The Gun Line MkIII

It’s a somber day, a day for deep thoughts…

For me,  it’s a day to gather with fellow vets, and accept the accolades of those whom we have defended, but also to remember those who cannot be here to stand with us.  I remember Tony Molino, and PFC Woodfork, and a score of others who passed through my life and have beat me to Saint Peter’s Golden Gates…

The day is gray, and I find myself not in the mood for celebration, but, instead, for reflection…

Yesterday, I attended the Veterans Day Program at Nine Mile Elementary School, and found my eyes “sweating” at the sweetly soft voices of a legion of youngsters singing songs iconic for the various times when our Armed Forces found themselves in harm’s way.  Today, I attended the Veterans Day program at the Spokane Veterans Arena, to be followed this evening by a dinner with the men and women of Point Man Ministries, a non-denominational veterans’ outreach ministry (sort of like the Forward Air Controllers for “Sky Six”)…

It’s a day for emotions, and I am a fellow whose emotions tend to run shallow at times – I expect that there will be some “eyeball leaking” going on as memories bubble up to the surface and break, allowing the healing to continue…

Part of me wants to hide…  To hide from my circumstances, to dig in and warn the whole world to back off.  Part of me wants to hide with a select few, and let them man the perimeter bunkers for a little while.  The responsible part of me, however, knows that to hide from the world is to admit defeat, and, worse, to allow life to continue on, with all of my responsibilities untended.  So I “ruck up” and move out, into the light, and meet the world, interact with it…

To my Brothers in the Corps, I wish you a Happy Birthday!

To my fellow vets, I say, “It is an honor to have stood the line with you.”

To those who were denied their due, I offer a sincere “Welcome Home!”

To those who have expressed gratitude for my service, I say “You are most welcome, and it has been my honor to serve.”

Finally, to those who still cling to the counter-culture of yesteryear, or live their lives in apathy or hostility towards veterans and their support teams, I say “Sod off, the lot of you – you’re welcome anyway…”

God bless…

(Oh, and regarding the tragic turn of events at Fort Hood:  I find that what I wish to say has been said by others, and I would only be echoing the sentiments of some of the more dynamic of the Milblog community’s operators- yes, THOSE “operators” – like Unca Jim…  And any original thoughts I have on the subject are illegal in most states, and they don’t allow me to own the weapons of sufficient caliber to best express myself, so I’m not even going to try… I have been guarding against allowing bad feelings to fester in my soul, but this one get put in the locker that contains the Beirut Bombing, 9/11, and a few others that I don’t want to let go…  Prayers for brothers and sisters, though.)