Marine Corps Birthday - Veterans Day

[figbey]

My parish had a Veterans Day mass on the Corps Birthday
for all the veterans in the area -

The school kids all attended the mass - they go every Wednesday
at that time

I attended the mass - with the intention of going to the cemetery and put a flag on my Dads and a fellow Marine ( KIA 5 Feb 68 Camp Carroll) grave as I have done for a few years

During the Mass the priest ask the veterans in attendance to stand
The vets from WW II, Korea, Nam, Iraq and Afghan - stood
The school kids turned and began to applaud - A few of the students stood and accompanied a teacher gave each Veteran a Red Carnation tide with a Red, White and Blue ribbon and said Thank you for your service to each of us and invited us to a breakfast in the school.
the tears were swelling up in my eyes and were hard to hold back as I thanked them and politely declined the breakfast invitation

I guess I was the only vet to decline the invitation - the teacher was talking to the teacher that had invited me to the mass

After the mass as I started to leave the teacher and a couple of the students again approached - the teacher handed me another flower and said "this is for your friend" and then asked hid name and said "he'll be our prayers today" and explained that my friend had informed her my plans
This time there was no holding back the tears

Forty some years later and people that weren't even born took time to say thank you and took time to remember one of us Who Gave All

[sparkie]

Welcome Home, Marine. The likes of you are always in my prayers,,,,,,,,,,,,

[USNAviator]

Tom, that was a great story and thank you for your service Marine