Honor

To my great great great grandfather, who in the Civil War was left for dead on the battlefield at Vicksburg, cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864, lived to be 93 and father 11 children. I wish I could have known you.

To my great uncle Davey who fought at Omaha beach and beyond, giving up his youth in WWII. You'll always be a hero in my eyes.

To my dear friend Pod, who fought in Vietnam, carrying it with him all of his days. I miss you, sweet man. You used to bring me flowers, now I bring them to you.

To Steve, who also lost his youth in Vietnam, and still walks with the pride of a Marine to this day. You have my admiration.

To Paul, the gentle giant, everyone's hero, doing your third round in Iraq. You've dedicated your whole life to our service.

To Jeff, who just left today to head for Afghanistan for the 2nd time. Be safe and come home in one piece. You'll be missed.

To my cousin Mark, Army Special Forces retiree. Your dedication was inspiring. I know you'd be there now if you could.

To our friend Tim, who found himself in the Army just when it seemed he had lost himself, you're still in Afghanistan. Your transformation has been amazing and we are so proud of you.

To Sean, the Navy Doc, still in the box, and to Denny and Vince and Jack...to ALL of the veterans, peacetime and war, who have defended our freedom with their dedicated service...

Thank you.

(Although I realize that Memorial Day is meant to be a day to honor those who have fallen in battle, I felt compelled to honor those who would have gladly, but were lucky enough not to and those who still could, heaven forbid.)