I purposely made this post the last in my list of posts because I wanted it to be at the top of the list. I did not get a chance to say a proper thank you to all veterans, past, present, and future, so I will do so now.
Thank you. I don't mean a simple thank you that you would say to someone who brought you an extra thing of ranch and the local Red Robin, I'm talking about a heartfelt, "I cannot thank you enough" type of thank you.
Soldiers come from all walks of life, but have one simple goal, serving their country. They do things that you and I can only imagine. They face threats that lesser people would coward from. I've said "thank you" to perfect strangers in uniform. At first, they generally wonder what they did, then they get a little smirk on their face and give me a nod in return. I've stopped when soldiers have been stuck on the side of the road with a broken down car. I have a rule about stopping for stranded motorists. If you are a woman, I'll stop for you. If you are a senior citizen, I will stop for you. If you are a father with more then one child, I will stop for you. If you are a man and not in uniform for me to identify you as a soldier, you are on your own. You are a man, you should be able to stand up, dust yourself off, and walk to the nearest pay phone.
The only exception to my rules is if I am driving out in the middle of nowhere and you are stuck. You will receive my help, even if you only need to use my cell phone.
I'd like to take this post to thank the two veterans in my life. First up, Tim.
My friend Tim was in the Navy a long time ago. He'll go into stories about this or that, and chat with me about his computer problems, which I gladly fix. He'll tell me he's thinking about re-enlisting because the benefits are better for his new wife and 4 daughters (sheesh, 4 girls and a wife. He's the only guy.....) Anyways, when I chat with him about such things, the underlying tone of his conversation is "I want to do what's best for my girls". It's never about "I'd like to go kill someone" or "I'd like to go play with missiles again." He's constantly thinking about ways to make life better for himself and his family. His way of thinking is what makes him a good Sailor.
Next up: Grandpa.
Grandpa "lunatic" is more near and dear to my heart for many reasons. Duty, honor, loyalty, family, are all words that he takes seriously and has done so for the past 70+ years. Grandpa was also in the Navy, but in the 1940's. When my father and I went to go live with him when I was very young, he made sure to save his Hostess cupcakes for me from his lunches when he got home because he knew I liked them. He'd take me fishing and let me reel in the fish from his fishing pole because I wouldn't fish properly. I'd play "worm water skiing" with my fishing pole. He'd get a bite and then he'd hand me the reel and say "you got one Travis, reel him in" and then give credit to me to everyone back home. I think I was around 3-5 years old at the time.
When we'd go hunting around age 5-7, he'd let me hold his rifle. We'd never get a deer because I made too much noise. I'd talk normally and you could hear the echo in the mountains very clearly. Deer were much smarter then I was back then. :) On our drive home, I'd mention we didn't get any deer, and he'd always say "Well it must be because you're such a great hunter. They were too scared to come out of their hiding places."
Grandpa would always lead by example. When my father became a flake and abandoned me at a young age, Grandpa made sure that I had a father figure in him. He'd never give you advice that he didn't already use or believe in. Some of his kids (my aunts and uncles on my fathers side) didn't turn out to be responsible, outstanding members of the community. My aunt, his only daughter, is constantly whining about how life is unfair and how difficult it is to get a job. She's moved back in with him more times then I can remember. She's 10 years older then me and I don't understand why she can't seem to get what life, responsibility and being an adult is all about. I've seen her borrow $50 from Grandpa when he knows she's not going to pay him back. His honor and commitment to family overshadows his reservations about giving her money he needs himself. I've had many conversations with her and have scolded her about Grandpa's finances. I told her he should be taking cruises to exotic locations and having his way with Grandma whenever he likes. He should be taking Grandchildren fishing or working out in his shop making something fun for himself. But it's Grandpa. You can tell him your concerns all you want, but he'll just tell you "She's family." and you know he's right.
So after all the times Grandpa's taken me under his wing and led by example on how to be a man, I finally found a way to give a small token of appreciation to Grandpa. Warning: I'm gonna gloat here a bit.
Growing up, Grandpa and I would watch boxing together. We'd bet a quarter on who would win and he would almost always win, but he'd never make me pay for it (I'd usually do chores or something to pay off the quarter). Anyways, Grandpa's never had a TV bigger then 20". I don't know how he can stand it personally. I know Grandpa's never had a TV bigger then that because he's always making sure that his kids are taken care of, even if his kids are Grandparents themselves and still haven't figured out if you mouth off to your boss, you'll find yourself out of a job. So, I had a house built a little while ago, and was living with a friend of mine up at his place while it was under construction. I was planning a theater room with a new projector and the whole nine yards. Well once construction was complete, I had my old 65" HDTV that I had no room for. So, I had the idea to give it to Grandpa. With some help from some very large men, I brought Grandpa his new TV.
The first thing we did after hooking everything up was turn on a boxing match. It took me back 30 years to when I was sitting on Grandpas lap screaming at the guy in the green trunks to get up off the floor. You could see the pride in his eyes because everyone generally uses Grandpa as a bank and someone was recognizing all the hard work that he put in to making sure that kids were fed and toes had shoes and heads had roofs over them.
Grandpa, Thank you very much for your service to your country. Thank you for showing me by example what it is to be a man. Grandpa lives and breathes what it means to be a soldier.
Tim and Grandpa, and every other Veteran out there, Thank You.
Travis
travis@rightwinglunatic.com
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