I havent served in the Military. Ive never lost a loved one in their service to the Military. But Ive always had great respect for the people who have served their country. The most profound and emotional experience I ever had relating to veterans was on a crisp fall day in Washington D.C.. I was to speak to a large crowd that particular evening and was by myself in a cab heading to my hotel. I had a little time, so I asked the cab driver to drop me off close to the Vietnam memorial because I never had a chance to view it. If youve ever been there, you know what Im talking about. It kind of sneaks up on you. You dont see anything and then, all of the sudden, its there... cut into a hill. On that particular day, it was almost empty. I was standing there just trying to take it all in and feeling the emotion of it, when a rugged man came walking up. Full beard. Wearing worn fatigues. Openly sobbing. He was looking for something. It finally dawned on me that he was trying to find a person on the list of the fallen. When he did, first he leaned on the wall. Then he fell to his knees, still sobbing. Finally, he reached into his jacket and pulled out a Congressional Medal Of Honor. He laid it at the base of the memorial, rose to his feet, and walked away. There is an officer who works at the memorial, who periodically goes along the wall and picks up what people have left behind. As I sat back to watch all this unfold, I saw him slowly move down the wall picking up the small tokens of recognition scattered around. When he saw the medal, he stopped... gasped... put his hands to his face... and started sobbing as well. He walked over and, with the most respect you could imagine, carefully lifted up the medal and carried it away. The impact of watching this all unfold before me was immense. As a non-military bystander, it gave me a tiny glimpse into the sacrifice the people of our armed services offer every day. On this Veterans Day, Im so thankful. My gratitude goes to all past and present members of the military. God bless you all.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 16:38:16 +0000
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