Thank A Veteran

Yesterday a veteran responded to the query "How can we average Americans ever thank you for your service?"

His reply: "Work to improve your family, your neighborhood, your town, and your state. Make our sacrifice worthwhile by improving the nation we are defending. "

So those our marching orders as citizens are to use our energies, talents, and influence to make things better because we were there. From gracious small talk with the check-out clerk to patience with the elderly to compassionate tough love with the recalcitrant to informed political activity to implacable personal honesty, let us continue to thank our American veterans until the next Veterans' Day.

Nothing Is Free

This came from my Uncle Sparky who served in WWII and the Korean Conflict. . .

Back in September of 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies school teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. On the first day of school, with the permission of the school superintendent, the principal and the building supervisor, she removed all of the desks from her classroom.

When the first period kids entered the room they discovered that there were no desks.

'Ms. Cothren, where're our desks?'

She replied, 'You can't have a desk until you tell me how you earned the right to sit at a desk.'

They thought, 'Well, maybe it's our grades.'

'No,' she said.

'Maybe it's our behavior.'

She told them, 'No, it's not even your behavior.'

And so, they came and went, the first period, second period, third period. Still no desks in the classroom.

By early afternoon television news crews had started gathering in Ms.Cothren's classroom to report about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room.

The final period of the day came and as the puzzled students found seats on the floor of the desk-less classroom, Martha Cothren said, 'Throughout the day no one has been able to tell me just what he/she has done to earn the right to sit at the desks that are ordinarily found in this classroom. Now I am going to tell you.'

At this point, Martha Cothren went over to the door of her classroom and opened it.

Twenty-seven U.S. Veterans, all in uniforms, walked into that classroom, each one carrying a school desk. The Vets began placing the school desks in rows, and then they would walk over and stand alongside the wall.

By the time the last soldier had set the final desk in place those kids started to understand, perhaps for the first time in their lives, just how the right to sit at those desks had been earned.

Martha said, 'You didn't earn the right to sit at these desks. These heroes did it for you... They placed the desks here for you. Now, it's up to you to sit in them. It is your responsibility to learn, to be good students, to be good citizens... They paid the price so that you could have the freedom to get an education. Don't ever forget it.'

By the way, this is a true story. Today, thank every serviceman and veteran that you know for their service to you and to our country.

Mr. Teleprompter Backs Off

President Obama has dropped his plan to insist that combat wounded veterans use their own private insurance to pay for medical care. Veterans and the American public praise this decision, but it still rankles that his administration even considered it.

Obama Thanks Wounded Vets

He is planning to ask them to pay for their war related wounds with private insurance, according to Hot Air. What a way to show appreciation for those who risk their lives to protect us!

Sippican Cottage: My Father Asks For Nothing

The entry at Sippican Cottage tells a charming story about a WWII vet revisiting a
B-24 like the one he flew over the Pacific. I hope everyone reads it, then personally thanks every veteran they know for keeping us safe. Sippican Cottage: My Father Asks For Nothing

The story reminds me of my Uncle Sparky and Aunt Della who both served in WWII. My uncle recently told me that in the last 60 years only four people had bothered to ever thank either of them. My brother was in the Special Forces during Vietnam and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who has ever said thanks. I've posted a few pictures of my Uncle and a few stories about his experiences at my family website, if you would like more WWII stories.