Final Salute

[Marine]

Just wanted to share this. For one thing, I'm a Marine. I never got to go to play over there, but it wasn't for lack of trying. I tried to go back in 3 times since 9/11.

 

But I'm a disabled vet, and I can't run. Sorta puts a damper on it.

 

But this hits home for me.

 

And also because I know a bunch of you won't be able to make it through without crying. I couldn't.... I'm man enough to admit it.

 

http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/news/finalSalute/

[SueC]

No words can express the feelings ...

 

Sue

[Darlene]

Wow.

 

Cry doesn't quite express it. My heart hurts, my eyes are filled with tears and yet there is a pride there...in these men and women and in my country.

 

God bless them.

[Nett]

Half way through boot camp in the Navy I had an officer approach me and tell me to apply to the honor guard upon completion of boot. I thought about that for a couple of days and then let it slip my mind. People asked years later why. Until I read this I couldn't remember why I did not apply. Now I do. I do not believe I would have had the strength to go through it. Not what those Marines described. And I know from being in the military, that what they described was only a small portion of what they felt and live with.

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted By: Marine

But I'm a disabled vet, and I can't run. Sorta puts a damper on it.

Thank you for sharing that, Marine. It was very moving. Some make the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and we should honor them and appreciate the sacrifice that they and their families make for us.

But even those who survive make sacrifices. My dad made it through WWII, mostly intact, but he lost his hearing and he had nightmares for years, so he paid a price. And my Cowboy ... he still has nightmares about stuff that happened, stuff that he'd rather forget. The surviving vets deserve our appreciation and our honor for the sacrifices they made too. There are prices to be paid. Your disability shows that as well.

Thank YOU too,

[Vic303]

Here is another service given for a Marine who was Lakota. It too, will make you cry. But stand proud, for this young man was a Warrior in all senses of the word.

 

http://www.coalitionmemorial.org/pdf/lundstrom.pdf

[-6]

Nett, I worked on our Honor Guard team for several years and yes it was tough standing beside graves. Hearing the last tributes to Dads/Moms/etc. makes a lasting impression on one. I still have my "Blues" but the waist is a bit tight now. Hearing taps echoing across a field strewn with granite head stones is never forgotten and if it doesn't soften one's heart-well you don't have one. Have had more than one "bug in the eye" since Marines don't cry in public. God bless those who have gone on before so we can be here now. Semper Fidelis , wc

[Deb2of9]

I was a medic in the army so being on the Honor Guard never came up. Now though, I am a member of the Patriot Guard Riders. It is hard somedays. It is hard to stand in the flag line and not cry myself and even worse since this summer. The hardest flag line I have ever stood in was for my nephew this past summer. Now it is harder because instead of imagining the how the family feels, I know. I have suffered guilt because I was glad it was a nephew that I didn't really know instead of one of the ones I have babysat for over the years. There is nothing that can be said to truely show how much I appreciate the sacrifice that all veterans make as wll as the sacrifice their families make, whether they survive or not. All I can do is pray for all of them and thank a soldier or a veteran whenever I see one.