This Memorial Day, we would like to pause and remember the men and women who have given their lives to protect America, as well as all those, past and present, who have served in the armed forces.
To learn more about the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan and Iraq, visit Faces of the Fallen, a project of The Washington Post, or Map the Fallen, a new Google Earth project.
Please join us by thanking, or sharing your memories of, loved ones who have served.
John Hawbaker
John Hawbaker on May 25, 2009
I'd like to thank my father, who served 20 years in the U.S. Army and fought in Vietnam, and my mother, who served in the Army Reserves.
joelance on May 25, 2009
Even though Memorial Day is designated to specifically honor the memory of those who didn't make it back, it is good to remember all of our veterans anyway.
In addition to my post mentioning my father's service, I have a couple of others to thank.
My paternal grandfather worked in a munitions factory in Radford, Virginia during World War II. I'm not sure why he didn't go fight the Germans; perhaps it had something to do with his several small children at home. Regardless, he helped supply some of the gunpowder needed to defeat the Axis Powers.
My maternal grandfather was a lifetime U.S. Air Force member who served in at least three conflicts: WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. As a "jump medic" in the Pacific Theater during WWII, he and others would parachute behind enemy lines to treat wounded Allied troops. He was captured by Japanese forces in northern Thailand, and was tortured at a POW camp. He managed to escape, and was himself rescued by Hmong villagers and taken to a British field hospital. All the while, my mother was a young child at home with my grandmother, who didn't hear from her husband for many months.
These are the people to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude, along with many others from previous and subsequent wars.
stevaker on May 26, 2009
Great post, Joe. Your grandfather's sound like amazing men.
I remember as a kid hearing amazing stories from both of my grandfather's as they'd reflect on some proud and tragic (and humorous) moments during their time as soldiers in WWII.
My paternal grandfather flew a C-46 cargo plane over Europe and was shot at more times than he'd like to remember. His days in the Army Air Corpse (now the Air Force) shaped him into an amazing man. In fact, it defined his career as an aviation engineer for Braniff Airlines.
My maternal grandfather was in the Navy and spent his tours in Southeast Asia fighting the Japanese. He saw several "Kamikaze's" dive at his ship which, amazingly, survived the entire war and was decommissioned several years later.
As for my father, he spent almost 3 tours in Vietnam as an Air Force medic. He worked at a hospital in The Philippines and spent several months in Vietnam at a M.A.S.H. unit. Like most Vietnam vets, he doesn't speak much about his experiences.
My pride and gratitude for these men is more than I can express in words and I thank them and all of our other fallen & surviving veterans for all that they've given to our country.