In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. HAPPY VETERANS DAY! November 11, 2023 And deepest gratitude to all that serve and have served! God Bless The United States of America!!!
Mindless violence resulting from thoughtless fixation on meaningless things. Humans have such magnificent capacities for creativity yet seem so ready to trade it for self immolation.
Thank you all, active service members, veterans, and their families. Your sacrifice has guaranteed our freedom.
"Alpha One-Four, this is Dust off Three-Five, in bound, 5 minutes out" "Dust off Three-Five, be advised, we have a hot LZ" "Roger One-Four, dust off Three-Five is still inbound. One minute out"
We ate at Texas roadhouse last night. It was packed. First, they had the steaks in the display case arranged to say; Thank You VeteransSecond, they were giving out coupons for future free dinners to vets. Third, they had a table reserved for all vets who had sacrificed it all, complete with table cloth, candles, flowers and a plaque thanking them and their families. For a number of years we have made it a practice to pay the bill for any in uniform service people we might encounter. It's actually fun, because part of the deal is that we aren't identified, and for all we care they can just say the manager comped them. The point isn't recognition for what we do, rather recognition for what they do. Well, sure enough, a group of Air Force Academy cadets were having a little celebration for some reason. Like, 8 of them. I told the server I wanted their bill, which got the manager to come over, and she noted that the bill would be over $200. Which made me flinch a bit because we're just now getting ready to go to New Zealand and are trying to save money. But, I said OK. Well, a guy behind us heard and tossed a $100 bill on the table at about the same time that the manager was saying she'd give a discount. The bottom line was, the cadets got a bit of recognition for their sacrifice, we made a new friend (turns out, the $100 guy is himself a vet and a neighbor. We're having drinks with them next week) and everyone had a jolly old time.
My son was wounded in combat in 2007. He rehabbed in San Diego. My wife, daughter, and I were spending time with him there, and I took them all out to dinner. The bill was about $100. Although my son was not in uniform, someone in the restaurant "made him" as an injured service member. When I was ready to pay the bill, I found out that someone had covered it. It's one of those memories I'll never forget. Little things like that mean a lot. I routinely carry a box of ten pint glasses in the trunk of my car made by Lucky Shot, https://luckyshotusa.com/ They look like this: When I come across my fellow vets, I give them one. Sometimes they know who gave it to them. Sometimes they don't. When I run out of them, I get another box of 10. It's always appreciated, and I enjoy doing it. Seth
11/11 is one of the days (Memorial Day, Pearl Harbor Day & his birthday are the others) when I fire up some incense for my great-uncle Satoru. After his older brother (my grandfather) was rounded up & “relocated” under the provisions of Executive Order 9066, Uncle Sat ducked the feds & joined the 442nd RCT. He was 17. I’ve seen pics of him at that age; he looked like he was 14 or 15. I know he didn’t fool anybody. He returned from Europe minus his left leg. I was tight with him as a kid, and he never talked about the war. After he died, we mobilized a caravan of pickups to move Aunty Shizu into a condo. I grabbed a cardboard box from the master bedroom and it broke open. Out spilled Uncle Sat’s war memorabilia, including his Purple Heart & Silver Star. Aunty Shizu walked in on me & said “You found the lucky charms!” She explained that Uncle Sat felt displaying them would have been “vulgar.” He saw them as tokens of his stupendous luck, and reminders of his brothers who never made it home. Aunty Shizu called them lucky charms; a private endearment between the two of them. Except for Aunty Shizu & their daughter, I am the first member of the family to have ever seen them. 祝福 to those who’ve volunteered to be the pointy end of the spear. You’re better than me, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
