A TEAR IN MY EYE

I have not been posting much and am not on a political rant this time. I’ve been busy with work and getting more involved with local veteran’s activities. I’ve just been elected Director of our local American Legion Riders chapter and have been trying to attend as many Patriot Guard Riders (PGR) missions as I can. This brings me to what I am writing about. Honoring our Veterans in any way you can. Saying you support our troops is politically correct these days, but actually doing something, even something small to show that support, is a heartwarming thing to do.

Yesterday I was privileged to take part in a PGR mission at our local airport. Unfortunately, so many of our missions are for funerals. This one was different. This was a welcome home. A local Army Reserve MP Company arrived home from their tour in Afghanistan. The arriving soldiers were spread out on about eight different flights over a twelve hour period. The PGR volunteers made sure there was a group standing a flag line and applauding for each and every one of these soldier. The looks of pure joy (and sometimes a little embarrassment) on these young soldiers faces as they rounded the corner to a gauntlet of applauding flag holding bikers was fantastic. Even better that that was the looks on the faces of the children and spouses of these returning hero’s. I’m not ashamed to tell you that more than once, I had a tear in my eye. A tear in my eye and a warmth in my heart.

Memorial Day is this weekend. Please remember it is not national barbeque day. Remember what this day is for. I encourage each and every one of you to take some time to honor a veteran. Whether you applaud the veterans in a local parade, visit a veteran’s cemetery or grave site, or find a single veteran, shake their hand and thank them for their service, do something. After you’ve done that let me know how it feels. Tell me if I’m wrong. Remember, honoring our veteran’s, both past and present, goes a long way to ensuring we have future veterans. Lest We Forget.