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Wind Beneath My Wings

This page is dedicated in honor of and to the memory of all the Veterans who have given their lives either in service to their country or in death.





What is A Vet? Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eyes. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel -- or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's alloy forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however,the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem.

You can't tell a vet just by looking. What is a vet?

The Vet is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

The Vet may be the bar room loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel in Korea.

The Vet is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night in Da Nang.

The Vet is the former POW who went away one person and came back another - or didn't come back AT ALL.

The Vet is the Quantico drill instructor who maybe never experienced combat -- but saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines by teaching them to watch and protect each other's backs.

The Vet is the wheel chair-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

The Vet is the career quartermaster who watched the ribbons and medals pass him by but made certain every needed bullet found it way to the front line.

The Vet is one of the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose uncommon valor lies unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

The Vet is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket -- palsied now and aggravatingly slow --who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife was still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

The Vet is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being -- a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

Remember November 11th -- Veterans Day.

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who gave us Freedom of the Press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who gave us Freedom of Speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag. It is the soldier whose bravery and sacrifice made it possible for the protester to burn the flag."

Contributed by: Father Denis Edward O'Brien, USMC

I would like to thank Darice Jackson, a friend, who sent the email containing the above writing. I have no idea where she got it, but it says it all!

Proud to be an American






The beautiful background and buttons on this page came from Chozen's wonderful page. Be sure to check it out! Thanks Chozen!





Some of the military graphics on this page came from the Military Graphics of Doc. Thanks, Doc!

This page is dedicated to all the men and women everywhere who served our country. It is especially dedicated to the men in our family who served in World War II, the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam War. My uncle, Leslie Slack, was a German POW, his son, James Slack, served in Vietnam, and another uncle, Doyle Bruce, performed his duty in New Guinea. Another uncle, Billy Slack, served his country in the Korean conflict. As a family we are very proud of our Vets and the service they gave to our country. God Bless You All!

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