I want to take time out to wish all current, past, and future service people a Happy Memorial Day. I thank you for your service defending our freedom.
2nd that motion!
Yes, and thank you to the volunteers at Arlington National Cemetery who place the flags every year on my mom and dad’s graves and everyone else interred there who served our nation with such unselfish honor.
This Memorial Day remembering all of those who died while serving in the US Armed Forces.
You Are Not Forgotten.
Remembering my grandpa today
My father passed away on Memorial Day ( many years ago ) , remembering him today and always ❤️
🇺🇸 Remembering and honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S.military while fighting for our Freedom ❤️ Thank you for your service.
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On Memorial Day, we honor and remember those who gave their lives in service to this country. 💙🤍🕊️
I think about the quiet sacrifices behind service. My uncle was a Navy SEAL during the Vietnam War, but he never really spoke about it. My high school math teacher also served, and once shared a deeply personal experience he had never said out loud before. I didn't know what to say or do at that time, I just listened. I will never forget the emotional expression of defeat in him. At that moment he was just a child in an older man's body.
I’ve learned that many Vietnam veterans were never truly welcomed home. Today, I just want to say what should have been said then: Welcome home! Thank you for your service, your sacrifice, and everything carried in silence. It isn't your fault. You’re not responsible for what politicians decided. 🫂💖
@BellaAine Beautiful tribute ❤️ you/your words carry such eloquence and grace…
@SweetCuddler33 Ty ❤️, it left such a deep impression on me that I found myself drifting off into space while remembering it.
May your father R.I.P. My heartfelt condolences. Sending you and your family strength and peace.
@BellaAine thank you 😊 ❤️
@BellaAine Many soldiers were treated like crap...yelled at, spit up, etc. It was sickening, especially when many were draftees. I remember watching on tv. (yep, I'm that old)
@BellaAine My dad served in the Special Forces and did two tours in Vietnam. He never spoke about the war until he had a mental snap years later and spent years at the VA Hospital for PTSD. I remember his second tour as a kid and since we lived on a military base I was aware of parents of friends whose fathers never came home. The home front during war time for families was psychologically traumatic as well. But the after effects are everlasting. I will never forget the night as a young adult (22 yo) and getting a phone call at 1 AM to come and get my dad’s service weapons and guns because he was trying to attempt suicide—from survivor’s guilt.
Yes honor the dead, but war is not something to celebrate. Your uncle should be a reminder of that as my dad was to me. My dad cared nothing about the Purple Heart or Silver Star or other medals he was awarded. He cared even less about the reasons for the war. He only cared about his fellow soldiers. The only thing he told me about the war was never join the military unless our country was actually under attack because he saw good men die for the sake of some fat cats to enrich themselves and advance political careers.
At his funeral and burial I did meet some of his fellow soldiers and they told me some of the missions they went on with my dad. Many were behind enemy lines and while I heard how admired a commander he was and the bravery he exhibited, so many of them had so many scars of their own. The best years of their youth were spent in a hell. But I do receive pictures from them periodically when they visit my dad’s grave in Arlington. I am treated like their adopted son which is very comforting even as there are fewer of them every year.
I grew up where our family went out to the cemetery and put flags on the veterans graves as volunteers. We also visited our relatives that were buried in the cemetery so memorial day has always been an important day in my life. It’s not about the picnic it’s about the patriotic.
As a veteran, I'm glad to see so many supportive messages here.
Memorial Day is not meant to be a happy occasion, a pool party, or even just a long weekend. Technically, it's not even meant to honor veterans as a whole, but specifically those military members (and their surviving loved ones) who have made the ultimate sacrifice to their country while in uniform.
Even if we don't agree with certain wars or the idea of war in general, it's important to remember that troops are not policy makers. They are simply those who raised their right hand and took that oath to defend their country.
I'm fortunate enough to live nearby the Arlington National Cemetery, and visit once a year to lay wreaths for this purpose.
@FunCartel_ "Yes honor the dead, but war is not something to celebrate." Couldn't put it any better myself. And my heart aches as we're watching yet another needless war take lives. 💔 I have a family member in Arlington. My grandpa was a fighter pilot in WW2, and my ex husband did 20 years with the military. It's a difficult life for sure, and one that's still not adequately honored and supported by our legislators. Our wounded and traumatized vets deserve so much better. I love how people like Bernie Sanders have been fighting for years to improve VA benefits, pointing out that we always have money to send them to war, but never seem to have enough to take care of them afterwards. We need to do better. 🥹❤️
Thank you for saying that and for serving, @VAdude.
Thank you for your service @VAdude
Happy Memorial day to all!!
My stepfather passed last year. He was a Vietnam Vet and felt discriminated against because of it his whole life.
He was one of the most wonderful men I've ever met. He suffered from horrible PTSD and it wasn't until the last few years of his life that someone helped him navigate the VA so he could get the supports and services he had needed for so long.
It was agent orange that took his life, decades later, which took doctors months to figure out.
Soldiers don't decide where they go or who they fight. They deserve our honor and respect for their service regardless of where it occurred.
Absolutely. And it is often the most disadvantaged that do the most dangerous heavy lifting. Unless they are officers of the highest rank in the Pentagon, soldiers have no say so in how their lives will be used.
Precisely. They are owned by the government. Bring back the rulers riding into battle alongside the commoners. Lol bet we'd see fewer wars.
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Respect and honor for all soldiers that were drafted /voluntarily signed up to serve .. Heroes ❤️ 💜 💙
Thank you, @TxTom and @Connecticut1977
And respect to everyone who served or has family/loved ones who did.
I agree 100% with @mauvefox that our veterans (much like the poor, homeless, elderly, and immigrant populations here in the U.S.) are little more than an afterthought for policymakers in DC. The VA is a noble institution but chronically understaffed and underfunded.
@AntiqueWpatina that's heartbreaking 💔😔. The anger was aimed at the wrong people. Poor soldiers. They should have been doing it to the people calling the shots.
@FunCartel_ Thank you for sharing such a deeply personal experience. I completely agree that war should never be glorified. Survivor’s guilt is exactly why I mentioned what I did, days like this can bring up old wounds. I can’t imagine what you felt in that moment 🥹 having the person you looked to for protection suddenly needing yours. War scars so many people, and like you mentioned, far too often it’s to serve the interests of wealthy men and political agendas. Survivor’s guilt, PTSD, and the impact on families are so real and long-lasting, and I hear how deeply that shaped your life and your view of it. You carried so much at such a young age, and you deserve to feel lighter now. It’s okay to let go of what no longer serves you. I think it's cute that they adopted you in. I’ve always admired how outspoken you are when it comes to holding others accountable for their lack of character and integrity, and now I understand where that comes from. I know he is proud.
Wow, I didn't know this! 😭❤️
@BellaAine Thank you for your kind words. That was touching. I hope your family has healed as well.