Land of the Free - for a reason.

i would love to take credit for this, but i can't. it was sent to me from my friend's wife, who's son, Eric, spent nine months as a fireman in Afghanistan.
i can share with you and echo its sentiment. and to also add i also fly it for my stepfather from D-Day. for Eric and for Chad - young men all, giving up all.
Memorial Day is not about BBQs. it's not about beach parties or weekend get-aways. it's about the young men and women, past and present, who serve this Country proudly.
and for the families at home who pray and wait for their safe homecoming.

Below is a letter that our past Blue Star Mom president wrote to the CC Times...it probably will not be published, but cannot pass up the chance to share this great writing with you all.
Something to reflect on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day, I will be flying my America flag on Monday, and Saturday and Sunday as well. It is a quiet salute, unlike the call to protest that some have called for. That is political expediency in its rawest form and I denounce that in a loud voice.

I will be flying my flag in honor and memory. I will be flying it for my friend, John Farley, who was recently taken from us. It was through his eyes and his stories that I first began to understand the horror of December 7, 1941. He was a young man that morning, but by the end of that day, he was old beyond words. He remembered each of his buddies, where they were standing, what they did and how they died. He carried that burden for all of his remaining years. I will fly my flag in his honor and remember his service.

I will fly it also for my friend, David McDonald. He doesn't talk much about Korea, except to tell me it was cold. His body is so full of shrapnel that he cannot have an MRI. He is frail now, but not willing to give into this old age stuff. He fights it everyday with a quiet dignity that inspires me. I will fly my flag to honor him and his grit.

I also will be flying it for Lt. Jerry Novakovich. I didn't know Jerry, but I have come to know him through his mother's eyes and through the eyes of his friends. He had it all and he gave it all on February 9, 1968 in Hoi Anh Province in Vietnam. I presented his mother with a Gold Star Banner in January. She told me it was the best day of her life. I wept that she waited all these years to feel honored for her sacrifice and for Jerry's. I will fly my flag for her and for him.

A tiny down payment on a huge debt I owe them.

I also will fly my flag for the young men who grew up among us and went off to war. We didn't know at the time the depth of their caring and commitment. They knew the risks. I have tried to be worthy each day of their sacrifice. I have finally learned they had already found me worth it. I didn't have to earn it.

I will fly my flag for Kyle and Mick and Travis, for Ben and for Eric, and Daniel and Sean and Jimmy. If you don't know their last names, shame on you. You owe them at least that. I will fly my flag for them with thanks and with the honor I owe them. Today is not the day to question the worth of any of this. Today is the day to just say, "thank you." It is a day of honor and remembrance.

DebJoe - USMC 2001-2005