Posted: November-12-2011 at 7:27am | IP Logged	Tweet

My apologies to RW.  He had sent me the photo below yesterday morning and asked me to post it for him. I was on the road most of yesterday and until late last night, and just found the e-mail.

This image is from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC.

Posted: November-12-2011 at 8:20pm | IP Logged	Tweet

I'm sure there are others here on RacersLounge that have lost family or friends in the past during wartime - WW I, WW II, Korean, Vietnam, or during the Mideast conflicts dating back into the '90s.

I know from losing my uncle (Andrew E. Jenkins) in 1969, when he was killed in Vietnam and I was only 11 years old, I knew he was much-loved by my mother and by his wife and their kids and really all of our family. I'll never forget the evening when the military messenger pulled into our driveway, as me and some of the neighborhood kids were playing in the yard. My mother saw the military car and she knew it was bad news, she opened the door and came out screaming "Andrew, Andrew, Andrew," and my dad grabbed ahold of her trying to calm her.

Little did I know at the time, but my mother had had a nightmare (vision) of her brother being killed up during the night (she had awakened around 5 a.m. that morning and was crying in bed and my dad was trying to comfort and reassure her nothing was wrong with Andrew). Mom told Dad that Andrew was calling her name, for her to help him. Mom and Andrew were very close. She was a couple of years older than him, and they had a younger brother two years behind Andrew. Their mother died due to complications following their youngest brother's birth, and their dad and his family had helped raise my mom and her two brothers. Well, and mom was the big sister to her two brothers, and she always looked out for their well-being. She didn't want Andrew going back to Vietnam for a third tour, and really, he could have gotten out of going (due to his rank and he was married with three kids). But he was proud of his country and wanted to protect the freedom and rights we as Americans had.

The first time I ever got to see Uncle Andrew's name engraved on the Vietnam Memorial Wall, words just can't describe the feeling of loss and sadness - knowing the name engraved was of my uncle.

I have the utmost respect for those who served in the past, and those currently serving our country in the military. It's because of their service that we enjoy the freedom we have today. We are very fortunate to live in the greatest country in the world.

God Bless The USA!!!

This is a great song by The Statler Brothers - "More Than A Name On The Wall" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm1p8SlhEsI&feature=related 

Also, yesterday (Veterans Day) here in Johnson City at Kiwanis Park, just off campus from the Veterans Administration Center, the Johnson City-Washington County Veterans’ Memorial was dedicated - with a huge turnout of people. My sisters and I didn't know the procedure for getting a family member's name who served in the military engraved, but we do now - and plan to get our father's name engraved on the Memorial. You can read about the Johnson City-Washington County Veterans’ Memorial dedication ceremony by clicking this link - http://www.johnsoncitypress.com/News/article.php?id=95749