Memorial Day

It is Memorial Day this weekend. Time to fly the flags for all the Veterans. Our little town puts up hundreds of them in the city park and it is quite a sight to see. They also put crosses and flags on every Veterans grave in the local cemetery. This is the 3rd year my husband has been in the cemetery for Memorial Day. I have decorated his grave beautifully as I want everyone to know how much we all loved him. There will lots of traffic that day and I hope people drive sanely and safely.

Fun on the Holiday Weekend

We attended church on Sunday and honored our living Veterans as well as those who have passed on before. Then Monday we were invited out to our grandson's acreage for a big BBQ. We had never been there yet so it was neat to see all their buildings, chickens and big home. The kids had a great time playing outside as the sun came out and it was very windy so wasn't really terribly hot.

This was only one of the activities they had for the great grandkids. They also had a water spray to play in and a huge swing set. We all had lots of wonderful food and a good time was had by all.

Online Military Degrees

Being in the Military does not need to stop you from getting a degree or completing a degree you may have started. Perhaps you would like to advance higher in the Military and getting a degree is what you need. I didn't know that you could get online military degrees and perhaps you didn't either. There are schools that even offer discounts to both men in the Military now and Veterans. Veterans may have educational benefits they earned in the service and may be able to use it toward their tuition. There is much information on the Internet and it would really pay to look into it if you are interested in getting your degree while in the Military or perhaps you have just left the Military.

Band Launches Drive

The Dave Matthews Band is urging fans to push Congress to do more to ensure that U.S. troops coming home traumatized by combat get the help they need. This is certainly a most worthy cause. A petition on the Band's Website has 23,000 signatures so far. The Pentagon and Congress are reviewing possible changes in the military's much criticized mental health system. A task force, last month, found that more than one-third of troops and veterans suffer from problems such as traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Walter Reed Hospital

Last week it was decided that Walter Reed Hospital was no longer worth fixing. It has shoddy outpatient conditions and is no longer a worthwhile hospital. They blame alot of it on Pentagon neglect and money woes. An Independent Review Group did urge a quick infusion of money to relieve short-term problems. America has always taken care of its wounded and this is a shame. An independent group said that the Defense Department should have been aware or was aware of the widespread problems at the hospital and neglected them. Because of this, the hospital is scheduled for eventual closure. To top it off, the Pentagon made problems even worse by ordering a hold-down on costs and expenses, even as the hospital is experiencing an influx of thousands of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.