There are many things to appreciate about being an American, honoring those who sacrificed their life in Military Service to Her is amongst the greatest.
Today is Memorial Day here in the Texas Hill Country. Many people are complaining about the occasional rain showers and heavy cloud coverage ruining their weekend. I want to understand, most have the day off, and it's the "Official" Start to Summer (although the Summer Solstice is not until June 21st.) I believe what evoked the greatest appreciation for US Military Members who lost their life in conflict is not that I myself am a Veteran, nor that I spent a great amount of my life married to an Active Duty Military spouse. Books made the greatest impact... We Were Soldiers Once and Young... With The Old Breed at Pelelui and Okinawa... Lone Survivor .
That last book, Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of Seal Team 10, affected me the most. Not only had I personally known Marcus Luttrell, setting him up on occasional dates with my friends in Hawaii, but those Men in that book... many of their wives and girlfriends had been close personal friends of mine. Many of them had children, they had been in my home, been friends of my children, played in my pool, slept in my bed. As I read what Marcus had survived my heart filled with pain for my girlfriends and their children who would never have another moment with the men they dedicated their lives to as Military Spouses.
Although today is a nice day to thank a Veteran, it is a day to remember those who sacrificed everything, and I would implore you to thank a spouse or family member of a military member you know. They exist everyday dedicated and committed to the life of living, loving, and supporting the American Dream in ways you could never imagine.
I've known too many hundreds to name each in this post... but I can't Thank each and every individual one of them enough myself.
