Veteran's Day

In honor of Veteran's Day, here are a couple of quick vet stories and salutes.

My husband was in Afghanistan shortly after September 11.  There was not a base yet and there were certainly no facilities.  He called me (yeah, color me happy when I get a call that he is leaving Kuwait and heading to Afghanistan -- I called in ALL of my favors with the universe to get him home safely.  I will never pay off that debt) and wanted me to send him a sleeping bag since the AF issued ones were not designed for the Himalayas.

I know nothing about sleeping bags or camping {seriously, I have an enormous mortgage, why would I sleep outside?}  However, I know when to outsource my decision-making so off I toodle to REI.  They know everything about outdoor stuff {random side note:  this summer I went to Africa and needed shoes to trek for gorillas in Rwanda.  I went to REI and told them what I was doing.  The guy naively asked me "what kind of hiking boot do you have now?"  "Uhhh, I have some open toe kitten heels but that is about as rugged as I get, my friend."  They TOTALLY hooked me up and I happily trekked for gorillas blister-free}.

But back to Afghanistan, I tell the REI guy that I want a sleeping bag designed for the cold.  "How cold?"  "As in the Hima-flipping-layas cold."  He gives me this pathetically thin bag.  "You sure this is enough?"  "Yep, it is designed for extreme camping."  I have never heard a deployment to a war zone referred to as "Extreme Camping" {and why would anyone do that in the first place, I mean, really, this is why the Ritz Carlton was created.  We were not designed to sleep outside} but whatever.  So, me being me, I buy two of these bags.  Take no chances is my motto.

Sweetness gets these thin bags and assumes that I have bought them at Bed, Bath and Beyond on sale.  Not that I don't love my sales but there are times that a discount simply will not do.  So, into the sleeping bag he goes with a gazillion layers of clothes on.  About five minutes later, he is stripping off all the layers of clothes and sticking his feet out.  He sleeps so soundly that night that he snoozes through a rocket attack.  Yep, that is my baby. 

Random funny quickie:

BP, my bff's dad, is quite the personality.  I adore him but he is a bit of a curmudgeon.  For some unbeknownst reason, he went through boot camp for all four branches of the service.  I believe that Marine Corps was first, followed by Air Force.  While in AF boot camp, one of the drill sergeants asked him "What's a Marine doing in AF boot camp?"  BP's response "Taking a break."  Yep, that is BP at his finest. 

Why I will always have a crush on Jimmy Stewart (if only Gregory Peck/Atticus Finch had served, sigh): 

He left his Hollywood career to enlist in the Army Air Corps during WWII.  Yep he VOLUNTEERED.   Picture some Hollywood weenie of today doing that. 

So, a huge salute to all of our service men and women (past and present) who love their country enough to don a uniform for her.  And an equally large salute and my utmost respect to their family members who support them.  And a prayer of peace for those who made the utmost sacrifice.  May it not be in vain.