experience:
Veteran's Curse
He stood on crutches while waiting with his family at the counter. Their arms were loaded with books to check out, but his left arm and leg were missing. Hard lines scarred his face. When he scowled at me, waiting nearby, I wondered if I was worthy of his sacrifice.
I think we have a responsibility to carry that thought. Are we living a worthy life?
What we think of our life's worth and what the veterans think may be quite different. Maybe this particular man remembered me from a previous incident in the blood lab. Several dozen of us all sat in the lobby, awaiting our turn when someone walked out the door, flipping the corner of the rug upward in the process. This same veteran sat directly across from me in his wheelchair. He glared at me then and I got the distinct message that he expected me or someone to do something about it. I didn't respond properly for reasons I won't go into here, so he ootched over in his chair and flipped the rug back into place with his remaining foot. Then he sat there and glared some more. It's self-centered of me to think he recognized me at the library. Maybe he just has this perennial glare ... which he rightly deserves to have. Anyway, both experiences sit in my head, festering with a guilt that I refuse to accept. For one thing, I'm tired of cleaning up after other people. Why did he task me with dealing with the rug?
Were you wearing your Mao hat and pin? Some vets take exception to those items.
No, I left that ensemble at home. It's probably because I don't wear flag regalia or place eagles and flags all over my car.
I don't do that either, but I do were a small red Komsomol pin on my hiking hat. When some lefties see it, they smile and give me a thumbs up. When someone on the tight sees it, they ask me about it. I tell them it's a Russian MAGA pin. Everybody who sees it loves me.
It must be an odd feeling as an international aide worker to relate to people whose patriotism is either right or left. Aide workers help everyone in their missions. As Jessica Buchanan said, the child soldier was one of the children she was trying to save. Americans can't even grok what's going on or how people in other countries feel about us. We're both ally and enemy at the same time.
So well written!!
Thank you.
As we stand on the brink of WWIII, all should reflect upon your beautiful words.