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Memorial Day and Veterans Day are the 2 holidays that really get to me--partly because I spend most of the day thinking about all my good friends that cannot be here with me to enjoy it. As a Vet, as I am sure I am not alone in this forum, I am filled with both intense sadness and intense pride. The memories and wounds are still fresh for me, but my father, who commanded a rifle company in Vietnam for 2 tours, says the same thing 40 years later--so I am sure it will be the same with me. I remember War every day, I take it around with me and go to bed with it--it is the price of freedom; But on this special day--I remember my brothers who fought along side of me in that War and I keep their memory alive by telling their stories and always remaining a Patriot.

So on this day--Thank A Vet and go out and Enjoy & Protect the Freedoms they died to preserve--God know there are those, both foreign and domestic, who at this very moment seek to destroy it.

Semper Fi.

Very well said Ranger+P+.

I lost a cousin in Vietnam, and a good friend recently in OIF. Their memory and the fact that they, and thousands of others, made the ultimate sacrifice, will never be forgotten.

+1 Ranger -for all of you who served.

God Bless

If you weren't able to participate in any of the Memorial Day activities, a visit to the VA's Website would be a good stop this evening: http://www1.va.gov/opa/speceven/memday/index.asp.

I have a few relatives in Houston National Cemetery, and don't live too far from it. It's a big place; only about 30 acres smaller than Arlington National. Several years ago, I sort of started a personal tradition without realizing I'd done so. Today, I had three others come along with me.

The notion is: take flowers; spend some time on the grounds acknowledging the meaning of the day; and select a grave that has no flowers or adornment...meaning it's probable no one has visited, at least not since the previous Thursday when the groundskeepers do their once-per-week clean-up.

Hot day. The flowers won't last long. But the idea is the recognition, by a total stranger, of this veteran's service. "My" veteran today was Roberto Garcia; Private, U.S. Army Air Corps in WWII; born 4/17/1919.

My prayers and thanks go out to all of the men and women out there keeping us safe and free. And to the ones that have come and gone doing the same thing.