Thread: Powerful, I had to pass this on

I got this in an email today. I thought it spoke volumes and had the need to share it, after my eyes dried. Thank you to all my veteran friends.


>
> A great belated veteran's day message!!
>
> As I came out of the supermarket that sunny day,
> pushing my cart of groceries towards my car,
> I saw an old man with the hood of his car up
> and a lady sitting inside the car, with the door
> open.
>
> The old man was looking at the engine.
> I put my groceries away in my car, and
> continued to watch the old gentleman from
> about twenty five feet away.
>
> I saw a young man in his early twenties with
> a grocery bag in his arm walking towards
> the old man. The old gentleman saw him
> coming too, and took a few steps towards him.
>
> I saw the old gentleman point to his open hood
> and say something. The young man put his
> grocery bag into what looked like a brand new
> Cadillac Escalade. He then turned back to the
> old man. I heard him yell at the old gentleman
> saying:
>
> "You shouldn't even be allowed to drive a car at
> your age." And then with a wave of his hand,
> he got in his car and peeled rubber out of the
> parking lot.
>
> I saw the old gentleman pull out his handkerchief,
> and mop his brow as he went back to his car and
> again looked at the engine.
>
> He then went to his wife and spoke with her;
> he appeared to tell her it would be okay.
> I had seen enough, and I approached the old man.
> He saw me coming and stood straight, and as
> I got near him I said, 'Looks like you're having
> a problem.'
>
> He smiled sheepishly, and quietly nodded his head.
> I looked under the hood myself, and knew that
> whatever the problem was, it was beyond me.
> Looking around, I saw a gas station up the road,
> and I told the old man that I would be right back.
> I drove to the station and I went inside. I saw three attendants working on cars. I approached one of
> them, and related the problem the old man had
> with his car. I offered to pay them if they could
> follow me back down and help him.
>
> The old man had pushed the heavy car under the
> shade of a tree and appeared to be comforting
> his wife When he saw us he straightened up and
> thanked me for my help. As the mechanics
> diagnosed the problem (overheated engine),
> I spoke with the old gentleman.
>
> When I shook hands with him earlier, he had
> noticed my Marine Corps ring and had commented
> about it, telling me that he had been a Marine too. I nodded and asked the usual question,
> 'What outfit did you serve with?'
>
> He had mentioned that he served with the first
> Marine Division at Tarawa, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Guadalcanal ...
>
> He had hit all the big ones and retired from the
> Corps after the war was over. As we talked we
> heard the car engine come on and saw the
> mechanics lower the hood. They came over to
> us as the old man reached for his wallet, but
> was stopped by me. I told him I would just put
> the bill on my AAA
> card.
>
> He still reached for the wallet and handed me a
> card that I assumed had his name and address
> on it and I stuck it in my pocket. We shook hands
> all around again, and I said my goodbye's to
> his wife.
>
> I then told the two mechanics that I would follow
> them back up to the station. Once at the station,
> I told them that they had interrupted their own
> jobs to come along with me and help the old man.
> I said I wanted to pay for the help, but they
> refused to charge me.
>
> One of them pulled out a card from his pocket,
> looking exactly like the card the old man had
> given to me. Both of the men told me then that
> they were Marine Corps Reserves. Once again
> we shook hands all around and as I was leaving,
> one of them told me I should look at the card
> the old man had given to me. I said I would and
> drove off.
>
> For some reason I had gone about two blocks,
> when I pulled over and took the card out of my
> pocket and looked at it for a long, long time.
> The name of the old gentleman was on the
> card in golden leaf and under his name was written: 'Congressional Medal of Honor Society.'
>
> I sat there motionless, looking at the card and
> reading it over and over. I looked up from the
> card and smiled to no one but myself and
> marveled that on this day, four Marines had all
> come together because one of us needed help.
> He was an old man all right, but it felt good to
> have stood next to greatness and courage,
> and an honor to have been in his presence.
> Remember, OLD men like him gave you
> FREEDOM for America. Thanks to those who
> served and still serve, and to all of those who
> supported them, and who continue to support
> them.
>
> America is not at war. The U.S. Military is at war. America is at the Mall.
> If you don't stand behind our troops,
> PLEASE feel free to stand in front of them!
> Remember, Freedom IS NOT free.
> Thousands have paid the price, so you
> can enjoy what you have today.
> LET'S DO THIS - JUST 19
> WORDS:
> GOD OUR FATHER, WALK THROUGH MY
> HOUSE AND TAKE AWAY ALL MY WORRIES;
> AND PLEASE WATCH OVER AND HEAL MY
> FAMILY; AND PLEASE PROTECT OUR
> FREEDOMS, AND WATCH OVER OUR TROOPS,
> ‘WHO ARE DEFENDING THOSE FREEDOMS.
> AMEN.
>
> This prayer is so powerful.

The `Canal`...Bloody Saipan. Terrible Tarawa. Iwo Jima where "...uncommon heroics were a common occurence." The 1st Marine Division by the war`s end had had ALL of it`s original members wounded, killed or replaced due to tropical illnesses, and simple combat fatigue save for 38 out of a total strength of the approx. 4,600 Marines who 1st went on the offensive and went ashore on Aug 7th 1942 in the Solomon Islands. Keep in mind by war`s end the 1st Marine Division had over 6,000 men. 38...The other Marine Divisions suffered just as badly...Pelielu, Okinawa, Makin, Betio...otherwise God forsaken but at that time immediately strategically and tactically critical locations like the "Sugar Loaf" "Meat Grinder", "the Knob", "Carnage Corner" Hill 281...places that made modern horror films just pale in comparision and each and every 1 of them paid for literally with hundreds of lives of young Marines and their Navy corpsmen along with thousands of others wounded in both body and in their minds...That was just in WW 2. There were and still are (to this date anyway) America`s "GREATEST Generation", without taking 1 iota from their just as dedicated and brave successors in Korea, Vietnam, Beirut, Grenada, the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan...