Memorial Day, a day we as a nation, have set aside to honor and remember the soldiers who gave their lives in battle for their country and fellow man. Unfortunately, to the average Joe or Jenny, it seems to have been turned into just another long weekend holiday.
The difference between Veteran's Day, a day of celebrating the service of our fellow man, and Memorial Day, a day to honor and recognize those who paid the ultimate sacrifice might actually have some common ground. The line has been blurred by many who went in harm's way and lost some part of themselves.
My dad served in Patton's 3d army – 4th Armored Division. It was a tough outfit with many presidential citations. They prided themselves with the fact they had no nickname, being part of the 4th Armored was “Name Enough” as they served as the spearhead division. However, in that tough unit there were many casualties that didn’t involve physical death. Dad called it “shell shocked” casualties. These men were so mentally injured due to battle fatigue or shock injury they were not functional as soldiers.
In our business we had a couple of vets who suffered from PTSD. The horrors of Vietnam and the Gulf War did its damage to a part of what made these men whole and left this vital part of them on the battlefield.
My friend Jim Murphy, Murph, worked in the farm equipment business for a couple of companies and was respected in total by all who met him. He was a man's man. I rode with him to a company dealer meeting in Kansas City. To keep from getting in too much trouble I suggested we go to the new movie Platoon, a Vietnam war movie on a free night. About halfway through the movie I saw Murph bent over with his head between knees. I asked if he was alright and was answered with a thumbs up from a man with tears in his eyes.
What no one knew, I found out later that night, was a part of ole Murph, that he had hid, died in a tunnel in the highlands of Vietnam. He was a “tunnel rat.”
We should highly honor all of these men and women, especially the ones who gave all, but also the ones who lost a part of their lives in a battle somewhere in a place most of us will never know or understand. Sadly, today not only the armed services have to defend us but also the police and fire departments as those who hate our way of life have brought battles to us, on our soil. May those who paid part or all of their life be honored by us who enjoy the results of their sacrifices, whatever the degree. Because of them we live in the most free and blessed nation on earth.
God Bless us all and we pray for the day there will be no more battlefields and loss of precious life in part or in whole.
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Told from the perspective of an in-the-trenches owner/operator — Tim Brannon of B&G Equipment, Paris, Tenn. — Equipment Dealer Tips, Tales & Takeaways shares knowledge, experiences and tips/lessons with fellow rural equipment dealerships throughout North America. Covering all aspects required of an equipment dealership general manager, Brannon will inform, entertain and provide a teachable moment for current — and future — leaders within equipment dealerships. |
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