Yesterday was Veterans Day and I was touched by several things. It was raining and so I didn't go to the HS track and walk but instead walked on the treadmill. When I exercise at home I wait till at least 8 so I can watch part of the today show. They had a segment on mothers who had lost sons in the Iraq/Afghanistan war in the last year and were buried at Arlington National Cemetery. It was so touching to learn of the hopes and dreams of these men through their moms eyes and how they met at the cemetery.
There are over 300,000 soldiers buried there. Go
here for some interesting facts about Arlington.
Of course I was crying by the end and thinking of my own son who has been a solider in Iraq and has only one more day before he is reunited with his wife Lia and two girls Nadia and Bianca. How I wish I could be their to see that reunion and to know he is out of harms way.
Then on Jay Leno last night he had John McCain on. He was so funny and very gracious about his defeat and so supportive of Obama. He said no one wants to see a sore looser and that he had this incredible journey of seeing places and meeting people he would of never known. He is looking forward to going back to the senate and working for this country. The audience was mostly made up of military people and the last thing Jay asked he was what he would want to say to these people and veterans. He told the story which I have heard before of when he was in the prison camp. I have copied the full story that he gave last night.
Sen. John McCain: "Just about every day, but especially on Veterans Day, I think of a guy I was in prison with a long time ago. For a few years we were in Hanoi and prison camps in North Vietnam. They kept us in solitary confinement, two or three to a cell.
"They finally moved us into large cells, 20 or 25 prisoners in each cell. The guy that moved in with me was a guy named Mike Christian. Mike was from a small town near Selma, Ala.
"Very poor family. Enlisted in the Navy at age 17. Later became an A6 bombardier/navigator. Was shot down and captured.
"He loved this country. I moved in the same room with him. The uniform we wore in prison was blue, like, short-sleeved shirt, like, pajama trousers, and shoes -- sandals that were cut out of automobile tires.
"I recommend them highly. One pair lasted me five and a half years.
(Laughter.)
"Part of this change in treatment, they let us have some packages from home in which were small items -- some of us -- like a handkerchief or a scarf. He took his blue shirt, fashioned himself a bamboo needle, got a piece of white cloth, piece of red cloth, and sewed the American flag on the inside of his shirt.
"Every evening before we would have our bowl of soup, we would put his flag -- his shirt -- on the wall of the cell and pledge our allegiance to the country.
"It was an important part of our day.
"One day the Vietnamese came, searched the cell, found his shirt, removed it, came back that night -- and I'm telling it fast -- opened the door of the cell, called for him to come out, closed the door of the cell, and beat him very badly for a couple hours.
"Then they threw him back into the cell. The cell in which we slept had a concrete slab, light bulbs in all four corners, naked light bulbs. We cleaned Mike up as well as we could.
"I went over to lie down on the concrete and go to sleep. And I happened to look over in the corner of the cell, and underneath the lightbulb, with a piece of white cloth and a piece of red cloth and his bamboo needle, was Mike, with his eyes almost shut from the beating that he had received, sewing another American flag.
"He wasn't doing that for us. He was doing it for his country. He wasn't doing it for himself. He was doing it for his country and our ability to pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.
"I'll never forget Mike Christian."
Of course I was crying and realizing how blessed I am to live in this country and how I take my freedom for granted sometimes. I am grateful to all who serve and have served in the military to protect our freedom.
