Remember

They come from every corner of our country,
The cities, the mountains an' the farms.
Modern-day minutemen and wiomen,
Like our heroes from the past,
Whenever we need them, all we have to do we ask.
They're Christian, they're Muslim and they're Jews:
They're red, white and blue.

Sacrificin' their family and their friends,
For their country and the freedom they defend.
Ah, givin' everything they've got,
Some have had to give it all.
The black man, the white man and the Sioux:
The middle-class, the poor and the well-to-do:
They're red, white and blue.

And when their duty calls them to stand guard and patrol,
They represent, with honor, the values we uphold.
They are the proud Americans; tested, tried and true:
They're red, white and blue.

Those lyrics are from Rockie Lynne's "Red, White and Blue". I had the pleasure of seeing him perform in person last night at the Taste of Cincinnati. Rockie served as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne, so he "gets it". He recently performed at the Pentagon during the annual "America Supports You" concert which also featured Gary Sinese's Lt. Dan Band. Last night he repeatedly asked for cheers for our troops "regardless of if you support the war or not- we're in a unique time in which it doesn't matter if you support he war or not- we must, and will, support our troops." (I'm paraphrasing from memory- I don't know exactly what he said, word for word, but it was very emotional)

On this Memorial Day, I know that you will all enjoy the freedoms earned for us by the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers. Just remember that: All Gave Some.... Some Gave All.

CNN is running a special series highlighting our soldiers and their return to "normal" post-deployment. It's excellent- something I don't normally say about CNN and their anti-war slant. Maj. Gen. John Shepperd, USAF (Ret) and Vietnam Veteran, is now a CNN correspondent, and had this to say about today's war:
But the warriors, our kids, will come home silently, having done their duty. They won't talk much, not to you, not to me, but they will talk to each other for years and they will understand the true cost of war to them, their bodies, their families, their psyches -- not necessarily damaged, but changed -- and to a nation that is also changed. A nation that has thankfully learned to distinguish between the war and the warrior. Welcome home, soldiers, and well done.


Well done, my good and faithful servant. Well done.
*Thank You For Giving All*