Memorial Day. This is the best day of the year for me. It always makes me proud to have served my country for so many years and brings back all of those vivid memories….good, bad, and the very ugly. It causes me to reflect on the people I served with and makes me cry for those who didn’t finish the journey. It makes me sad that so many young people today never have the military experience and we as a country are the losers for that.

For all of you vets out there I offer my best and crispest salute.

You are the champions my friends!

-- So (cr@t.es), May 28, 2001

Answers

Yes -- please -- a moment of silence or a prayer for all those who died to help preserve those precious freedoms we now enjoy.

-- Eve (eve_rebekah@yahoo.com), May 28, 2001.

Service made me feel useful and I needed that at the time. Thirty some years later I'm still useful and largely credit those now seemingly two brief years. It's an attitude deal that happens and is impossible to teach.

Hats especialy high to those who flew home lying down.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), May 28, 2001.

Thanks to ALL the Vets.

-- Pammy (pamela_sue57@hotmail.com), May 28, 2001.

PRESENT ARMS! to all Vets.

For those who paid the ultamate price and for Dad, this is for you, with tears of pride and sadness. jessam5@home.com), May 28, 2001.

I lost the rest of my post.

Here

I am proud to have served and proud of those who have served.

Taps always brings my heart into my throat and always brings tears to my eyes. be warned, those of you who feel the same way, this site will effect you.

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), May 29, 2001.

I missed this thread by a day, but I'm also grateful to all the Vets. Maybe because it was in my lifetime and made so little sense to me, I particularly appreciate the folks who served during the VietNam war.

-- Anita (Anita_S3@hotmail.com), May 29, 2001.

Carlos, I found your words above to be most thought provoking and realized just how similar were my own experiences. For me, my military service began as an alternative to juvenile incarceration, a common choice for high-spirited young men from the big city back in the late 50’s. However, I had no idea just how valuable this would be in giving me a direction in my life that harnessed all of that scattered energy. I think it surprised me how much I took to the military way and to this day I credit those years for my modest successes in life.

-- So (cr@t.es), May 29, 2001.