Memorial Day

     In church on Sunday the person who MC’d the service had all the Veterans in the congregation stand to be honored. Wubs didn’t stand even though he is a vet and leaned over and said so only I could hear, “Memorial Day isn’t to honor the living.” This nation runs in his veins. One of his tattoos is supposed to look like rips in his skin revealing the American flag.

      He got that tat way back in the army when he was an army engineer. His feelings run deep on all things American. This is what his facebook feed looked like this weekend:

     This day of remembrance should make a person think about how much some of us take freedom for granted. I found myself wanting to throw things at the TV yesterday when I paused from cooking to watch “War Stories” with Oliver North. In almost every story when the vets returned home they were faced with a country who opposed them rather than celebrating their acts of heroism. War is an ugly thing but when others try to take away your freedom and someone is willing to volunteer their life to defend it, we damn well better show them the respect this sacrifice merits.

     This was my brother’s facebook feed:

     These are men he fought along side in Iraq who paid with their life so we could live another day in freedom from fear of radical people hell bent on our destruction. They are not peaceful people. My favorite apologist Ravi described meeting one such man and how he would walk up a hill with his son every morning point to the west and tell him, “Your duty in life is to eliminate those people from the earth.” That is what our armed forces are facing. That is why thank you isn’t enough. How can you repay the bravery that stares that kind of evil in the face without flinching and does what needs to be done to keep it from our shores? I have no words. I only hope this country does better for them than a crappy health care system. Not to mention the number of times brave men and woman got thrown under the political bus that is our government.

     End rant…moving onto happier things…like the fact that my brother came home from the war. He bears a purple heart now and a few scars health wise but we still have him thank God and thank you bro for your service!!

     We celebrated with a BBQ:

The nephews helped shuck the corn:

And Wubby helped peeling potatoes

Then we ate the corn

     Happiness I tell you. I made beans, corn on the cob, cut up a big water melon, and also made a potato salad. My father in law lit up the grill and made stakes and we brought Jonsonville garlic brats…which were soooo good I must say. I had brought stuff to make some more strawberry shortcake but everyone was so stuffed I didn’t get to it.

     Freedom is a wonderful thing…brought to us courtesy of thousands of brave men and woman’s lives.

Wubs and I ended the day by watching this video of the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington National cemetery:

     The guards have been there since April 6^th 1948, 24 hours a day 365 days a year…all on a volunteer basis.