Veteran's Day 2015

It has rolled around again. A day to thank and think of the men and women who have served their country in war and peace. Veteran's Day in the USA and Remembrance Day in Canada. The past two decades have seen conflicts all around the world and most Americans today, know someone personally who has served in one of the trouble spots. I say many times, Thank you and thank you.

"Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow of the man who leads that gains the victory." General George Patton

There will be parades today and special ceremonies. Government offices may be closed but there are many organizations that think of our veterans throughout the year. One of the projects our family supports is Wounded Warrior Project. There are local fundraisers we contribute to every year. Our former neighbor, a young man of only 24, suffered a serious foot injury in Afghanistan more than three years ago. He's still has some surgeries scheduled to improve his mobility. Our local branch of Wounded Warriors has helped him with his housing needs since his rehab and many medical procedures makes it impossible for him to hold a full time job. And there are many warriors out there with much more serious issues.  You can check the WWP site for events in your local area.

"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards."  Theodore Roosevelt

As the holiday seasons approach, I hope you find it in your heart to help out a veteran is some way. This is more than a day off work or a day to complain of no mail.

Do you support veteran's in any way? Are there veterans in your family or circle of friends?

I'm going to finish this day off by reading more short stories for the IWSG anthology. It would be so much easier if they all weren't so good!

Past and Future

Yesterday was Veterans Day here in the states. I always feel a sad mixture of pride in those who and are now serving, worry about those in harm's way currently, and loss at those who are gone. I miss my father more on Veterans Day than any other day of the year. Like many WWII vets, he seldom spoke of the war, but he lost friends there. And those that came home built something great. Hope you thought about those vets for at least a little while yesterday.

My daughter has been getting more blogging experience and wrote an interesting post about her trip into the Sahara. They were fortunate to be out on the sands when the first rain storm in seven years rolled through. I'm counting the days until she comes home. Skype isn't the same as sharing my desk with her while we keep each other from getting work done. Skype isn't finishing each other's sentences and laughing until we cry. Oops, there I go again.

Today, Pat Hatt is guesting on the IWSG Blog. I don't know what his topic is but I know it will be interesting and informative. Stop by and meet Pat if you don't know him already.

Did you know that the A to Z Challenge hosts run a blog all year long. On Thursday, they'll be introducing the new hosts for next year's challenge. Stop in tomorrow and meet them.

Some good news from my publisher. My latest science fiction romance, The Warrior and the Biologist, sold lights out on Amazon last month. She urged me to finish that next book so they could get into edits. Pressure.... but of the good kind. And in the way those things happen, all my other books had excellent months on Amazon as Warrior pulled them upward with it. Warrior has spent most of the past six weeks in the top 20 of science fiction romance. I would do a happy dance if I weren't so tired from raking leaves.

Did you do anything special for Veterans Day? Do you know Pat Hatt? Do you follow the A to Z blog throughout the year? Have any 'good' writing pressure lately?

A Few Good Men

I've always loved Veteran's Day. When I was a child and lived a bit north of where I am now, I always marked it as the day we would definitely have snow by. Now that I'm old enough to not love snow quite so much, I don't care about that marker. Now I love the holiday for what it is. A time to thank and remember those who have served the country.

Please check out my post on IWSG blog about ways we can honor them and support some great causes. My father has been gone for almost twenty years. He died a relatively young man after his second bout of cancer. Cancers I really believe resulted from his service in Japan after the bombs. Like so many men of his time, he signed up after Pearl Harbor and went off to defend his home and the young wife he left behind. I'm so grateful he came back.

My dad on the right

My father never spoke of the war except when he was with his older brother, who had also served. My uncle was a hero at the Battle of the Bulge and had many medals. My father and uncle never attended church though they were both very religious men. My uncle would visit my dad on Sunday mornings when everyone else was at church. Except for a little girl who would pretend she was sick every once in a while so she could stay home and listen to their stories. They were amazing remembrances of heroism, fear and the true chaos of war.

We're often told to write what we know. I know I've met real heroes. Men who fought because they must. If I could capture the humble tones in their voices as they spoke of bravery, regret and sorrow and the true costs of war, I'm sure I would be a bestseller. If I could write of such heroes, farmers, factory workers, family men, who risked everything to fight, what a book that would be.

How do you honor on this day? Have you met real heroes? Did you visit IWSG yet?

Please take an extra moment today to visit Kyra Lennon. Many of you have heard of the passing of Andrew, fellow blogger, Nick Wilford, stepson. Kyra is organizing a way to honor Andrew during this difficult time for the family.

Thank You

From FB

Today, let's salute all those who have served our country in the armed services. My father was a WWII vet.  He dropped out of high school and joined up as soon as he was old enough. Like so many of the brave men who left home behind to protect their families and country after Pearl Harbor, he's passed on from this life.  I miss him everyday.

From FB

In our modern world, somethings about war have changed but one thing has stayed the same.  There are still brave men and women doing all they can to protect their country and families.  They're far from home, under lots of stress and in my opinion, underpaid.  They're heroes. I hope we all remember that today.

Thank you, veterans, for what you've done and the sacrifices you've made.