(raises a glass to the fallen)

[Dusty Chalk]

This memorial day weekend, I am going to skip on my teetotal lifestyle and raise a glass to the fallen, and wax philosophical about my retired-from-army-with-honors cousin Greg who passed away many years ago.  I've been thinking about him a lot lately, for two reasons.  A lot of guns come in FDE (flat dark earth), and he was in both Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield, so I associate him with that colour.  I initially hated that colour because it reminded me of his death, but it's been long enough, that now, I only have the fond memories. 

I've also been addressing a lot of issues that revolve around emotional maturity (I'm not), and -- in a lot of cases -- the more emotionally mature way to handle things could be thought of as, "WWGD" (What Would Greg Do?).  I'm not saying he did everything right, but his heart was always in the right place.  He prided himself on retiring as (sorry, don't remember the exact rank) the highest ranking, non-enlisted rank, because he never wanted his Care for his immediate people surgically removed.  He remained in touch -- not only with those he still worked with, but everyone who had ever worked for him.  And they all loved him, and he loved them all back.  His retirement party was insane.  He was always there for people.  When I needed to recover some stuff from storage, I found out the people who I hired were basically going to hold my stuff hostage/blackmail/whateveryouwanttocallit.  He took care of it.  I don't know what he said or did, but all of a sudden they just gave me my stuff which we had to transfer from their pods to a rental truck and they told me to take as much time as we needed.

And other things, when I was looking for a new place to stay many years ago, he offered to let me live with him. 

Just ALWAYS. THERE. FOR. ME.

So as I continue to learn how to be a normal adult with my own motivations, I continue to think about him, and what would he do in situations.  I don't really have any close family or friends that I can protect, and I'm in no position to provide for anyone other than myself and my cats, so I need to find my own motivations in life, but it helps to have a high bar that I can look to.

I will always support service members and veterans, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, as I'm sure that's what Greg Would Have Done.

Please toast with me, and remember them fondly.

[robm321]

Hear, Hear 🍻

[n_maher]

“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke,” he said. “But we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”

James A. Garfield 1868

[Augsburger]

Toast them I will...