****
Jacqueline OBoomer
He served
He hugged the grandmother,
and mom and dad,
tears in his eyes
that he couldn’t let them see.
Looked over his shoulder
to remember their faces
set in time.
This time in his life
he would only understand
was extraordinary,
looking back.
****
****
Honor and bravery
and, yes, to be a man
were why he signed up early,
why he went off
why he missed a bit of his youth
and journeyed to a far-off
war-time destination
he had never
heard much about
when he was younger.
****
****
The in-between years
are not forgot
They enter in dreams
and memories he sometimes wished
he didn’t have.
He knows he’s not alone
in the recollections
yet only a small amount of comfort
has come from that,
has ever come from that.
It is what it is,
his mantra.
It is what it is.
****
****
But now in the prime
of his older years
he wears a ballcap with the
name of his service on it
and the name of his war.
He remembers the conflict
and when he
remembers the grandmother
remembers mom and dad
he feels the honor
he thinks he brought them.
****
****
The sting of yesterday’s tears
in his crinkly eyes come from
the love of country
the esprit de corps ~
the brothers and comrades
he left behind or
still meets for coffee
on a Wednesday morning
in his hometown.
****
****
And when he and his brothers
talk over coffee
about the “free lunch” for veterans
they’re serving at the
VFW, in a few hours,
he turns to them
(those who, like he,
paid ahead such a high price
for that “free lunch” years ago)
and says,
“We should support that
for the new vets
who might really need it.”
He is what he is.
A veteran.
A man.
****
The Obama Diary 
Thank you for this poignant and deeply meaningful poem, Ms. J’OB. TOD is blessed to have you.
How completely beautiful – thank you so much Nerdy for posting it, and endless love J for writing it.
Thanks, Chips.
Well stated, NW.
Jacqueline – you hit a spot deep within me; very moving. Thank you!!!
I continue to be in awe of the talent we have in TODville. Thank you Nerdy for the tribute and JO’B, what can I say, but you are awesome!
Thank you, Jackie.
NW, I’m just returning here after being gone for several hours. Wow. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness in posting my words with images of the Obamas and Bidens and the men and women – “old and new” – of our military. That means so very much to me. What an honor.
I’m just totally overcome by it. Totally. ❤
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for your important poem, Ms. J’OB.
Heartfelt thanks to Jacqueline, our TOD poet laureate, and Nerdy Wonka, our photo and tweet curator extraordinaire, for this perfect post for Veterans Day. Special salute to all the TOD veterans!
Blessed veterans day to all who served and the families who served right along with them
This is a beautiful tribute, NW and JOB. Thank you.
Thank you, CEB.
Transition…..
Oh my Yardarm, thank you for posting this. It reminds me of my many family members – on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line who served during Vietnam conflict and still feel the sting to this day.
Thank you
My pleasure. 🙂
Awesome! Humbling!
Thank you, Yardarm. I love the first photo especially. When a nation calls it’s citizens to war and asks people to risk their lives on the battlefield, it damned well better be for a very good reason. PBO has never put American service men and women at risk unless there was no other choice. The way that Republican candidates talk about war, you would think they were playing with toys, rather than human life. That, among their many insane attitudes, is very frightening.
AMEN to that…..
Wonderful images, Yardarm!
NW & J’OB, thank you both – this is a beautiful collaboration of pictures and poem. ❤
Thank you, GGail.
(I’d collaborate with you any ol’ time, NW! GGail is right. You certainly have “the eye.” Not to mention “the heart,” etc. Love ya!)
🙂
Wow…how so very awesome…is this spread NW…the Poignant photos…the beautiful and moving poem….by J’OB…we are so grateful to have both of you here in TOD…don’t know what will happen to TOD in 2017…but i am ever grateful that i have been here with you Alllllllll of you…
there are a few pics that always move me when i see them….
the pic of the mother embracing the tombstone of her Muslim son….the pic of the elderly veteran rising to salute the President…and the pic of the veteran at Normandy with the broad smile clutching the hand of the President….
Extraordinary…
Well stated, PF.
J’OB…stellar job honoring our veterans with your heartfelt words. You are truly gifted and we are so lucky to have you here with us:)
To all the veterans everywhere…thank you for your service to your country. We owe you all such gratitude for your selflessness. If my arms could reach around all of you, I would hug each and every one of you! To our very own yardarm….thank you for your service to our country! We love you and are so lucky to have you here…
In Tennessee, that number is 29,000. 😦
Bwaaahhahaha!!!
‘ “I will do all I can to be helpful to Jeb’s campaign,” Dole said. ‘
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/11/11/bob-dole-jeb-bush_n_8533888.html
You mean Dole is not helping Ben Carson.
I mean Dole is helping everyone except the one he wants to help 🙂
Prior to the change, the restaurant was paying servers $2.13/hour before tips, and if you have a slow day, you’re pretty much just sh*t out of luck. Now, servers will be making wages starting at $14/hour depending on experience and past performance. The change was announced from Joe’s Crab Shack’s parent company, Ignite Restaurant Group.
***********************8
2:13 hr….yet Rubio says that workers do not deserve a raise in minimum waged….Kudos to the Ignite Restaurant Group
Wishing all TODers who serve(ed) and all TODers whose family members are currently serving & that have served a Happy Veterans Day.
#Hope4ALL
bbl …. if possible ……
Jacqueline, absolutely stunning. This should go viral.
Can’t thank Nerdy enough for adding those beautiful photos! Each one hit the mark! The last one had me misty eyed, for sure.
God bless our veterans.
I’m on a roll, I guess.
Look at those faces! Love in a camera lens, eh?
I need your help…particularly important on this Veteran’s Day….my brother is a veteran Marine. All he ever wanted to be was a Marine.. I don’t know how many years he served..I want to say at least 4, but they found that he had broken his femur playing hockey and they discharged him…my brother was distraught and heartbroken…he would have stayed for life…I think that he was never really living with purpose after that happened. I think he was just getting by….he’s my baby brother and now I worry about him and I need some suggestions on who I can call to get this man a job….I know that he’s depressed and it concerns me. I don’t live near him…he’s in FL…he had an interview for a job at an airport that he really wanted, was really qualified to do since he did what the job was for, while he was in the service. I found out today that he didn’t get the job. Who can I have him get in contact with? He doesn’t have a computer, doesn’t even know how to use one (yikes, I nearly fell over when he told me that!) With all the connections and contacts we have around here….well, I need him to be alright and be able to stand and be proud. Get a hand up. Any suggestions would be appreciated. I feel like he deserves a chance to turn his life around after he’s had nothing but deadend jobs…now no job. Anyway, I got online and looked at the DOL site and gave him a contact number for someone in his area that works in the “veterans employment and training” area….hopefully, he’ll call. Any other suggestions would be very appreciated. Thanks, TOD family{{{{TOD}}}}
DF, since he doesn’t have a computer or knows how to use one – this is a tough order, but I suggest he take this list with him to a local Library and ask for help. There are also http://www.manpower.com locations and here are a couple of my suggested sites
http://www.vacareers.va.gov/veterans/employment-coordination.asp
ebenefits.va.gov
The new online resource, called the Veterans Employment Center, is the first interagency tool to bring a wealth of public and private job opportunities, a resume-builder, military skills translator and detailed career and training resources together in one place. In connection with the First Lady and Dr. Biden’s Joining Forces initiative, the Department of Veterans Affairs worked with employers, the Departments of Defense, Labor, Education, and the Office of Personnel Management to design and develop the site and incorporate features of existing online employment tools within government.
I wish your brother the best of success. And tell him to take a basic computer class – it will boost his confidence to master this skill {hugs}
{{GGail}} Thanks for the suggestions and the help…I will do this. I couldn’t believe when he told me about the lack of computer knowledge. Honestly…he is his father’s son. I’ll do this and let you know how it goes for him….via email:)
Yes, please email me. I would like to explore this further with you. My boss is a veteran and he might have some suggestions. I’ll ask him tomorrow.
Thanks, love:)
Way to go {{{{{ GGail }}}}}
I ❤️ my TOD family. You ROCK!
This morning I wrote that I would be going to a ceremony at the Air Base honoring veterans who have passed away, and this is the first year my husband would be one of those so honored. It was a simple, profound, meaningful ceremony. I sat with women whose husbands had passed away and were there to honor their husband’s service. I’m so glad I went. This was one part of his life…..23 years’ worth that was very important. It was very hard to see his name and date of passing come up on the screen, but I was glad he was honored, along with the others. I feel stronger for having done this. Thanks to all of you who have honored our vets today. My father was in World War II, my husband in Korea, and my son in during the Cold War. I am very proud of all three of them!
A life well and honorably lived, and shown the tribute that he deserved.
{{{{carolyn}}}} good for you for going and getting the emotional support and strength from those around you during this ceremony. I hope you were able to exchange contact information with other women – it will help you build your support system and make new friends ❤
LOST MY DAD TO PTSD AND NOW MY BROTHER SUFFERS FROM IT..DIVORCED MY EX BECAUSE HE CAME BACK FROM VIETNAM LOVIING TO KILL………………..OH THE MEMORIES….GOING BACK IS NOT PLEASANT!
Brava, Carolyn, for having the strength to attend the ceremony and for getting so much emotional support from it. You have so much to be proud of in your family. And thank you for letting us know how it went.
❤ _/|\_
http://news.usni.org/2015/11/11/document-the-history-of-veterans-day?utm_source=USNI+News&utm_campaign=4a7c142f28-USNI_NEWS_WEEKLY&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0dd4a1450b-4a7c142f28-231153057&mc_cid=4a7c142f28&mc_eid=024578f220
A big THANK YOU to all Veterans who serve this country. THANK YOU.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/politics/bei-bei-baby-panda-first-steps/index-html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/11/politics/bei-beo-baby-panda-first-steps/index.html
To those who serve:
Because, of course, the only people who suffer racism in America are ghetto-dwelling, welfare-taking Black people.
And, if you have some success, you no longer have the right to voice the injustice and racism that you see occurring DAILY in your life?
GET.DA.PHUQ.OUTTA.HERE with the bullshyt.
I bet this young man’s father could tell stories that would make your head shake in disgust.
And, I also bet his father couldn’t be more proud of his son today if he tried.
……………………………….
Mizzou hunger-strike figure from Omaha, son of top railroad exec
Jonathan Butler, a central figure in the protests at the University of Missouri, is an Omaha native and the son of a railroad vice president, the Omaha World-Herald reports.
Butler refused food last week in a move to force the university system’s president, Timothy M. Wolfe, from office. Wolfe resigned Monday and Butler ended his hunger strike.
Jonathan Butler played high-school football at Omaha Central High, where he won a state championship, and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mizzou, the newspaper reports. He is working toward a master’s degree in educational leadership and policy.
He is a member of a prominent Omaha family. The newspaper says that Butler’s father is Eric L. Butler, executive vice president for sales and marketing for the Union Pacific Railroad. His 2014 compensation was $8.4 million, according to regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Eric L. Butler and his wife, Cynthia Butler, serve as pastors of Joy of Life Ministries, the newspaper reported. Along with Jonathan Butler, the couple has two other children.
http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/columns/joe-holleman/mizzou-hunger-strike-figure-from-omaha-son-of-top-railroad/article_20630c03-2a68-5e63-9585-edde16fe05f3.html
FOUND A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE 2DAY…BACK WHERE I LIVED 18 YEARS AGO…..PRAYING WE GET WHAT WE WANT…:)
Good for you, Sue. Let us know if you get it.
Sue, prayers & positive thoughts coming your way 😘
Sue, I stand in agreement with you in that prayer.
President Obama Forgets To Salute Marine, See What Happens After That!
JER, was that you in Marine One who let PBO know he forgot to acknowledge the Marine.
With all that he has to deal with, its a wonder it doesn’t happen more often. PBO deserves a pass 😉
😉
JO’B, as I mentioned on the last post, you have a rare gift. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thank you, jackieG (and everyone else) for the sweet comments. ❤
I love horses and strong women, this video made me cry, they saved over a 100 horses > http://www.wimp.com/trapped-horses/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=story/
It’s so dusty in here!!!
Tally 😘
Wow JOB,what a beautiful tribute! Yardarm, Alcyee, all other veterans, and family members here at TOD, I salute you all, my husband served in Korea, I met and married him after he returned. I thank all of you. I especially thank Yardarm and Alcyee for all you bring here at TOD. You are all so special.
^^^ THIS! (And thank you.)
GIY-OD DAMN!
That mofo in Louisiana is just tossing ether at Vitter left and right:
………………………
I saw that on Rachel Maddow last night, were Bel Edwards told off Vitter. The people in Louisiana probably vote David Vitter Governor. After all they voted Jindal in twice.
Beautiful and meaningful poem JO’B!
Great layout, NerdyW!
I chime in on everyone’s wishes & thanks to our veterans on this Remembrance/Veterans Day!
🙂
Happy Veterans Day TOD to all the vets and their families that have served.
Nerdy, thank you for highlighting JO’B’s beautiful poem and adding the pictures.
🙂
What a Great Post NW and to top it off with such a Perfect Poem.
Awesome!
🍸 🍸 🍸
❤ ❤ ❤
🙂
Thank you FLOTUS, I will see what I can do to so the veterans how much I appreciate them and what they do for our country.
New post
http://theobamadiary.com/2015/11/11/the-presidents-day-77/
Great job NW. Beautiful poem JOB.
Good evening and much love to our TOD Family Vets.
A beautiful, personal, heartfelt poem, JO’B. Thank you for sharing it.