Veterans Day

Today's Times, in the Home Fires section, is running a piece titled "Lives During Wartime". It's a compilation of memories submitted by veterans or their families and friends. All of them are interesting, some chilling, some humorous, some remarkable at capturing raw of emotion of war. One of the more vivid pieces was submitted by veteran Brandon Cato and I wanted to share it here:

"It is, I feel, an impossible dream to reconcile these two periods — the before and the after — torn by a fissure of violent exposure that has since been filled in with oceans of time. The presence of an unnatural sternness, a departure of the whimsical self and an ingrained sense of suspicion that will, by default, assume the worst of people. In the wake of the war I am alive, if not unshaken, and grateful for every breath I take." --Brandon Cato

Brandon's pic and post, along with the other posts, can be found here: http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/10/l … ef=opinion


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  • Probably few people realize that Veterans Day is actually a day commemorating the heroism of our soldiers during World War I. I think it's always good to remember that long-ago sacrifice as well. World War I is now an overshadowed tragedy.
    BearinFW 11/12/2013 12:45 AM
  • As a follow-up in the same theme, while watching CBS national news on TV this evening there was a piece about two former West Point graduates who are now in the processing of compiling a crowd sourced book. The two men have asked veterans to submit their war experiences in six words and the book will be titled "Six Word War". Some of the pieces read like an abbreviated haiku--all are interesting. One of my favorite submissions: "They hit our ice cream? Bastards!"

    Other submissions and the website found here: http://www.sixwordwar.com/archive
    furball 11/11/2013 11:01 PM