Celebrating Veterans
This week marks another year in the USA we celebrate Veterans Day on November 11. It’s a time we pay our respects and honor the sacrifices of the men and women that served or currently serve during both wartime and peacetime. I’m honored to know several veterans and this week’s post is dedicated to them, all that serve(d); especially my Dad.
My Dad served in the Army during the Korean War and was stationed in Japan as a radio operator. He never saw actual combat but was still doing his duty while proudly serving his country. Late in life he shared a story with the family; a story I thought I’d share with you.
My Dad, Charles, had a wonderful sense of humor, loved to laugh and was known by many to be a friendly guy. He revealed while he was stationed in Japan, that he also found himself as the Charles National Savings and Loan to his fellow-soldiers. He would lend them money to buy extra cigarettes, alcohol and whatever else they needed in between paychecks doled out on the 1st and 15th of the month. When payday arrived, he would stand at the other end of the line and collect his money along with the fee he charged. He told this story with humor and anticipation and that he was always paid back on time. No one ever “stiffed” him. Ultimately, he knew he could get in trouble with his Corporal or Sergeant if he was exposed but the secret stayed safe among the soldiers.
This went on for quite awhile and thought he had a good gig, plus was doing them a favor while earning extra money. One day, however, his Sergeant came to him and mentioned he heard that he might be able to loan him some money. My Dad denied that he had extra cash and right then and there, on the spot, went cold turkey. That incident scared him enough, that he ended his self-banking loan career. His comrades were most likely disappointed as well. He got such a chuckle out of telling that story.
He was a very patriotic man that loved his country, was proud to serve but for some reason, never felt like he deserved to be recognized as a veteran because of never encountering live combat. According to the Veterans Administration, “the U.S federal law definition, veterans are persons that have served in any branch of the armed forces in the U.S. for a certain time-frame. However, war veterans are specifically those persons who were ordered by any USAF branch to foreign waters or soils to take part in non-direct or direct support activities against a United States enemy.”
Thank you to my Dad as well as all the other men and women that served or currently serve during times of both war and peace. You made and still make our freedom possible. We should be celebrating veterans everyday. They are uncommon heroes doing the extraordinary every day, to protect this land.
xoxox…..Sheryl