Kevin Hey, everyone! Normally I don’t post on a weekend, and if you’re in the U.S., like yours truly is, it’s a long weekend. Not just a Monday, but a Smunday.
In all seriousness, today’s Memorial Day 2022. For many, this means a day of barbecues and parties. For many others, this means a day of remembrance to the ones who served and never made it back home. Whether they were confirmed killed in action, reported missing in action, or made it back home and ended their lives afterward, this day is for them.
I had several relatives who went into the service. I’m not sure when a couple of them served, though it was either during WWII or WWII-era, or the Korean War. I can’t remember offhand which ones. One served in Vietnam, and I’m not sure if they joined or were drafted. Either way, it’s my understanding that they were never the same after that.
I wouldn’t know personally. I wasn’t even a year old when they died.
If you’ve been on LinkedIn, you’ll see that it’s a legit beehive of activity. It’s where I’ve been living these past 7 months, and one thing I love is seeing a Veteran’s post pop up in my feed. I always offer my sincerest thanks for their service.
I know that some Veterans feel weird about it, and understandably so. I’ve talked w/ some who didn’t think their service was all that great b/c they didn’t see combat. I was like, to me, it doesn’t matter. They served, and even if they were a cook or a janitor during peacetime, it still means something to me.
Others, like my late uncle, came back from a war only to be on the receiving end of others’ hatred, violence, scorn, and contempt.
There truly are no words. Whatever words I have are all too little, too late. I get it, and I can relate to the too little, too late part in more ways than I even care to get into.
I hereby dedicate this post to those who served, living or have since passed on. I hereby dedicate this post to those currently in the service, and those who just enlisted. For whatever it’s worth to you, I’m forever grateful for your service, and I mean it sincerely.
Your service means something to me. Always has, and always will.
To those who’ve passed on, save us some seats, will ya?
