Six Degrees of Patriotism

I am grateful. But it sounds so shallow when the words come out- not good enough to say what I really mean.

I am grateful year round. Not just today, when it's polite to say it- on that one day of the year, when everyone says it. I feel like shouting, "No! You don't understand! THANK YOU."

I thanked a lot of Veterans today. As a Soldier's Angel, I was so excited to participate in my first ever parade. I got to be IN a parade, on a float! Okay, so not a float, but a former military pick up truck type thing. And no, I have NOT arrived. The tiara was missing, but I wore something better- a Soldiers Angel tee shirt with lapel pins to match and red, white and blue beads to accessorize. Our leader wore angel wings, and I think we'll all be sporting those next year.

Some of the best times were waiting for the parade to start. Visiting with a reporter from the Dallas Morning News, and learning more and more about the people who would be in the parade. Several of the Soldier's Angels had served themselves, and I joked that I felt like the odd man out. Mr. Stewart was a World War II veteran serving in the US Marine Corps. What a sweetie. I thanked another IAVA (Iraq Afghanistan) Veteran, and tears welled up in his eyes. I got goosebumps as I heard the American Legion Commander explain their special trip down to Ft. Hood to ring a replica Liberty Bell for the fallen and wounded there. I watched a ROTC group practice their drill, all the while goofing around like the teenagers that they really are. A fellow Angel (who had served) commented to me that "these are the ones who are signing up, knowing what's in store...." leaving me to wonder at the courage of a future generation.

Then we were all lined up and set to go- all one hundred plus groups. Our diesel engine rumbled, the cor-"Vettes" revved their all American pride, and it was show time.

We rolled along at a snail's pace, and we all laughed as the Texas flag on the back of our truck insisted on slapping me and another Angel in the face. Along the way, the children and preschoolers lined the route, eyes wide, and waving. I waved back as often as I could. Stoic business men and women of Dallas managed to break the monotony of their day and watched either from the windows that lined their cubicle-filled office or on the streets below on their lunch breaks. We waved extra hard for the ones stuck in the offices.

But we were really looking for a specific type on the sidelines. Usually, they weren't making a fuss, or yelling at the floats. They were just watching, quietly. And most of them wore a very specific hat- a black "trucker" type hat embroidered with words that honored them for the day- VETERAN- WWII, Korea, Vietnam. I looked for these guys- and would mouth the words "Thank You" to them. And they would just nod, or touch their hat, and that left me feeling like, maybe, they heard me.

There were so many vets there- but there was also a type that would usually be lost in a crowd. You could still distinguish them as a vet- they almost always had the cap, or the t-shirt- but they were different. Sometimes they were in wheel chairs, sometimes on the park bench, sometimes, just there- with their backpacks stuffed with everything they owned. The homeless ones. They're usually never noticed, but on this one day per year, they're almost not afraid to hold their heads high, and look me in the eye. I thanked them too.

The stories I've heard today are tied to my heart. How is it that the PX in Khandahar is too small, and food, and yes, even BLANKETS are hard to come by? Seriously, please think about what these people (and their families) are giving up right now. There are at least 2,000 soldiers who need a piece of mail from home, or have no family to care for them, or need assistance when they are wounded. I am so proud to part of Soldier's Angels, so that I can do something about that.