Memorial Day , May 30, 2007

This is the day we remember and honor those who have fought in foreign wars to keep this country free, as well as to protect the cause of freedom in other places. The ideals of freedom ring different tunes for different people. Like a pendulum swinging from left to right, we have extremes when it comes to war and our perception of how far we should go to protect those freedoms. Many are ready for battle at a moment’s notice while many others would beg for another peace pipe to discuss the issue further, again and again.We are not always given the time to wait and talk terms of peace. Oftentimes we are dealing with an opposing team who has opposing values. The street bully is not easily convinced that he should not get his way. Dictators and little generals out there are nothing more than glorified street thugs who enforce “their way or the highway” in the only way they know how. When their way invades America’s turf, they may find that the Paper Tiger has teeth.It is a sad time when our Nation stands divided by politics and is more obsessed with whose side is in power. When the floodwaters rise, many are quick to point blame and make excuses. When the Hurricanes blow and destroy, instead of assessing the damages, pitching in and helping, we are politicking, blaming and hindering.The street value of freedom is diminished in a divided nation. Those of us who put our lives on the line to preserve freedoms understand what it means to be fragmented. Many came back from Vietnam to find an uncaring nation. They looked for the tickertape parades and found the streets empty. They looked for the “welcome home” signs and found “no trespassing” signs instead. They looked for jobs and found theirs had been filled by those who avoided enlistment and “stayed on the porch”.Many of us came home with no anticipation of fanfare at all and were not disappointed. It is a matter of perspective. Those who are “part of the team” of protecting this Nation can find peace within. It is good to wake up each morning in a Nation waxing free of the violence that disturbs the sleep of those in other places. To be vigilant is who we are and we can be proud of that. But we could be so much more as a unified Nation.I take my hat off to all of the men and women who have put their lives on the line to preserve our freedoms. Those of the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave are a blessed group of people. When tested, this nation has come together like no other, pushing back the violence to whence it came. How unfortunate it is that the unity we share during catastrophes dissipates like fog under the noon sun, and we find ourselves back at each other’s throats by evening.May we stop to reflect upon our great fortune of living in such a great nation, as we celebrate Memorial Day, 2007. May we also shake the hand of those who helped to shape our country. God HAS blessed the USA. But it has come at a cost. Some paid the ultimate price and never made it home to pick up their life after laying it down for our freedoms.

Today I want to honor the memory of my friend. He was ordinary; nothing special in life; loved by family and friends. He was a good man all the time I knew him. With a new wife, and a baby son on the way, he was filled with much joy; living on top of the world. Then came Vietnam.

Etched in black granite, his name will be always before us, along with thousands of “Michaels” who never made it home.Remembering my friend, Michael Ray Conner, Pleiku, Vietnam 1970.
posted by Mike at 6:00 AM 0 comments

Tragedy is “a strange…”, (as Paul Harvey would say).

We seldom think about tragedy striking us. It’s usually something that happens to someone else. But I suppose we are all susceptible to anything that anyone else is susceptible to.

A few weeks ago my (ex) brother in law passed away. He was one of my favorite people. Because of a divorce he became a man separated from the connection we had before it. We used to kid around with each other; laugh at dumb stuff and just have a good time when we were together at some family event or something.

Bob was a good man. Life has a hard way of handing out unfairness but I suppose we have to play whatever instrument life hands us. There was a time when he was full of life and love; a time when we could laugh together, or talk about more serious stuff, like “who’s winning?”. I recall a time when Bob, Rick and I went out one evening and listened to a band somewhere and just cracked up at their antics. I recall Bob’s laugh like it was “yesterday”.

So what do you do with all those memories that seem to fade away with time? The more I try to recall them, the more evasive they appear to become. Faded memories are incomplete, yet nagging, trying to make us recall the specifics.

Recently I’ve been trying to recall more of them because there will no longer be any new ones. Bob passed away a few weeks ago, in the quiet of his home. No one was around. Several days passed by until friends went to check on him. Bob had been quietly dealing with some issues with cancer and diabetes. Apparently, perhaps, one of them got him.

Being nine years younger than me, it’s hard to comprehend that he has already reached the Pearly Gates while I’m still trying to reach retirement. But, as some say, “life’s not fair”. The Holy Scriptures talk about dying and the afterlife; that it will come “as a thief in the night”. In other words, you will never know the day and time…perhaps, only in the moment, will we be aware of what’s happening.

Things happened to Bob after his divorce, and the rest of his life had a few roadblocks and dead ends in it. He was just beginning to pull out of it all when the Death Angel showed up. I’m sure there was much more to it, but this is the way I see it.

All I know is that he will be sorely missed. He had many challenges in his life, but he also had many victories. That’s how I want to remember him…
...........for the victories!