Yesterday was a great day to be with family and to remember those who are currently serving our military and those who have lost their lives in service. We went to a Memorial Day Ceremony at a National Cemetery at Ft. Sill, OK. As I had time to ponder before, during and after the service it brought many thoughts to my mind. I thought of my family members who served from my dad, my uncles, and aunt. Then there was my father-in-law and my two brothers-in-law and one of my friends currently in Iraq. I also remembered all the experiences that I had during my eight years of service between active duty and the reserves and all the friends I had made and great times we shared. Most of all there were two moments that I remember the most from yesterday, the first being the song "I'm proud to be an American" by Lee Greenwood. A gentleman sang this song at the ceremony and it brought a few tears to my eyes. This was a song that was played for us during Basic Training during a very tough time for our Platoon and Unit. We were not getting things done collectively as a unit and the Battalion Chaplain had us join him one night away from the Drill Instructors and spoke to us and at one point he played this song and it made us all stop and think, and that was the turning point for our Platoon and Unit. Plus, there was not a dry eye in the room after that because we came to a realization, or at least I did, that fighting for the freedom of our beloved country is more important that I am as an individual and we can not complete a mission as an individual or group of individuals but as a team.
The second moment that hit me yesterday was when my brother-in-law Clint was speaking during an interview that was done on our family. He was relaying one of the reasons service in the military is so important to him and one of his driving factors. He had a very dear friend growing up at Ft. Sill who died in Iraq about five years ago and Clint is now attached to the same unit that Jeff was when he died. Jeff's dad was my Battalion Commander when I was stationed at Ft. Sill so it touched me deeply when I heard that Jeff had died because it was as if a member of our family had died. In the military you usually become very tight with those whom you serve with and I had a chance to serve next to Jeff's dad and be around him and grow to appreciate what a great man he was. So you take it hard when one of your "family" loses a member of their own.
Even though it is no longer Memorial Day, take a moment to remember those who have died in the service of this great country and thank those who have served or are serving to defend this powerful strong nation.
God Bless our Troops and grant them protection.
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