The first panelist talked at length and by the time he finished we knew his entire military history. #2 did better, going all the way back to prep school and worked his way forward to now. Both were enjoyed.
#3 was a hoot! She was 25 years old, living at home with her parents, not working; she and her Mom had gone to the mall one day, shopping for she didn't remember what, and she noticed a recruiter at a table in one of the alcoves. She made some excuse and sent Mom on to the next store, but then she went back to see the recruiter. She never said anything to her parents about it, but one thing led to another, she took the ASVAB and scored (she said modestly) pretty high, 2 weeks later she raised her right hand and swore to defend our Country against all enemies foreign and domestic. She went home right after that, knowing she had two weeks before she had to leave for boot camp; when she walked in the door Mama said, "Whatcha been doing today, Honey?" She answered, "Well, I got a job!" Mama did a jig, while Daddy sat and rocked and grinned. And then she dropped the other shoe and told them what the job was. (We all pert near died laughing.) Mama was not exactly happy but Daddy was delighted. (Lots more laughter. OK, I guess I'd have been overjoyed, too, if my 25-year-old was still living at home with me and not working.) Anyhow, she went to basic training and then on to tech school, thoroughly enjoyed her time in the military, and at the end of her four years got out with a great civilian job.
#4 was a wonderful man who I, personally, have grown through the years to love and respect very much; he spent his entire time talking about Vets he has known (not a word about himself; why am I not surprised?).
And then we got to #5. Now, before I go any further, let me
tell you he was in a wheelchair, half his face palsied, speech so difficult it
was really hard to understand him, all due to TBI when he was active duty. In
answer to the question, he said, "Well, I don't know that anything much of
note happened to me, except I did get blown up, and I did think I was going to
die; but I didn't, and I'm here, and that's pretty good. (The audience erupted
in applause.)
It gets better. The moderator’s second question was: What
would you like to say to another Vet, or, what advice would you give to a new
soldier? This time he started with #5, who bent into the microphone and said, "I would say the only thing that
matters: God Bless America."I don't remember anything anybody else said after that; and I could not see for several minutes; I went through my entire stock of tissues.
Yep. God Bless America.
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