Jack’s Winning Words 11/11/13
“There’s not a day goes by when I don’t get up and say thank you to somebody.”  (Rod Stewart)  On this Veterans Day I say Thank You to a friend who never made it back alive from Viet Nam.  It’s good when we can thank people in person for what they have done for us…parents, friends, the unknowns.  Nov. 11 has been designated as a time to show appreciation for those who have given part, if not all, of their life, to help preserve the American way of life.  Words seem hardly adequate.  “Thank you!”    ;-)  Jack

 FROM HY YO SILVER:  Thanks for YOUR service, Jack.====JACK:  Some "serve" by standing on the curb and cheering as the heroes pass by.  I'm a curbside flag waver.

 FROM TARMART REV:  I add my “Thank you!” as well. "Thank you!"====JACK:  Up there is Scandinavian country, you should say, "tack så mycket!"====REV:  I'm sure I must agree!! In our Assembly when someone speaks forth like this, we always await the interpretation so the whole body might be edified.
====JACK:  In the ELCA, we Google.

 FROM SHARIN' SHARON:  The military men/women whom I've known who came back from wars have been so changed. Living life before and after a war experience, at least from what I see, changes us in the U.S.A. too. It's not just a "job", it really is sacrificial and ultimately all of us who didn't go have to deal with this sacrificial aspect of protecting our country's freedom. It's true, words are hardly adequate but still we try with "thank you."====JACK:  I personally know of a WW 2 veteran who was a medic and had to treat the wounded and dying as they were brought home on a hospital ship.  He never would talk about it.  "You don't want to know."  He wanted no parades, no honor.  General Sherman gave his "War is Hell" speech just a few miles from where I now live.  Of course, this does not preclude us from saying, Thank You!

 FROM THE CHRISTOPHERS' (3 MINUTES A DAY):  On his farm, Doug Schmidgall created a unique display of appreciation for military veterans. Using a 20-foot-wide disc that he attached to the back of his tractor, he carved out the heartwarming words “Thank You Troops” on a hill near the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport serving Springfield, Illinois.  According to Illinois’ State Journal-Register, the farmer’s grateful message stretched across a hill about seven football fields wide and 100 yards tall.  Schmigdall, who has two sons in the military, says that whenever he sees a veteran he makes a point to shake his or her hand and say thank you.  “They all deserve it,” he affirmed.

 FROM FACEBOOK LIZ:  You said it well...Thank you to all veterans & their families.====JACK:  I know that some fly the flag every day.  I put ours out on special occasions, like today.

 FROM BADGER DONNA:  Love this and THANKS Jack.====JACK:  One of the soldiers who raised the flag on Mt. Suribachi (Iwo Jima) was from Antigo, Wisconsin.

 FROM RI IN BOSTON:  Passing out thank-yous is a simple gesture that can mean a lot to those you give the favor.  It takes very little effort, and (going back to last week's WW) like Bear Bryant said, "It don't cost nuthin'!"  Regarding our veterans as we do on this day of special recognition for them, we can't say too much in appreciation for their service.  They have given greatly "to help preserve the American way of life", though I'm not convinced the American way of life we are witnessing these days is the same American way of life of the past, that most of us still hang on to.====JACK:  As the saying goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."  Thus, the "American Way of life" is in the eye of the beholder.  Each generation has its pluses and minuses.  I tend to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

 FROM BLAZING OAKS:  MY BILL, WHO WAS A NAVY VETERAN OF WW  2, OFTEN TALKED  OF CLASSMATES AND GUYS HE SERVED WITH WHO NEVER MADE IT BACK HOME TO MARRY, RAISE A FAMILY, HAVE A PROFESSIONAL LIFE, AND RUED THE WASTE OF IT ALL.  MY DEAR FRIEND LOST HER HANDSOME HUSBAND IN THE PHILIPPINES, WHILE THE MOTHER OF TWO SMALL BOYS, AND EXPECTING THEIR THIRD ...IN WW2. SHE NEVER REMARRIED, AND RAISED HER FAMILY ALONE.(DID A GOOD JOB!) AND WAS A SCRATCH GOLFER,  AND ACTIVE  CHURCH AND SCHOOL WORKER.  SHE'S 89 NOW, AND STILL MOURNS WHAT THEY ALL LOST WHEN HIS PLANE WENT DOWN.  BRINGS IT HOME FOR ME..====JACK:  There are many "what if" stories that come out of war and of tragedy, but we move on.  The believer knows that Good Friday was followed by Easter..

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Gary's nephew is in Special Ops, my brother-in-law is in the Army in Grayling and our son-in-law is a Vet.  We are thankful for all of the men and women who have kept us free.  God bless them all! ====JACK:  I wonder if there's a different feeling between those who were "drafted" and those who "enlisted?"  All you served are veterans.  I remember how parents and spouses proudly displayed in their front window a star (blue or gold) for each loved one who was in the military. ====JUDY:  We owned a big field in Harper Woods with a county ditch running along the edge on the other side.  The field is still known today as "Chappel Field".  The field was a major hangout for all the guys in our neighborhood because it was big enough for a baseball field.  Needless to say, it was filled with our friends from school.  We played baseball nearly everyday.  Those boys were welcomed into our family by my parents and we would have a biq picnic all the time.  Well, most of those boys were drafted and some enlisted.  Of those boys, three didn't come back from Vietnam.  It was heartbreaking.  But you couldn't tell who was drafted and who enlisted, because they were all proud to serve.  I think the parents were more upset about the drafted boys though.  We still remember them all.