This struck me as an appropriate picture to post for Memorial Day. I took it on Easter Sunday morning while camping with our Cub Scout troop on USS Lexington. Just prior to leaving the ship, we had a short service on the hangar deck, the focus of which was remembrance of the veterans who had fought and died on the ship during its service in the Pacific theatre during World War II.
Rob Roy Parnell, one of the cub dads and musician, played Amazing Grace and the Star Spangled Banner on harmonica in a particularly moving portion of the service.
While I may not always agree with the politicians who send the armed services into harm’s way, I have always had a really hard time understanding why folks would take their disagreement out on the military personnel in these situations. The stories I’ve read about people condemning servicemen returning from Vietnam are terrible and I am delighted that, regardless of their politics, people appear to be very grateful for the service given by the troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan just now. As far as I’m concerned, if you are willing to put your life on the line to defend your family and country, you deserve the complete support of those of us who are standing behind you!
