THINGS REMEMBERED

Remember

It was the Veteran, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.  It was the Veteran, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.  It was the Veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.  It was the Veteran, not the campus organizer, who has given us the right to demonstrate.  It is the Veteran who salutes the flag, Who served under the flag, Whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Father Dennis O'Brien, USMC

Between Veterans

There's a bond between Veterans, that can't be described unless you looked into death and returned. It's the pride of defending your homeland, it's an honor, so valiantly earned.  There's a brotherhood cementing Soldiers.  Adding strength to the stories they tell.  It's the footprints where angels resisted, It's the courageous survival of Hell.  There's a feeling, a heartbeat, a spirit, that no coward could ever inspire. Because without having walked in the boots of your home, you can't know what it's like under fire.  When an instance is all that divides you, ' from living and giving it all, it's the hero that stands, without question, it's the Veterans who have taken the fall.  It's the loyalty, this love of Country that carries us into harm's way.  It's devotion, unbending, unending, that the Veterans defend, every day.

"You look at me with hostility, saying that I am to blame, for embarrassing the nation, and bringing it to shame, yet you sat at home and popped your pills, loving freely, at your will, while we defended those freedoms on some distant bloody hill.  We only did the duty, that our Country asked we do.  We only did what we were told, with thoughts it was for you.  We held this Country in our hearts.  As we watched our Brothers die, we vowed our dedication, and we held our heads up high.  But you forget who gave their blood, so you could speak your mind.  And you forget, the families, we were asked to leave behind, who were also those we battled for, we cherished, in our chore. So tell me now, tell them, indeed, Who harmed our Country more?"

Written by an anonymous Vietnam vet.