by Bitter Almonds » Thu Nov 23, 2006 11:52 am
[quote][i]Originally posted by Blir[/i]
<br>One of the most fascinating things to me is how most of our recollections of the past are kinda fuzzy but that we all have certain memories that are just absolutely crystal clear. Not just the memories but the feelings at those exact times, even the smells, the sounds, the music, whatever...like it was yesterday.
I had one of those mega flashbacks today while driving up to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. Simon and Garfunkel's "Homeward Bound" came on the radio. Back when we were stationed in Okinawa while my dad was off in Vietnam, I remember dinners at the USO Club on his visits back. The most striking memory was of the whole place with all those GI's becoming noticeably quieter when either "Homeward Bound" or John Denver's "Country Roads" came on. Then on our flight back to the US, which was during the holiday season, I recall them playing those same songs over the C-9 transport's intercom as we hopped through Hawaii then on to Travis AFB. The longing and gratitude to be going home was palpable, especially with the guys in the back of the plane on the stretchers.
Besides the rush of memory, it really made me grateful today, not just for what we have but for the guys oversees today. Many have made the ultimate sacrifice while we shit around here in comfort. And all the others know they're a hair away from the ultimate sacrifice, all depending on how the chips fall. Fuck man, all the same shit all over again. Kudos to those guys and their families too for having to white-knuckle gut it out every single day.
Sorry for the schmaltz, but hey, I'm truly thankful.
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<p align="justify">WTF, myirwin?! When did you turn into Proust? Yer goin' soft[}:)]
Happy rest of thanksgiving, ye bums. Thank god the indians were weak and we can now rest on the laurels of past victories which yielded a-plenty[}:)]