Veteran's Day 2011

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It was a long day at work today; an eleven-hour shift. As I was driving home I passed a Chili’s restaurant and was lamenting the fact that once again work kept me from partaking in any of the free offers from various establishments on Veteran’s Day, I happened to glance over at the car in traffic next to me. Actually, it wasn’t the car itself, but rather the Gold Star Family license plate. I instantly stopped complaining and sucked it up like the soldier I once was.

Unfamiliar with what a Gold Star family is? Look it up & educate yourself.

I come from a very long line of military veterans on both sides of the family. It’s just a higher calling that seems to be embedded in our genes.

I’m always grateful and humbled by the thanks I get from my friends & family on Veteran’s Day. I actually feel somewhat awkward when someone thanks me in person; I mean, I sort of don’t know what to say in reply. I feel weird saying “You’re welcome”, and instead I simply thank them for their kindness. No soldier I served with did it for the thanks, or for the praise, or for medals & glory. We do it out of a sense of duty and of giving back to our country. Like I said, it’s a calling and a belief in serving what we feel is the greatest nation on Earth.

Allow me to stray a moment and talk about the ideal of American Exceptionalism. I don’t speak of it flippantly, nor do I say it with the arrogance often attributed to many Americans. I’m proud of my country and firmly believe that I live in the greatest nation on Earth, but in saying that I’m not implying that other countries are inferior. I think all people, no matter where they hail from, should be proud of their country and their culture and to feel that they, too, live in the greatest country on Earth no matter what country that may be; it inspires us to better our nations and our peoples and ourselves. I had the great fortune to spend two wonderful years as a guest of the German people during my enlistment and it was an experience I will always treasure.

Okay, back to Veteran’s Day…

I only served for four years. I did not do a full 20 and retire. I did not see combat or engage an enemy in battle. But serve I did, willingly and gladly. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Today I salute you, my fellow veterans…we few, we band of brothers. My fellow soldiers of the United States Army, the sailors of the Unites States Navy, the airmen of the United States Air Force, the few & proud of the United States Marine Corps, the intrepid members of the United States Coast Guard…

To my fellow soldiers of the 285^th Military Police Company, it was an honor and privilege to serve with you. To my squadmates and the entire community in Goeppingen, Germany…those two short years profoundly affected the man I grew to be.

To my platoon mates at the US Army Correctional Brigade at Fort Riley, it wasn’t Hell but we could see it from there. Thank you for making a wretched situation bearable and, at times, fun.

To my friends from other countries who served their own nations…be it the RCAF, the British Royal Navy, the German Bundeswehr, the Norske Marine, or another branch I salute your service.

To my fellow veterans among the Traip Academy graduates of the Class of 1987( and there are actually quite a few of us) and the other veterans from Traip, what a long strange trip it’s been. We’ve known each other over 2/3 of our lives and you still put up with me.

To the families of veterans…the sons & daughters, the spouses, the parents…Thank You. We couldn’t do it without you at home to back us up.

And to the Gold Star Families…God Bless You for your sacrifices.

Yup, that's me...January 1988 in boot camp..............

Gold Star Christmas

Last week as I was driving into Charleston for some Christmas shopping, I spotted a license plate in front of me that I hadn't seen before here in South Carolina, the Gold Star Family plate. It was accompanied by a back window decal that was in memory of a fallen Marine, gone before he was 25.

It filled me with a profound sense of grief and sadness and left a little black cloud over my day. I actually had to wipe away a tear or three.

If your state doesn't remember the sacrifices of their Gold Star Families with a special plate, then you need to get with your local state representatives and ask them why.



Today is Christmas Day, and as we gather with our families, friends, and loved ones, there are over 5800 families who lost a family member in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today there's an empty place in their hearts. Today they're missing their lost troop. Today I say a huge thank you to those families for your sacrifice, both as an American and a Veteran.

I wasn't able to catch the name of that fallen Marine memorialized on the back window of that car last week. I only saw that he was born in 1986 and died this past March. I can't thank his family here personally. However, I can thank the family of another South Carolina Marine who joined the ranks of the Gold Star Families this week.

Lance Corporal William H. "Billy" Crouse IV of Woodruff, who grew up in Indiana, lost his life along with his bomb dog Cane in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on Tuesday. Billy was just 22, born a few days before I graduated from Military Police School with the Army, and had only been in Afghanistan for about 6 weeks. His mom was quoted by a newspaper as saying that her son's dying concern was for his dog. "My son was coherent for a brief period, and his biggest concern was 'where is my dog? Save my dog. Put him in the Medevac with me. Save his life,'" she said. The dog was put in the helicopter with Crouse but died.

Billy Crouse returned home yesterday when his flight touched down at Dover Air Force Base, in Delaware. Welcome home, Marine. Semper Fi.

Merry Christmas to our Gold Star Families, and to our Blue Star Families who have a service member overseas right now at the holidays. God Bless You All.