*My grandfather hitchhiked back and forth across the country and lied about his age when he was sixteen to try to join the Merchant Marines and fight in WW2, only to be turned down because he had flat feet. He served the country for many, many years as a police officer instead.
*My cousin, Brian, is a Marine who served in Iraq. He has also worked as a guard for US Embassies in China, Ecuador, and Belgium. He did scary, dangerous things that I'm glad I will never have to experience. He's a tough kid.
*Both my aunt Joan and my uncle Jim served in the Navy. My uncle was injured onboard his ship during an attack while he served in Vietnam, and (*interesting fact*) he's actually listed on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C. Apparently there was a mix-up and they somehow thought he died instead of just getting injured. Thankfully, that information never got back to my grandmother! I got to see his ship (The USS Enterprise, I believe--no, not the "Star Trek" one!) once when I was little and it was docking in Seattle, way after he was already out of the military. Super cool.
*My college friend, Megan, is in the Army, and her husband, also an Army man, was killed in combat in Afghanistan several years ago. Please keep Megan in your prayers, as I'm sure it's difficult for her on days like today, and keep Forrest in your prayers, too.
*Another college friend, Justin, leads a group of soldiers in the Middle East right now. He just had to head back to his deployment after a brief visit to Alaska on R&R for the birth of his second daughter. Congrats, Beth and Justin! And stay safe, friend.
God bless them and all our Veterans, and keep all our men and women in uniform, at home and abroad, safe.
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