Memorial Day

It's Memorial day.  I have reached the point in my life where I have far more people to remember than still live.  It's been almost 11 years since my father died and a little over 4 months since my mother passed away.  I will spend the day remembering the good times.

My father lived to be 87 but last 10 years lacked quality because of assorted medical problems but 77 good years is not bad.  He was in India during WWII and was lucky enough to make it back home after three years.  The communication back then was nothing like today - it was letters only and they would take weeks or months.  When my father was awarded the Bronze Star my mother found out about it in the newspaper.  The bottom picture of mom and dad was taken when I took dad to see the Battleship Missouri when it was docked in Astoria.  Dad wanted to see it because the Missouri was where the Japanese surrendered.

Mom lived to be over 90 and all but the last year and a half were pretty good.  Up until then she still walked every day, worked in her garden and baked goodies for the neighbors.  After my father passed away she could not have stayed in her house alone however and I feel fortunate that I could make it possible for her to stay in her house and in fact die there.
As I hinted above there are many others I remember this day.  I had several friends and relatives that died in SE Asia during the Vietnam War while I spent my military time on the frontiers of freedom in Downtown Munich Germany.

I must honestly say that I don't know of any friends or family that died or had their lives changed forever in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I realize I'm not alone and that is certainly one of the things that is very wrong with the Bush/Cheney misadventure in the Middle East.  I will be thinking of their families never the less.

Dad in Burma - 1943 (Right)

Mom on her 85th Birthday