Memorial Day, "I did what I had to do."

"I was happy on my farm. I had a wife and four young'uns and crops to git in.
But when the call to arms came, I went.
Never heard of Gettysburg before. Never thought I'd never leave there either.
Neither did some of those ol' Johnny Rebs who we fought with.
They were pretty brave boys, most of them left farmin' too.
A lot of us are still there.
Walk the field between Seminary Ridge and Cemetary Ridge and you may hear us, rustlin up some firewood to boil coffee, or just carryin' on like young men always do.
President Lincoln gave a purty good speech later on that year.
People still remember him, don't forget us.
We did what we felt we had to do"

"Never much cared what went on over in the old countries.
Ol' Kaiser Bill was a raisin' Hell over there, didn't see how that meant a whole heap to us.
But in the Winter of '18 when I got drafted, I went.
Saw some pretty bad things with the old First Division, "The Big Red One"
Something called a Salient near a place called Meuse Argonne got a lot of us killed and hurt bad.
I was lucky, came home pretty much healthy.
Still can't look at a Poppie flower without thinkin' of some of my buddies who weren't so lucky.
We all did what we had to do."

"We saw Hitler and the Japanese start to get uppity as early as '33.
Had problems of our own then, millions out of work.
Ma used to feed the Hobos that came through the farm from the rail yards where Pa was lucky enough to have a job.
If we got food we are supposed to share it, she'd say.
In '42, my sister Kitty would stand next to the rail trestle for the N&W and watch the troop trains heading to Norfolk, loaded full of boys.
They'd wave and yell at her, full of themselves.
A lot of them are still in France, North Africa, and all over the Pacific.
I went to the Solomons with a P.T. boat squadron, later to Korea on a cruiser.
Never hurt, but was fearful homesick a lot.
We all did what we felt was our duty.
Didn't hate the Germans or the Japanese, but had to stop them for the folks back home."

"I haven't always taught Geometry to you knuckleheads.
Back when I was young in 1952, I spent the Winter in Korea.
Freezing, frostbitten toes, months without a hot meal or a bath or a decent place to sleep.
Once when I knelt by a stream full of melting mountain snow trying to shave in the springtime, a North Korean mortar round landed nearby.
We learned to ignore the first one. The second one got me to runnin'.
The third one landed right where I'd been kneeling!
We hated Korea, and still aren't real fond of communists or Red Chinese.
But we all did what we had to do."

"Nam? Where the Hell is Viet Nam? I sure didn't want to be there!
Just wanted to finish College and get a job.
But my "Uncle" sent me greetings and said Welcome to the Army, son!
So I went.
Bugs, heat that made Miami seem like a mountain resort, and little people in black outfits trying to kill us was my life for the next 13 months.
Some of my brothers were Marines, some in the Air Force and Navy, some never saw the bush.
One spent over eight years as a POW, courtesy of the North Vietnamese.
To this day he doesn't hate them, says "Hate just eats you up, doesn't change a thing"
He's a better man than I am, for certain.
Almost sixty thousand of us never got home, and almost three thousand more are MIA.
Walk next to our wall next time you're in D.C.
Remember us. You'll probably see several of we lucky ones who made it home there, leaning against a particular spot with a buddies name on it. Weeping like a baby.
Thank one of us when you get a chance.
We didn't run to Canada, we did what honor and love of country led us to do."

"We don't have to serve. No draft since dad was a young pup in '72.
But we feel it is important.
This country still stands for something in this lousy, selfish Me First World of 2009.
Less than two percent of we Americans do serve.
Seems like only our families care.
People don't hate us like they did my Uncles who went to The 'Nam.
Pretty much respected for the most part.
But no one gives us much thought on a given day.
The grunt from the 24th Marine Expeditionary Force on his third deployment has a wife at home. Probably appreciate it if someone mowed the yard for her while I'm gone.
The three Guardsman from North Carolina who hit the IED over the weekend won't be coming home.
Don 't forget them, and if you know their families, just go over and sit with them or bring some food.
We are always out there, sitting in the cold and desert heat, fighting bugs, boredom and people that hate us and our way of life. People who would kill all of us if I wasn't here, with thousands of my brothers and sisters who volunteer to lay it on the line.
We all do what we have to do."