Pass The Quilt

I remember as a kid my grandpa would put on a funny hat and go walking to a Veterans meeting.  For some reason I still remember him accepting some recognition for service in the Armed Forces over in Balboa Park, but I never attended, and for that matter, never cared.  I was just a little selfish punk. 

He passed, and I can’t ask any questions I want to ask now.  Now, its excerpts in random war passages, and these videos that tell me a little bit of the story, but not in the man’s perspective I am only now interested in hearing.  I find it hard to believe a strong country who benefited from the sacrifice of men like my grandfather also cared little about their welfare after the fact, not even so much as recognizing this effort in the days, months, and years following the struggle for the Pacific.  It took nearly a half century, with a few living Veterans to hear it finally acknowledged on the senate floor. 

For all my benefits and the sacrifices made before me, I like the country I was born, am late in trying to make things right…a missed opportunity I am more keenly aware of as I learn more.