Memorial Day Weekend: Keeping the Past in Our Hearts

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my dad, called RaRa for a long and complicated reason--in other words, that's a whole different blog post--- passed away this month. He was a fighter pilot who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. He flew everything from P-57s to F-4s to F-100s. He was the first test pilot for the Sabreliner jet. The original plane now hangs in the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. We've always celebrated the holiday by being together, listening to RaRa's stories, mixing tall tales of South Asia and North Africa with the scents of good old American Barbeque and frozen lemonade. This year, Memorial Day has a whole new meaning to me.

Whatever your political viewpoint, take today to consider the awesome contributions made by military personnel throughout our history. If you don't know a veteran, get to know one. In the writing business, the story is everything and our veterans are the storykeepers of some of the most important moments in our nation's history.

If you'd like to contribute to an organization that supports veterans and their families, check out the links below. Supporting veterans is not all about money. There are lots of ways to help:  donate your time, expertise, or energy to preserving our nation's history in the first person.

http://www.airforcememorial.org/

http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/

http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

http://nvf.org/

http://iava.org/

Here's to our veterans.


***Disclaimer:  Always check out a charity BEFORE you donate. Make sure your dollars are going to support the mission you intend to support. SCWW does not endorse any of the above charities.