Remembrances

Growing up the daughter of a once upon a time Marine Corps Officer in teensy town America leads to several facts of life.

One: It is difficult not to be imprinted on the military man - uniforms are all around you, and they look good. Early remembrances of my father include seeing him march as a veteran in the Memorial Day parade in our little village, I suppose you'd call it - a little place with several hundred folk living there and a war memorial with at least a quarter of their names on it - two little general stores, a legion, a Masonic lodge, and a church - too small, even, for a school. The men folk wore their uniforms, or the parts of it that still fit - grandpas, uncles, dads, and brothers home on leave, they marched together on a hot day in May and at the end, we'd all gather in the park for popsicles - me in my girl scout's uniform having just marched myself. He wore his medals, and to this day, I don't know what they all meant. I do know, however, how very, very proud he was to find (late in the day) that he was a Nobel prize laureate - a number of years ago, the UN Forces in Korea won - and, as a US Marine, he was a member of that force.

Two: The military in the US is one of the only ways out of a small town. If your folks couldn't afford university, and many couldn't, it was what a guy did. Fresh out of high school, they'd enlist, get on the job training and possibly go to school after the 3 year enlistment with the money they'd accumulated as part of the GI bill.Military staff and service are just all around you - it is a part of everyone's lives. High school sweetheart? Now Lt. Colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers. Big Brother? Did at least 10 years in the Navy, and came out with the professional training that is still serving him today as a fire marshal.

Having imprinted early on and spent the grad school years in Tidewater Virginia, I crossed paths with a number of servicemen. And so to all of you - submarine operators, fighter pilots, Hughie mechanics, engineers, infantrymen and fire fighters, I say thank you.

My thoughts are with you all today, and I'm hoping that wherever you are, you are safe and have clean sheets to lay your head on tonight. And if you don't have clean sheets, then I hope you've got some clean, dry socks.

Wear your gear and keep your fuzzy heads safe.

Semper Fi, and pax.