Veteran's Day

[racersedge]

Last Saturday I had the privilige of going to the moving Vietnam Veteran's Memorial Wall here in Reno. This was the first time I ever got to see it. This was one of the most moving times of my life. First, one sees how big the wall is. then one notices all the names on the wall. 58,229. Then one rrealizes that each and every name on the wall represents one person who is no longer here or alive to enjoy life. Because they willing were to put down their own lives for all of us. so we can enjoy life today as we know it. While there, I saw people putting down momentos such as flowers, wreaths and small Americas flags. One lady spent 15 minutes arranging her flowers and flag as though she wanted everyone who filed by to know that her son's name was on that wall and that she was damn proud of him.... We past letters carefully stuffed into plastc sandwich bags, that many people stopped to read, as I did myself. Letters that were extremely personal, addressed to their combat brothers. Yea, that was emotional. But as I stood at the wall going over the names. one gentleman came up in a wheelchair. He stopped and just stared at the wall. It was obvious that he had a come home from Vietnam, alive, but permanently sitted in a wheelchair, only blowing into a tube to get around. He was a quadrapelegic. I asked him if I could help him to look for a name. Without taking his eyes off the wall he said, "No thank you, I know where each and every name is on this wall, and where they died". I admit, that's where I lost it. Just how extremely personal this wall had become to some people. Just how horrible war really is. All I could possibly mustar out of my mouth to this gentleman was "Thank you, sir, and God Bless you for what you did for me"
This is Veteran's Day, I know to some people it's another holiday to get away from work. But please, take a minute and think about it, and please, go out and find a veteran today, and tell him or her thank you and God Bless you.... Becasue people, they deserved this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And Thank you Randy Haskin........... Mike Gallagher

[Stubby]

Thank you, Vets. I'm forever grateful.

Stubby

[ecvsteve]

My Visit.

As I walked along the wall a couple of weeks ago, my first trip, My wife finally asked if I knew anyone on it. I told her that I didn't know of anyone for sure, by name, but if the faces were on that wall I would, because not everyone I saw coming off them huey's were going to make it, and I remember the face of every last one of them boy's.
By the way, the Last Firefight boys gave me something I hadn't gotten before, A welcome home and a handshake, I cried for an hour, at least from one end of the mall to the other.

Randy, If ya hear Poacher up there tell him his cousin says hi.

P.S. working for a german company in America, so I don't get the day off. I guess their still holding a grudge.

[Randy Haskin]

Re: Veteran's Day

I'm humbled that anyone would even recognize *me* on this day that we all remember what I consider true heroes -- the combat veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. "The Greatest Generation" is responsible for the fact that I live in a free country that does not speak German or Japanese today.

Let's also remember that November 11 is the anniversary of the Armistice signed in the Forest of Compiegne by the Allies and the Germans in 1918, thereby ending World War I. Millions gave their lives to make sure that the line did not fall -- we cannot forget the enormity of their sacrifice, either.

My service pales in comparison to theirs...and I'd like to think that my serivce somehow, in some way, pays tribute to what they have given us all.

Thank you...and I salute you.