On this veterans day, I ask of all of you to take a few seconds away from your busy lives to honor the sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers who have either served and have given the greatest sacrifice to our beloved country and to those who continue to serve. And may we all come home! Thank you!

 

well said. we went into town for our local parade, nice turn out.

 

Agreed! 100%! And a big THANK YOU to all the vets, past, present and future!

 

Thanks to all who have served...America would not be what it is today without you...

 

May I express my deep appreciation to all of those great American soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve the Constitutional freedoms that we so enjoy here in the USA. May I also extend the same appreciation to those great American soldiers who "lived" to tell their life story... may we always welcome our soldiers' home. Finally, my I extend my appreciation to the great Americans who did not serve in the military but are equally committed to protecting our Constitutional freedoms.

God bless America!

 

Happened across this on another forum.dont think they will mind if i share it here.
If you are a veteran,I want to say thanks for all you've done

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear..
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

 

If you can read these postings, then you should thank a teacher. If you can read them in English and come and go as you wish, then thank a veteran. Even though Viet Nam vets such as myself weren't welcomed home with open arms like those of our fathers' war in the 40's, I never miss an opportunity to thank a returning vet for his or her service to our country, whether I agree with the political reasons for the war or not. Noboby knows the sacrifices made by our servicemen and women for our freedom and sovreign nation.

 

FREEDOM ISN'T FREE, THANK YOU VETERAND

 

This morning I went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial service here in Spokane. I thought, "Jeez, these guys sure look old." Then, I came home and put snow tires on three Saabs and the Super Duty. By the end, those 275/70-18"s were getting pretty damned heavy. It reminded me of how old I am, even if I don't look in the mirror.

No one knows for sure, but today, it seemed better to be going to the memorial than to be the ones memorialized.

thnx, jack vines