Words from a Reader

The “Writing Life Stories” e-mails I receive are such treasures. As soon as I see there is one in my inbox, I read it immediately. I look forward to them and never know how they will touch me. They can be interesting, informative, humorous, and/or touching.
Showing posts with label poppies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label poppies. Show all posts

Monday, November 11, 2019

What we really should be talking about on Veterans' Day

Today, November 11, 2019, has been Veterans' Day. In some places it is Remembrance Day. This is a link to a post about why people began wearing poppies on this day to show remembrance.
 I love the poem On Flanders Field, and this explains where that poem came from.
https://blog.billiongraves.com/remembrance-day-lest-we-forget/

While everyone is thanking our veterans of all the wars we have fought through history, I wonder if anyone will think to contact their congressman about the large cut in funding for military families' housing? I have heard some outlandish stories in recent months about the housing some of the young families with children have to endure while the father is overseas in the United States Military.

With the exorbitant budget given to our military department, why on earth would they cut funding for housing to the men and women who are in the Middle East risking their lives every single day? I think that should have been the headlines for today. What do you think?

I grew up across the road from the largest Marine Corp Supply Base east of the Mississippi. I heard too much about the waste that went on there every day. I heard about employees who came to work drunk day after day and were never fired. What kind of job does one do when he is drunk? With so much waste, maybe some of the funds could go to help families with housing costs?

I heard from Stu Moring about what he and other vets experienced when they returned from Vietnam. Shameful that we never properly made them know how much we care about them and how much we appreciate their putting their lives at risk. No matter whether we liked or hated the war, the men who were there in that horrible place, deserve our respect and our love.


Here are pictures of some friends and family who are veterans:
Charlie, my brother-in-law, WWII Vet
My great grandfather, John Cecil Council, veteran of the War Between the States
My brother, Ray, WWII vet
My brother in law, Stu Moring, a Vietnam Vet
My dear friend, Ash Rothlein, a veteran of WWII, age 95 now.

                              My husband, Hugh Barry Beall, served in the US Army 
as a German Linguist. 
He also served in Korea.