The second day, Sunday, we ventured to the north end of Oshkosh (we stayed at the kids' house while they left town for the weekend) to find the largest cemetery I've seen since Arlington in DC. Here it is (sorry for the size).
This photo shows the Veterans' section of this vast expanse. This is a sobering reminder of the ultimate sacrifice made by ordinary citizen/soldiers (service members, men AND women) in order for the rest of us to sit on our fat duffs and "celebrate" the day in their honor.
As a kid I remember traveling with my dad to numerous cemeteries to honor the war dead. He was in an honor guard with The American Legion. He marched, fired blank rounds from an M-1 and other "Legion kids" and I scrambled to retrieve the spent shell casings. Most of them were returned for reloading at a later date, some we kept - don't know why. As my dad aged, he moved up the ranks in The American Legion and was elected the State Commander in 1972. That year I went to the Legion-sponsored Badger Boys State and dad was a big deal there. That's when I found out how big, anyway. I was actually elected County Sheriff of the "State's" largest County and, thus, a delegate to the "State" convention. This was my first real foray into any real politics. I was, however, student body president of my junior high three years earlier.
Anyway, these numerous cemetery visits and parade witnessings were the excuses I have to skip these remembrances since, but I have grown to appreciate the valor and honor those having served and presently serving in our armed forces depict in their service to keep this, STILL, the "Greatest Country on the Planet". God Bless them and God Bless America!
1 comment:
Nice post! That cemetery was really something. Seems we always disconver something on our adventures. And how about that brain freeze?
Anyway, I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free and I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me... God bless the U.S.A.
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