"stand down" Part I

In my long years of belonging to and working in our local Legion, and attending joint visits with our sister Post in Trenton, Michigan, I have sat and listened to the varied war stories of our War Time Veterans.

So many times I witnessed a silent tear slide down a quivering cheek as memories long buried, and perhaps, better forgotten, were brought home to the teller.

For those men and women, who sacrificed all, giving the greatest gift - their short lives, the war is over.

For those who came back, the war will never be over. For those brave men and women who answered their country's call, to protect at 'all costs,' they continue to pay a higher price. They live with the guts and not much glory of taking  human life.

Physical wounds heal. Emotional wounds scar for life. That is all too often the price they are left to pay for earning the freedom you enjoy today.

So the next time you are blessed with the company of a veteran, give them your ear in the moment of their remembrance. It will cost you short minutes - you owe them that - such a small price to pay for the freedom you enjoy today.

Coming ... Part II Aloneness