Enjoy Fresno parks this weekend
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
General Vang Pao
I am not one to go out of my way to see a celebrity. However, I was drawn to get a good view of General Vang Pao at Fresno's 90th Annual Veterans Day parade. I suppose I was caught up in the moment because of the legendary and controversial military history of General Pao. At any rate, I can add him to my very short list of celebrities I have seen. I was equally impressed, however, by the large number of Hmong soldiers who marched in the parade. Seeing them brought home the message that we do not go it alone in this world. We are all interconnected.
As the Hmong soldiers marched past me, I also thought of my father, who joined the U.S. Army during WWII . . . and he was not even a u.S. citizen at that time. He proudly served as a Scout in the Philippines and received a Purple Heart. Fortunately, he was only shot in the leg. Although he died when I was only eight years old, I can remember his telling me to be thankful that I was born in America and to always be proud to be an American.
Why aren't all veteran's given a paid holiday on THEIR day?
I had to go alone to the 90th Annual Fresno Veterans Day parade this year. My husband had to work. He's a veteran, and I am not. It seemed so unfair. He and countless other veterans are supposed to be honored on Veterans Day. I know that some small business owners might not be able to give a paid holiday to their workers, but how about at least granting them a flexible schedule to attend activities meant to honor their service?
As I watched the parade, people all around me were shouting to service men and women, "Thank you for your service!" I could not help but think what a shame it was that my husband was not able to share in that joy. There is a comraderie among veterans that is deep and unspoken. A shared pain that the rest of us can never completely understand.
I am so thankful to and proud of our military, past and present. They sacrifice for us all. They do what most of us cannot. That is, they accept the task of going anywhere, under any circumstances, to do whatever is necessary to ensure that we can all feel secure in our homeland. Because they do their duty, we do not encounter tanks and soldiers on our streets, nor do we have to show documents at checkpoints or worry that we will be caught out after curfew. We live our lives freely and out in the open.
Thank you to our military men and women. May God bless them and keep them safe!
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