I received this from member Emo, one of my most favorite HCVets friends. She and I have a bond of being AF brats and know TAC intimately. TAC stands for Tactical Air Command and encompasses fighter aircraft, not the B-52 milk trucks.

Here are some poignant pictures of the beach next to the pier in Santa Barbara. That’s in California (not Mexico) for all you geographically challenged Chicagoans. Apparently a cadre of Vets sets this up every weekend and takes it down too.  One or more Vets stand guard overnight to prevent anyone from vandalizing it. It definitely left a lump in my throat.

Even though we were treated like scum and called all number of names when we came home from Vietnam, it does my heart good to see we are finally getting the respect that should come with the territory. Never have so many done so much for so little remuneration or accolades.

It makes me wish I lived in Santa Barbara so I could either help with the logistics or at least visit it and see it with my own eyes. It’s a very powerful visual-of that no one can deny.

George Washington had this to say in 1789.

The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to as to how they see Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by this country.

If we continue to break that trust and abrogate the promises made by prior administrations, one day we will wake up to find no one willing to defend our shores. I expect Canada will simultaneously experience a tremendous population explosion.

America is great for one reason and one reason only. We’re the biggest kid on the block. When other nations perceive an unwillingness on our part to be the biggest and the strongest force for good, then we will find ourselves in deep doo-doo.

AMEN