Thursday, May 18, 2006
Heros Still
This story in the Boston Globe made me cry. I know, I'm sentimental. But it was more than that. In my family, there is a long history of service the armed forces. My grandfather landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. My mother was an army nurse, serving in Vietnam. My father served in the Navy. I had an uncle in the Coast Guard and another commissioned in the Air Force.
Currently, my brother is a Marine who has served 2 tours of duty in Iraq. And, one of my cousins is in the Navy, serving on a guided missle cruiser in the Gulf during the war in Iraq.
I have always admired, apreciated, and been extremely proud of all the members of my family who have given their time to serve our country. I'm thankful for difficult jobs they have done and continue to do. And, I'm grateful when others recognize their sacrifices on our behalf and find ways of making their own appreciation and respect known.
A group of veterans in the Portsmouth, NH area is doing just that.
During the past year an assortment of Portsmouth-area veterans groups representing all service branches have met about 15 flights and greeted about 1,800 servicemen and women from all branches of the military who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Not only are these veterans greeting the returning servicemen, they are serving them donuts and coffee and offering them cellphones to call home.
And, the returning Marines appreciate the gesture.
As the 6 a.m. departure time neared, the Marines and veterans assembled for a group photograph to be hung in the terminal. A chaplain said a prayer and the Marines and veterans joined in singing the Marine Corps Hymn.
The elderly veterans formed a reception line by the jetway and shook hands as the Marines boarded.
That's why in my book these veterans are heros still.
Currently, my brother is a Marine who has served 2 tours of duty in Iraq. And, one of my cousins is in the Navy, serving on a guided missle cruiser in the Gulf during the war in Iraq.
I have always admired, apreciated, and been extremely proud of all the members of my family who have given their time to serve our country. I'm thankful for difficult jobs they have done and continue to do. And, I'm grateful when others recognize their sacrifices on our behalf and find ways of making their own appreciation and respect known.
A group of veterans in the Portsmouth, NH area is doing just that.
During the past year an assortment of Portsmouth-area veterans groups representing all service branches have met about 15 flights and greeted about 1,800 servicemen and women from all branches of the military who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Not only are these veterans greeting the returning servicemen, they are serving them donuts and coffee and offering them cellphones to call home.
And, the returning Marines appreciate the gesture.
As the 6 a.m. departure time neared, the Marines and veterans assembled for a group photograph to be hung in the terminal. A chaplain said a prayer and the Marines and veterans joined in singing the Marine Corps Hymn.
The elderly veterans formed a reception line by the jetway and shook hands as the Marines boarded.
That's why in my book these veterans are heros still.
