Having just hung old glory out on this Memorial Day, its time to pause and give thanks to all who have served this great nation as our protectors of freedom. There are no longer ships like the USS Reaper which I so proudly served on during the cold war but the Iron Men of these wooden ships kept our shores safe with very little recognition. During the Vietnam war some of these old ladies were upgraded and saw lots of action. Although I never served in a war zone and organizations like the American Legion do not consider my time served as worthy of membership, my heart still swells with pride when citizens salute me as a veteran.
My veteran hero has always been my older brother, I was lucky to have served on the same ship with him for a period of time. Ron has continued to dedicate his live for his fellow servicemen by volunteering with the local chapter of American Legion of Pagosa Springs Colorado. He continues to see that every veteran of that region is recognized when laid to rest in the local cemetery and every grave is located and properly marked.
