Salute!



 Lonnie LeMaster (my great-grandfather)- Lonnie joined the service on January 26, 1917 to fight Pancho Villa of Mexico. After training he was sent to the Philippine Islands and from there to China. While in China he was seriously ill and spent over six months in the hospital. One 3-day period he was screened off because he was expected to die. He was at various times in Korea, Guam, Japan, and the Hawaiian Islands. (Thanks to my Aunt Susie...who is our family historian)



Today we salute our Veterans. We didn’t do anything specifically to honor our military at our house. I did put a little extra Italian Sausage in the spaghetti sauce tonight. Troy is our in-house Veteran. He served in the Air Force BB (Before Beke). I hope he appreciates my Sausage Salute!

He is blessed to come from a military family. His Dad, 2 of his brothers, a brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, and a nephew have served and/or currently serving. I am so proud of all of them. I think it shows the strength of character of a nation where so many voluntarily offer their lives so the rest of us can enjoy such freedoms. I don’t want to take any of it for granted. I am also fortunate to have in my life friends who have also answered the call of service to our country. What a blessing they are!

We can’t either forget those who fought in wars long past. Those who joined up or those whose number was picked from a “hat.” They didn’t run away or protest. They quietly kissed their families good-bye and went off to change the world. I have great-grandparents who fought in WWII, a great-uncle who was at The Battle of the Bulge, a grandfather who served in the China Sea. Friends who fought in Vietnam. They all came back…many more made the ultimate sacrifice. The Veterans in my life do not seek glory for themselves. They are honored to serve. There is a lady of my acquaintance who in served in the Secret Service in WWII. She does not speak of her experiences. Her only acknowledgement of her sacrifice today was a WWII Veterans hat.

I Remember all those brave men and women who have served so gallantly. I Salute those who continue to continue to serve. Thank you for fighting so I can worship, so I can speak my mind, so I can pursue happiness…