What's It Mean To You?

 Of all the holiday's we go through every year, this last Monday in May is probably my favorite. Many people like to use it as a way to get away from work, go to the lake, watch a few ballgames or just sit back and relax. These are all good ways to think about Memorial Day and the beginning of summer but that's not what I think about when the last Monday in May rolls around on the calendar. It's become an annual ritual for me to chauffeur someone in Barnsdall's, Bigheart parade. This year I was graced with this years parade Marshall, Bob Henson. For me, it's always a thrill to get a veteran in my convertible and drive them through the streets as they give a big wave to the crowd as we pass by. Before our trek through Barnsdall began I got to chat with Bob for a bit. Always with an open ear to any historical facts from those that have lived it. I asked Bob some questions about his background. He was eager to reply with an answer and even throw in a few ad libs to make things more intriguing. He spoke of his early days in Barnsdall and about his graduating class. When asked about his military service he told me that he was 17 at the time he joined the Navy and served as a deck gunner on the USS Saratoga during WW II.

USS Saratoga , CV-3

  He recalled some of the times the Destroyers ( tin cans, he would call them) would scramble to protect the carrier from any torpedos. Bob would go on to say that when there was a threat, the tin cans would slide between the carrier and the enemy to take any torpedo that was meant for the carrier. He summed up our small chat with one last quip saying, we were a bunch of fellas out doing what we had to do, otherwise we would be speaking a different language.  I followed with "how right you are Bob". And with that said, we settled into the car and began our way into parade history. Over the many years of parades I've driven in and the many different people I've had the pleasure to meet, I always hold the veterans  close to my heart. The men and women of the armed forces know what Memorial Day is all about. They've seen the sacrifice first hand and when those veterans that are  willing to give you some insight on what they have witnessed and endured open up and speak. Listen up, for there will come a day when those veterans will pass away and with them the history of our nation and forefathers will be as a faded photo that we longingly want to understand. So what does Memorial Day mean to me? Drive by a cemetery and look at the flags placed beside every deceased veteran. They sacrificed all they had so their loved ones and all Americans could live in a free society. There is a price to pay, every day, to live the American way. Thanks Bob, and to all the veterans that have served. I appreciate your service. That's what Memorial Day means to me.