Armed Forces Day
Today is Armed Forces Day, a holiday established
by President Truman in 1949 to give thanks to the
men and women of our armed forces for their service
to our country. Having served in the military
myself, I know just what it's like to be a member
of the armed forces—during wartime,
even—so I want to send out a wholehearted
thank-you to the members of the U.S. military.
When I served in the Gulf War in 1991, onboard
the USS Ranger, the support I and my fellow
shipmates received from people back home was
overwhelming. Mail came by the sackful from family,
friends and complete strangers. Family members sent
me videotaped copies of "Star Trek: The Next
Generation." Friends sent me audiotapes that they'd
recorded at parties. People I'd never met sent me
photos of their kids and letters full of praise and
thank-you's.
It all peaked when we steamed into San Diego Bay
on June 8, 1991. I'll never forget the experience
of standing on the flight deck as we came home, the
bay clogged by pleasure craft loaded with
flag-waving citizens, the shoreline crowded with
thousands of well-wishers. The dock itself swelled
with over 10,000 family members and friends, each
one awaiting the arrival of a loved one. The pride
and joy I felt when I finally found my group in
that mob made the event one of the highlights of my
entire life.
Though I had to work when the USS Abraham
Lincoln steamed into San Diego Bay a couple of
weeks ago, returning from an equally successful
campaign in Iraq, I was there in spirit welcoming
it home. All political issues aside, the men and
women of the armed forces are the ones putting
themselves in harm's way at the command of our
country's leaders. Fighting a war is all in a day's
work for them. They don't do it because they want
to, but because they're doing their job. And for
that, I for one am thankful.
©2003 Michael
Strickland ALL RIGHTS
RESERVED
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