Veterans Day 2021

 

My favorite neighbor and veteran Albert

It's Veterans Day, a national holiday but pretty much just a regular day for a lot of folks here along the Wasatch front. Of course management of the property here were off for Veterans Day and the mail will not deliver of course but in general the stores are open to everything else seems to be operating as usual. I'm not a veteran but I have brothers who are or were and I appreciate their service as I used to make a point to roll next door to my neighbors house, when I lived in Murray Utah, to shake his hand and thank him for his service in World War II. He was Navy and served in the Pacific not necessarily in any combat actions but was assigned to a amphibious airplane that a lot of flying around the South Pacific. He always felt guilty because he didn't fight directly. He would never stand when folks would ask veterans to stand in the public meeting situation because he didn't feel he served enough. I was encouraged him but he was very specific about what he did and what he felt that the dead was not enough for him to be recognized. His name was Albert, and I liked him a lot is probably the best next-door neighbor I ever had ever will have.

My brother Ross was a Marine served during the Vietnam conflict on a number of tours. He made it out alive and basically okay. I use my brother a lot as far as relating to the experience of other people during the Vietnam conflict. My brother Carl was also an Army veteran dream the middle 50s actually during the the airlift and the Cuban missile crisis. He was never sure what was going to happen in those tumultuous times of the mid-50s of America. My oldest brother, Floyd, now deceased was also military with the Air Force. He was a career military individual serving from the late 40s through the 50s I imagine – – I think I'm wrong in those times move everything up a decade 50s through the 60s there you go.

I would like to think I would've served one way or the other had I had the opportunity. I was infatuated that the time of my accident with being airborne specifically Army airborne with a leading toward special forces. I know talks cheap particular for more I'm sitting but I was certainly focused on that area of military service at the point in time. I'm one of the few people who even knew what special forces was even before “Green Beret” became part of the American lexicon. I knew about airborne forces just because I had hoped to become a smoke jumper at one time which led me down the road to Army airborne since so many smoke jumpers were at one time trained army paratroopers. I can see myself going down that line very easily. Had I, I'm sure I would've ended up in a wheelchair if not worse. So basically I'm okay with the fact that I'm not a veteran but I would've been… I think.

Thanks to all I suppose. So many did not want to be at the time that they were and Would've gladly gotten out of the service if it had a chance. I only know one individual who actually went to Canada to avoid military service and I think a great deal of that guy. His sacrifice he never has been able to return to the USA making a life in Canada. Canada got the better deal…