The older I get, the more I appreciate residing in northeastern Kentucky. Today, we remember that we have veterans to thank for the freedoms and privileges that we enjoy and somewhat take for granted every day.
When we moved into our quiet subdivision about two and half years ago, I returned to the neighborhood where I grew up. There are a few elderly people and couples in our “circle” and one lady gave us a pecan pie when we moved in. She gave a pecan pie to everybody who moved into the neighborhood and claimed to have done so since she herself moved in, I’m guessing it was late 1960’s!
I’ve threatened more than once since then to move out and move back in again just to get another pie – I hate moving, but the pie was incredible!
It just so happens that our neighbors are also great patrons (victims?) of my daughter’s numerous school fundraisers. Whether it’s cups or flowers or magazines…this time it was the ever-popular cookie dough.
If they chose to bolt their door and not answer when they see us coming, I couldn’t blame them. It just so happens to save them money!
We have an older couple that I absolutely adore and they were on our cookie dough (hit) list yesterday. My neighbor answered the door (that’s a good sign!) only her husband wasn’t home. She offered,
You won’t guess where he is…he’s in Baton Rouge, Louisiana visiting his old Army buddy!
She told me they try to visit once a year and have attended several of their unit’s military reunions together. You could just tell it’s a special friendship. A thought formed and I finally got up the nerve to ask her if I could reference him in a blog post as a way of thanking him and all the other veterans for their service.
I was born in 1967 and have always taken an interest in the Vietnam War. Studied about it some in high school under a wonderful teacher and of course watched the intense movies everybody else has seen.
It’s a conflict that touches every family in some way, whether people realize it or not. Our deceased uncle retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Army and served in Vietnam.
My neighbor graduated high school in 1966. A year later he left our quiet, serene community to answer his country’s call of duty. He served as a member of the 173rd Airborne, nicknamed the “Sky Soldiers.”
In my mind, I picture my neighbor going from leaping off of tree ropes into Kinniconick Creek one summer to jumping out of planes under enemy fire in a land that was very far from his home the next. I don’t know what my neighbor’s rank or MOS was or if he saw combat or not – and I never will because I’ll never ask.
I was going to write the obligatory Happy Veterans Day post and slap some words on my blog. Not that I wouldn’t have meant them. If you know me and I know you’re a veteran you’ll most likely hear me thank you for your service.
Not only will I tell you thanks, but I’ll look you in the eye and speak from the heart when I do so. Similar to the principle my father taught me when shaking a person’s hand, use a firm grip and look them in the eye.
That’s just what I did this summer when my neighbor and I enjoyed an extended conversation at our yard sale. It’s funny because now that I think of it, he was buying a cup of my daughter’s delicious lemonade.
Just as you can’t escape Adalee’s incessant school fundraisers, she ensnares our neighbors every July with her lemonade stand as well!
I look forward to telling him thanks again for his service the next time I see him. And ‘ll certainly ask him about his trip to Louisiana to see his Army buddy.
As far as I’m concerned, veterans from that era deserved a better reception than the one they received when they finally were allowed to come home.
Today is the day where we forget about all that and say THANK YOU VETERANS for your service.
Maybe you already do, but if not, I humbly suggest we make the act of thanking veterans for their service a regular occurrence in our lives and not just an annual one.
Another way I enjoy saying thanks is by not charging for jurats related to military benefits for veterans and their families.
This is not only the policy of KentuckyNotary.net, but it is the law in Kentucky, so veterans, don’t ever let somebody charge you for these types of notarizations. Just contact us and we’ll gladly get you serviced without charging a fee.
Sorry to ramble, thanks for reading! Happy Veterans Day!
Oh my. Neighbor, certainly brought a tear to my eye like my son said. Thank you so much
Glad you enjoyed it!