November is the month to honor our Veterans. I happened to do a candlelight service at American Legion Post 285, where the Traveling Vietnam Wall was on display during Biketoberfest. I have been to The Wall in our nation’s capital three times and was moved to tears each time! The beauty of this place is mixed with the deep sadness of what the wall represents. In DC you also have the chance to visit the beautiful Arlington Cemetery. The endless rows of identical white headstones are also beautiful, but that beauty carves into your soul how many lives were lost by heroes. At the Traveling Wall in Edgewater, there was a placard with the following that I think is worth reminding us.

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO SLOWLY READ THIS. It is shocking.

58,267 Names are on the Wall
39,996 were just 22 years old or younger (68%)
8,283 were 19 years old (14%)

33,103 were 18 years old! (67%)

12 were 17 years old
5 were 16 years old
1 was 15 years old
3 sets of fathers & sons
31 sets of parents lost two sons!

997 were killed their first day in Vietnam!

1448 were killed on their last day!

8 women were nurses
244 Medals of Honor were given for this war
153 of those Medals to people on the wall.

THIS MY FRIEND IS THE COST OF FREEDOM! Veteran’s Day should be a day to reflect on this. And in studying the above I was struck that the “lucky” ones were those that lost their life the first day, rather than suffering through the jungle, fear, and horror of the war only to still die on their last day. TRAGIC.

Thank a Vet from every conflict, buy them a meal, shake their hand, better yet hug them. God Bless them all, those gone and those still protecting us.