Summertime Blues

Well, I got down from my perch again last month and went to Washington via Alaska Airlines to visit with my daughter-in-law and son who just returned from a 12-month deployment to FOB Ramrod Afghanistan. It was like a vacation for Shelley and I. We stayed at the Ramada in Olympia and had a very pleasant time. We attended the 5th Stryker Brigade’s welcome home ceremony at Fort Lewis and saw Inception with Kevin and Natalie. It was a ton of fun being with the reunited newlyweds.

The kids looked very sharp in their ball getup. Natalie was smashing and Kevin looks so cowboy in his Stetson.

Uncommon Courage

I am always very thankful to hear others thanking me or my son for our service to the nation. I also really appreciate how uncommon it is that young folks have the courage to put their lives on the line in service to our country. It isn’t the natural thing to do. It’s a lot more common to avoid any life threatening risks at all. Are you crazy? Putting your life on the line to protect someone else’s freedom? Freedoms that you don’t actually have while performing your duty? It’s nuts and it’s scary. So think about the kind of courage it takes for the men and women who put on a uniform every day to save your life and risk their own.