Memorial Day

For some reason, remembrance type holidays have hit me a lot harder this past year or so. Veterans Day last fall, and now Memorial Day. I have never served in the armed forces, but I have the utmost respect for the men and women that lay their lives on the line for our country everyday. My wife's surrogate father - and the man that gave her away at our wedding - is a retired Colonel in the United States Marine Corp, and his son is currently an officer in the USMC serving in the Middle East. When I first met her, my interest in the military and armed forces was pretty shallow, but it has grown in this time. She was a member of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp. for her entire high school career. She had intended to join the Marines upon her graduate, but alas, a boy kept her from it. She decided she would rather spend the rest of her life with me than with Uncle Sam...I am forever grateful for that decision - not to mention the sacrifice Uncle Sam made in losing such an awesome soldier.
At any rate, my level of respect and adoration for our service men and women has grow substantially in the past several months. Maybe my kids have prompted me to realize the sacrifice that they make in leaving their families, possibly for the last time. The wives, sons, daughter, and parents that they walk away from so that people they have never met can be free.
So, this weekend, my hats off to all those who have given their lives in service of our country, and in service to the other countries that we have helped over the course of our existence. They truly do represent all that is right with our country. And to all the service men and women that have lived through conflicts and wars, I thank you. You are no less deserving of honor and memorial than those who gave their lives.

Thank you!!