One of the men at the reception had lost a leg in Afghanistan.  He came home, was fitted for a prosthesis and asked to be shipped back, so they sent him back.  A Marine with only one leg is still a Marine.  He went on to serve the country for over twenty years.  It is humbling to be in the presence of such men.

I have great fear concerning the situation in Iraq with Isis.  Somehow, evil has descended in an unprecedented way.  And the people there seem to be unable to stop it.   I lived through WW2 and the Nazis and this sounds just about as bad in the wholesale way that people are being killed and tortured.

Our hope is in God.  "In God We Trust."  In the meantime, pray for the leaders of our country.   I personally don't want any more dead Marines.  On the other hand, I am thankful for our armed services and all those who serve our country.

I always get a little (a lot) squishy on Veteran's day.  I want to hug them all.  And having the Marine Corps birthday on the tenth, then Veteran's day on the eleventh keeps me squishy for two days in a row.  I am not a cryer.  But I can't get through two days in a row without tears.  My son Scott is a Marine, and came under fire in Panama.  His first Sargent in that excursion saved Scott's life  by tackling him to the ground as rounds were fired over their heads.  Thank God for mercy.

Isaiah 2: 2b, 4b "…in the last days…the Lord's house shall be established…and all nations shall flow unto it…and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."

I personally can't wait.  I have lived under the fact of war--somewhere--my entire life.  And it has been personal--with Ken and both my sons volunteering to serve our country in the armed services.