Thanks to all Veterans

For the past few years, this day has been particularly sad and poignant for me. No, this will not be an anti-war rant. Not today. Not ever, really. I like to think we learned that lesson in the 70s. No, today is tough because it was on this day that I made a point of calling my favorite veteran to thank him for his courage and his service. More so than his birthday or any holiday, this was the phone call I most enjoyed. My grandfather served in the Japanese theatre of World War II. He flew the P-51 Mustang and achieved the rank of Captain before being honorably discharged to return home to raise a family and proudly run an independent, family-owned dairy farm. But I did not make that call today. I could not. Not on the phone, anyway. You see, my grandfather passed away in August 2004.

My husband, after we started dating and he became aware of my practice, also made it a habit of calling his grandfather who served in Italy and North Africa. Sadly, his grandfather passed away almost a year to the day after my grandfather. I was in Italy at the time, living in a small Tuscan town that had been occupied by the Nazis during the war. The last conversation I had with "Pap" before I left was about Italy. I couldn't wait to come back and share my stories of Italy with him and show him the pictures of the shrapnel pockmarks still visible on the Catholic church, outside the town walls, that survived the war. But my husband and I have his stories. And my grandfather's stories. And my grandmother's wedding gown made of parachute silk. And it is our duty to keep their memories alive by sharing those stories.

The VA estimates that currently 900 World War II veterans are dying every day. Soon they, the members of the Greatest Generation, will all be gone. So if you have a family member or friend who served in World War II, or the Korean War, or Vietnam, or Desert Storm, or Iraq, or Afghanistan - or in any capacity in the armed services - call them today. And every Veterans Day. And Memorial Day, and Independence Day. Listen to their stories and pass them on. And thank them for their service and their sacrifice.