Veteran’s Day Thoughts

Posted on Friday, November 11, 2011 by Post Scripts

by Jack

When I think of Veteran’s Day my thoughts are the same as I have on Memorial Day.

The older I get the harder it is to separate these two dates because I’ve lost too many friends to war. My last 3 years of service involved assisting in the deployment of young soldiers to Iraq and Afghanistan. A friend of mine, another NCO, ran the honor guard detail. He helped bury many of them on return.

I would like to think there was never an American life lost in needlessly in combat, but we know that’s just not true. That’s tough to accept, but it’s necessary because its a first step to do right by our vets. When our troops step up ready to spend their lives for us, we all have an obligation to be sure its for a cause worthy of their sacrifice.

That’s all I’ve got to say, except for one last thing, and I don’t really have the proper words to say it right, but thank you vets for your service.

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“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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3 Responses to Veteran’s Day Thoughts

  1. Peggy says:
    Friday, November 11, 2011 at 4:13 pm

    Saying, Thank you. never feels like enough when Im saying it, but I always feel appreciated when its said to me.

    Being born and raised an Army Brat my dad was just my dad who wore an army uniform. I knew he went into the Army during WWII and had frost bite damage to his feet and legs from being in fox holes. He went to Korea when that war broke out and my mom, brother and I stayed in LA until he returned. We all were sent to Japan and Germany and then he was stationed at Fort Lewis, WA and Fort Ord, CA. He retired out of Vietnam on Oct. 10, 1968, three days before his first grandson was born. He passed away on Jan. 10, 1998, my birthday. We scattered his ashes off the Oregon coast on Memorial day with a full military burial provided by the Coast Guard.

    Many have given more and most of us have only benefited from those who did. Ill always be grateful to each and every one. Love seeing the smile on their faces when I thank them and I always get a, Thank you, Mam. back.

    Thanks Dad, for serving your country and for being a great dad.

  2. Tina says:
    Friday, November 11, 2011 at 11:02 pm

    A blessing on the perfect day:

    AP – Mount Holly, New Jersey Jacob Anthony Saydeh won’t have any trouble remembering precisely when he was born. A U.S. hospital says Jacob entered the world at 11:11 a.m. on Friday 11-11-11. And to make the Veterans Day birth even more remarkable, the boy’s mother is an Air Force veteran and his father is serving in the Air Force. It’s the second child for Staff Sgt. Christopher Saydeh and his wife, Danielle. They are a third-generation military family.

  3. Tina says:
    Saturday, November 12, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    Read a great Veterans Day story at LA Now an LA Times blog:

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/11/marines-cross-camp-pendleton.html
    View Photos here:

    http://framework.latimes.com/2011/11/11/honoring-the-fallen/#/4

    To honor the memory of four Marine comrades killed in Iraq and to show respect for all military personnel sent to foreign lands, a small but determined group trudged up a steep hill at Camp Pendleton on Friday morning as the nation observed Veterans Day.

    At precisely the date and time when World War I officially ended, giving rise to Armistice Day — the forerunner to Veterans Day — the group erected a 13-foot cross. The cross replaced one put on the hill in 2003 by the Marines before they deployed to Iraq. It was destroyed by a brush fire.

    The four Marines were part of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment. The 2/1 was a lead element in the battle of Fallouja in early 2004.

    We wanted them all to know that theyll always be in our hearts, that theyll never be forgotten, said Staff Sgt. Justin Rettenberger. He was also with the 2/1 and will deploy soon for his second tour to Afghanistan with a different battalion. He was wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan but insisted on reenlisting.

    The cross, Rettenberger said, is dedicated to the memory of Maj. Douglas Zembiec, Maj. Ray Mendoza, Lance Cpl. Aaron Austin and Lance Cpl. Robert Zurheide.

    All great warriors, Rettenberger said.

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