Veterans Day - Remember The Quiet Heroes

Ronald is 92 years old. All of the nurses love him because he always has something nice to say and he never complains. He is proud to still have his own teeth and loves chocolate covered peanuts so that is what I will take him when I visit him tomorrow. Sometimes he recognizes me, sometimes he doesn't. Most days he can't remember what he had for breakfast or which way to turn the wheelchair wheels to find his way back to his room. But he has vivid memories of World War 11.

He talks a lot about those days. He describes the beautiful ocean shores and the forests. He tells me stories of the kindness of the Japanese villagers he encountered. He laughs as he recounts the pranks he and his fellow soldiers would play on one another. He has funny anecdotes to share about the terrible cook and the absent minded sergeant.  He talks about the guys who made it back home, but he can't talk about the ones who didn't. He tells me only the good things. When I tell him he was brave he shakes his head, looks off in the distance and says "Nah. None of us were brave. We just said our prayers and tried to do our best."

Tomorrow we honor the ones who try to give their best.