Veteran's Day, A Salute to all Veterans

[five4]

What is a veteran?

A veteran, whether active duty, discharged, retired or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life...The Armed Forces Museum, Largo Fl.

My green light is on today, all day. I hold sacred veterans and the sacrifices they have made on my behalf in the name of the United States of America. Please join me in honoring their efforts to serve and protect this great nation and the everyday people who live in it.

Buy a veteran a drink or pay for a meal today or just shake ones hand.

I raise my glass...I salute you...I thank you a thousand times. GOD bless you all.

[WallaceGal]

My father in law is a WWII veteran, 89 years young and served in the Navy in the Philippines. He and my sister in law had dinner at a restaurant last week and he'd worn his Navy hat because it was chilly out. At the end of their meal, the waitress came over to them and told them the young couple who had been sitting next to them and just left, had paid for their meal to say 'thank you for your service to our country.' (crying as I write this) To that young couple, whoever you are, and others who show that kind of kindness and commitment, I thank YOU from the bottom of my heart for recognizing the sacrifice that all of our service men and women have given so that you can enjoy the freedom you have.

[five4]

Please thank your father in law from me for his service to this country. WWII vets are often reluctant to talk about their time but try to gather as much information from him concerning his experiences as too soon they will leave us and no more will we have eye witnesses to prove the "Greatest Generation" was just that.

Every Christmas for 35 years it has been our tradition to host any and all family members to Christmas dinner at TGI Friday's and we always look for someone in uniform to pay for their meal anonymously, after all, what better way to show the Spirit of Christmas...

My father spent 10 years in the National Guard and his father immigrated from Sweden and upon earning his citizenship, joined the U.S. Army and was a WWI veteran. My mother's father along with his four brothers were all in military service at the same time.

[munchkin5450]

My Dad was a WWII vet, too. He served in the 3rd Armored Division which was nominally under Patton. He landed on the beach in Normandy and served the entire war in Europe. To say he was lucky to be alive in an understatement. He never spoke of the war while I was growing up although he took my brother and I to see The Longest Day when it first came out to the theaters. As my siblings and I grew up, we often tried to convince to write about his experiences. His response was always that his life experiences weren't any different or more special than anyone who served at that time. He never did write a book but he started to open up about some of those memories after he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He's been gone for 7 years now but his remains rest in Arlington National Cemetary.

Shortly after his interment, I found a wonderful site, www.greenbeans.com. They are located at various bases around the world and you can send donations as small as $2 to buy a "cup of Joe" for the enlisted. The site even gives you an option of sending a message to the service person along with the coffee.

[five4]

Thank you for your father's service and thank you for the "Cup of Joe" link, will be visiting it shortly.

I read a quote in a book one time concerning WWII experiences, it went something like this..."I wouldn't trade those times for a million bucks, but I wouldn't spend a nickel to do them again."

Check out this Chick-fil-a...

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/11/11/...ns/?intcmp=hpff

[TetonAndDistrictPerformingArts]

I really like this image. Enjoy!

Attached Image. (Click thumbnail to expand)

[munchkin5450]

five4, that is beyond awesome. Shows that the American spirit and patriotism are alive and well at the grass roots. You can tell that a lot of thought and heart went into that display.

David, Samuel's story sure illustrates the indomitable spirit of Americans....You can knock us down but you can't keep us down! God Bless the USA.