an open letter to our veterans

on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in a train car parked at a siding in versailles, france, a peace treaty was signed, putting an end to 'the war to end all wars.' what was hoped to ring in a bright future has been relegated to history. today we remember armistice or veterans day.

today, take the time to pause and reflect on the sacrifices of veterans of past and present wars, and remember, it is through their devotion to duty, love of country, and gift of life, that freedoms light has continued to shine, down those long 91 years.

today i want to say thank you. thank you for enduring the cold of bastogne, the po river valley, roberts ridge and the frozen hell of the chosin . the sweltering heat of guadalcanal, the a shau valley and the sunni triangle.

for the malaria, dysentery, pneumonia, trench foot, frost bite, gulf war syndrome and agent orange sickness you have suffered, thank you.

for all of the christmases, 4th of july barbecues, birthdays, anniversaries, first proms, football games missed, due to deployments or just field training exercises, thank you.

for putting up with the household goods lost in transit, during moves from one duty station to the next, the screwed up pay, the inadequate or unavailable family housing, thank you.

for friends made and lost during times many would say are better forgotten, thank you.

on veterans day remember this; every time you get in your car and take the kids to school, go to the store, work, the gym, a restaurant, it is because some young man or woman literally gave up everything they had for a certain period of time, and in some cases forever. all so that you can enjoy freedom and a standard of living that are the envy of the world.



~ But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for, Is their monument to-day, and for aye. ~ Thomas Dunn English

god bless don cherry

grandma and grandpa immigrated from canada. i was raised in a northern climate, where a trip to a foreign country cost 50 cents and took 5 minutes. the wait is much longer now and i need a passport.

i grew up watching hockey night in canada, complete with peter puck between periods, and so many lanny macdonald references you thought he never left the ice. for the last several years i have purchased nhl center ice, to entertain myself and the brood. i also get the nhl network, which includes hockey night in canada with all the pre-game and intermission stuff.




that means hockey broadcasting legend don cherry. grapes spent most of his career in the minors, (ahl) and made his name on tv, with his outrageous suits and unapologetic commentary. love him or hate him, his controversial style keeps people watching to see what's next.

This is a toned down Don Cherry look.

something i personally admire him for is his support for the troops. since the war, don has consistently recognized fallen canadian soldiers killed in the war on terrorism. tonight as the wings took on the leafs, it was no different.

in addition to the hockey hall of fame game, canada as well as the u.s. is remembering veterans day. 3 former wings; hull, robitaille and captian cup, stevie y were recognized in a special pregame introduction of this year's inductees. at the first intermission, during coaches corner, cherry reminded the viewers who the true hall of famers were, as the CBC and cherry took an estimated 2 full minutes to show the names and faces of canada's recent war dead.

this is a national broadcast, and watching is as much a cultural norm as placing ones hand over their heart during the nation anthem, fireworks on the 4th, and the evening news with walter kronkite used to be here in the states. think of the last time an american "co-anchor" on a major weekly broadcast did this. take your time, i'll give you all you want. can't come up with an example can you?

neither could i. don isn't one dimensional either. he regularly recognizes cops and firefighters killed in the line of duty, and kids who succumb to disease. and there is true emotion on display when he does this.

in a country that takes special measures to remember and celebrate her war veterans, cherry stands apart in my mind.





as an american of canadian lineage, i could not be prouder of the example you set. god bless you grapes.

p.s. 1/14/10 this is getting lots of traffic from north of the border. someone please leave me a note why. i figure grapes did something recently, but can't figure it out. thanks for stopping by.