"The song begins. Wallace tries to stand tall." I hear it, I see it, I feel it. Darn it, Justin, you made me cry again! The utter horror and total futility of war. Humans are a strange race, are we not? We can't seem to learn... Thank you for touching me this morning.
Beautifully written story!! I felt like I was at a the auditorium. It reminded me of the Good Morning programs when you were in Elementary school..Thank you to all of our Veterans!! Love ya son 💙
Evening cup of coffee?!?! I guess if you could sleep in the jungles of ‘Nam, you can sleep anywhere!!
Seriously though, what a beautiful story Justin. We need to give back to these people as best as we can. I have an uncle who is messed up from agent orange when he should be enjoying his golden years with his grandkids.
Hahaha! I come from a long line of evening coffee drinkers (or anytime coffee drinkers). 🤣 I know, it’s probably far from normal.
Thanks so much, Clancy. I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment. Collectively we don’t honor or look out for these individuals as much as we should.
Thank you so much, my friend. It’s good to hear from you. I’m sorry for being relatively quiet on here the past couple months…struggling to find my footing! Hope all is well with you and your family.
Wonderful story. So many of us have childhood memories of auditoriums. This was like seeing that same auditorium so vividly through someone’s else’s eyes. It shifts your perspective deeply and in a way that’s needed.
Beautifully written story! This line in particular stuck out to me: "Despite his best efforts, he’s nothing more than a gnarled, crooked tree in this grove of promise." Great work.
Beautiful, sad, inspiring...I have a dear friend who was a lifetime Marine, and served in Vietnam. It never leaves him. Tears still come when he remembers his fallen brothers. Although I have my feelings about war, I respect, and am grateful, for the men and women who served, and are still serving, because war is hell, and they need, and deserve our support, when they return. This is a beautiful story for this holiday, in which we pay tribute to them. Thank you, Justin, for telling it so well.
Thank you for your thoughtful and beautiful words, Sharon. 🙏 I share your beliefs and hope that collectively we can do more to support our veterans in the years to come.
Beautifully rendered story, Justin. I liked that you didn't mention the name of the song. It was obvious, but you let actions define the moment. The juxtaposition of Wallace's flashback and the students in the front row revealed his touching motive for standing: to honor his comrades in arms and to inspire the youngsters.
Thank you for the positive feedback regarding the story, K.C. And thanks so much for that very kind note as well. I’m happy you liked and appreciated the story! 🙏
"The song begins. Wallace tries to stand tall." I hear it, I see it, I feel it. Darn it, Justin, you made me cry again! The utter horror and total futility of war. Humans are a strange race, are we not? We can't seem to learn... Thank you for touching me this morning.
We sure are, Sharron. I’m convinced we’ll never learn. I appreciate your kindness and words more than you know!
Twas napalm to the trunk and burned fox holes . Heads down. Incoming.
I was told of the same terror by friends who made it back alive.
Beautifully written story!! I felt like I was at a the auditorium. It reminded me of the Good Morning programs when you were in Elementary school..Thank you to all of our Veterans!! Love ya son 💙
💜
Anyone who has an easy answer to 'what is patriotism?' probably isn't thinking very hard.
Evening cup of coffee?!?! I guess if you could sleep in the jungles of ‘Nam, you can sleep anywhere!!
Seriously though, what a beautiful story Justin. We need to give back to these people as best as we can. I have an uncle who is messed up from agent orange when he should be enjoying his golden years with his grandkids.
Hahaha! I come from a long line of evening coffee drinkers (or anytime coffee drinkers). 🤣 I know, it’s probably far from normal.
Thanks so much, Clancy. I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiment. Collectively we don’t honor or look out for these individuals as much as we should.
💜Grateful, as always, for your thought-provoking stories, Justin. Hope all is well in your world.
Thank you so much, my friend. It’s good to hear from you. I’m sorry for being relatively quiet on here the past couple months…struggling to find my footing! Hope all is well with you and your family.
Wonderful story. So many of us have childhood memories of auditoriums. This was like seeing that same auditorium so vividly through someone’s else’s eyes. It shifts your perspective deeply and in a way that’s needed.
Thank you so much for reading and for the thoughtful commentary, Sheridan. I really appreciate it! 🙏
Beautifully written story! This line in particular stuck out to me: "Despite his best efforts, he’s nothing more than a gnarled, crooked tree in this grove of promise." Great work.
Thanks so much for reading and for the kind note, Michael! I really appreciate it!
Beautiful, sad, inspiring...I have a dear friend who was a lifetime Marine, and served in Vietnam. It never leaves him. Tears still come when he remembers his fallen brothers. Although I have my feelings about war, I respect, and am grateful, for the men and women who served, and are still serving, because war is hell, and they need, and deserve our support, when they return. This is a beautiful story for this holiday, in which we pay tribute to them. Thank you, Justin, for telling it so well.
Thank you for your thoughtful and beautiful words, Sharon. 🙏 I share your beliefs and hope that collectively we can do more to support our veterans in the years to come.
A fine tribute to our vetrans. Well done, Justin.
Very much appreciated, Mark. Thank you!
Beautifully rendered story, Justin. I liked that you didn't mention the name of the song. It was obvious, but you let actions define the moment. The juxtaposition of Wallace's flashback and the students in the front row revealed his touching motive for standing: to honor his comrades in arms and to inspire the youngsters.
Thank you for the positive feedback regarding the story, K.C. And thanks so much for that very kind note as well. I’m happy you liked and appreciated the story! 🙏
Such a beautiful, well told story, Justin. Thanks for sharing it!
Thank you for the kind words and for reading, Brian!
Very moving. Thank you for sharing and thanks to Veterans
Thank you for reading, Zoe!
Touching.