I went to the Honor Flight to greet the Returnees this week at Ft. Wayne International airport.
Last month when I came back from the Honor Flight, a fellow Korean War Vet was there to greet me and say "Thank you for your Service'................. I gave him the same message when he returned from the Honor Flight this week.
In the process, I shook the hands of some 80 veterans. I was part of the crowd of some 2,000 men, women, and children, who did the same. It was overwhelming for me just as it was overwhelming for me last month to be on the receiving end of these fine, patriotic people. Yes I said the PC incorrect word PATRIOTIC!
I looked into the eyes of these veterans and I saw wonder, I saw tears, I saw appreciation. Most were in wheelchairs, all had showed some form of aging, just as I do at 88 years old. Some were older than me, especially the WWII vets.
Memorial Day is coming up. i couldn't help but think that next Memorial day, the ranks of veterans that I saw will be thinned. I couldn't help but think that Memorial Day is more than just cookouts, parades, vacations, and other fun activities. It is a day where we should take a moment of our lives and remember those vets who gave their all, those vets, who will be no longer with us, and also, those vets and all of our loved ones who have passed.
My thoughts go back to playing of Taps. "Day is Done"
Taps have been played by many buglers but I have never heard it played like the character Robert E. Lee Prewitt (Montgomery Clift) in the old movie "From Here To Eternity" I first saw this movie when I was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston, San Antonio, in 1952. It wasn't really played by Montgomery Clift but it still stands out in my mind as the best!
Wayne, solo1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_xKZL7DHaQ
