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No Greater Love Hath a Man by Joyce Greenwood
My weekend experience with these brothers (Marines) changed my way of thinking forever. I will never understand what they went through. I wasn't there. They were. However, I can now understand what they meant when some Marines are called the "walking dead." Our men all gave the ultimate sacrifice for all of us. When we arrived at the Omni Hotel there were groups of men sitting together, and there were those who sat alone with a blank stare. We gathered for the reception that afternoon, and my husband met another Marine who served in his same unit. This individual had been bayoneted eight times and was presumed dead. He was placed in a body bag. But, medical personnel noticed movement in the bag — he was still alive! He is a living testimony of some-one who was determined to live despite his injuries. At the same gathering was another veteran who was also cared for by his nurse. This Marine is paralyzed from the neck down and can only move his eyes. My husband and I acknowledged him with a smile and a pat on his arm. He responded with a beautiful smile. Another veteran walked in with no hands, the lower portions of both arms were gone. That reminded me of a quote, "I complained I had no shoes, until I met a man with no feet." This was the veteran who carried in the Marine flag during the ceremony that evening. The evening ceremony began with the salute of flags. After the prayer the various flags — Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marine — were carried in by their respected veterans. The veteran with no hands carried the Marine flag. He struggled to carry the flag, but he did it. All the brothers saluted him and shouted their hoorah! You would have to have been there to experience that salute, and the grunt of the Marines in unison. I asked my husband how they knew to shout at the same time. He said that it was the sergeant's tone of voice and training he had had as a Marine. I noticed that when the flags were being carried, all the veterans stood at attention. An Indian veteran at our table who was crippled and somewhat bent over, stood tall and tears came from his eyes as he watched his brother struggle to carry the flag. Another veteran had to hold up his right arm with his left arm during the salute. His arm had been re- attached, and he could not use it. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the medals to various veterans. A soldier, who had just returned from the Iraq War a week before, was present and he gave an update on the war. He carried in a helmet and lit the candle for the "Missing Man." He asked for our understanding. It was going to be hard for him to talk of the war because he had not yet talked about it to anyone. He asked for a moment of silence for one of his brothers who took the hit and was killed. He said it should have been him, but instead his brother had shielded him. This was an emotional time for some of the veterans present. I observed very few cried — most had only blank stares and looked at the floor. I, along with other veterans' wives, were the ones who cried silently. We wives were honored and presented a sterling silver necklace with a medicine wheel emblem and the letters "KS"' inscribed in the middle of the emblem. The officer said that if the significant others had not been there for their men, who knows where they would be now? Our young men were rejected when they returned from the war. Some did not fit into the mainstream of society. Instead, they used drugs and booze to soothe their pain and injuries. This is the sad reality of war. Today, many veterans isolate themselves and are homeless, or sit in institutions because of no support system at home. Our society is ignorant and does not understand what sacrifices our men endured for our freedom. As I observed these men
and heard their stories, I thought of the appropriate scripture passage
which says: "No Greater Love hath a man than he would lay down his own
life for his brother." I said this to myself every time a medal was
presented to a veteran. These brave men gave the
ultimate sacrifice when they went to war to fight for our freedom. With
this in mind, as Veteran's Day approaches, be mindful of this. Don't take
this day for granted as just another ,day. Show your utmost respect for
those veterans you meet. Say a silent prayer for those families who were
not as fortunate as us who had our loved ones return from the war. Our
Roving Ambassadors Do It Again by Ron Shouse. |
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Our Roving Ambassadors Do It Again by Ron Shouse Here we are for another great Veterans Day celebration. A day off, with picnics, parties, football, and beer drinking. I remember when it was just another day — like November 11, 1967. Back then, some of us probably thought absolutely nothing about the importance of it. Little did we know that this was the last Veterans Day that some of our brothers would ever celebrate, and within a little over two months we would all experience what is our bond to each other and a big page in the History of Vietnam. For years, I tried to forget the 'Nam and did not celebrate this holiday for our Brothers. But alas, I kept seeing some of them on a regular basis in dreams and thoughts and found out later that I have P.T.S.D. I try to remember the good things we did and the laughs we had, rather than the things that all of us would just as soon forget. If we do not remember the Brothers we lost, they will be forgotten. This is the reason that I volunteer for veterans programs in my community. I know we were taught to NEVER VOLUNTEER, but if somebody doesn't step up, it will not get done. I belong to Post 290 of the American Legion. |
We do the military funerals, parades and any other patriotic programs for our community. So here I am, the tallest guy in the squad (as all of you can tell), out front to give the command for the 21-gun salute for our fallen heroes at the dedication of the Veterans Memorial in our local park. This monument dedication was for the City of King, County of Stokes, in North Carolina. The theme was "ALL GAVE SOME — SOME GAVE ALL." I wonder who suggested this? A few years ago when I was part of a dedication at another memorial, I sent in pictures and wrote to say "Gentlemen, raise your glass, this one is for YOU." Now I say "Gentlemen, raise your glass, because this one is for THEM." |
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