Armed Forces Day

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May 192012
 

I have been remiss – I neglected to note earlier that today is Armed Forces Day. My sincere apologies.

Though there are many things awry in our country today – our men and women that serve in the United States Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy are what is still right with it.

For those who have served and still serve – “Thank You!”

The Greatest Generation, Indeed

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Sep 242010
 

” For members of 325th, this reunion might be the last 

The label on the bottle of French Chateau la Bastienne apple brandy is yellowing from age.
It was bought in 1977 by Wayne Pierce, a former Army colonel who stipulated that it not be opened until the last reunion of the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment Association. Its members were World War II glider troops attached to the 82nd Airborne Division who fought from North Africa to Berlin and liberated a concentration camp along the way.
Saturday night, the bottle’s red wax seal will be peeled away at a banquet at Doubletree Hotel in Charlotte’s Gateway Village.
“This is the last reunion,” said Jesse Oxendine, a retired Charlotte pharmacist who is the association’s chairman and organizer for the reunion, which runs through Saturday.

Read more: CharlotteObserver.com


Boys and girls go off to war…

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Jun 232010
 

…and sometimes they don’t make it back – The Chopping Block: Boys.

Shannon’s post today once again brought home how truly blessed I am. When my son, Chris first told me he was joining the Army, my thoughts and emotions ran the gamut: pride; “it’ll be good for him”; concern; – for the first couple of years while he was stateside it wasn’t bad. But when his unit deployed, “old man worry” really settled in.
My son served two deployments in Iraq – the first was spent writing letters back and forth and waiting for the occasional (often missed the first time) phone call. Bated breath and prayer were constant companions. By the end of his first tour he had access to instant messaging, so we were able to stay in closer touch.

His second deployment ran longer than originally scheduled, but we got him home whole.He’s serving in the reserves now, living with us and back in school. So you see what I mean by “truly blessed”.

For those that didn’t make it home safely -

“Go rest high on that mountain – Son, your work on earth is done”
 - and to their families, my heartfelt condolences.