Memorial Day, 2018.

Once again, Memorial Day is upon us.

Nothing to say that I haven’t said before in my first Memorial Day post, Decoration Day, way back in 2007, and my last, Broken Record and Then Some, just last year.

But, hey, there’s always something more to say…

The other day, while waiting at DFW for my plane to Boston, I was sitting next to a fellow with a very sweet-looking service dog (a Golden) from an organization that provides them to wounded vets. I asked if I could pet him (the dog, not the fellow). I didn’t get the guy’s name, but the dog’s name was Ross.)

Ross’ human companion was fine with it, so I patted Ross’ head and scratched his ears, and we – Ross’ human companion and I, not me and Ross - ended up chatting a bit.

Although he was in his thirties and had already been in the service, Ross’ human companion joined up after 9/11. He ended up in Iraq and got his knee blown away by an IED. Years later, and after serious time logged at Walter Reed, he was doing okay. But that knee didn’t flex all that well.

Anyway, Ross’ human companion had a tattoo on his arm that said First Cav (Cavalry), and I asked, “the guys who wear the cowboy hats?” (I was flashing back to the Robert Duvall character in Apocalypse Now, the classic Vietnam War film from back in the 70’s. Which is no surprise, since everything I know about war – pick a war, any war – I learned from books, television, and movies.)

I was a bit embarrassed, but Ross’ human companion just laughed. “We call them Stetsons.” He then pulled up the sleeve of his other arm and showed me a tatt that looked something like this.

Ross and his human companion were called for pre-board, and that was that.

Here’s this year’s picture of the flags on Boston Common. These are placed each year at this time to commemorate the lives of all those from Massachusetts who’ve lost their lives fighting in an American war – good war, bad war; just war, stupid war; wars without end, amen – since the Revolution.

On this Memorial Day, here’s hoping that no one as crazy and amped up as the Robert Duvall character in Apocalypse Now amps us into yet another war. E.g., by writing things like this to, say, a North Korean despot, “You talk about nuclear capabilities, but ours are so massive and powerful that I pray to God they will never have to be used.” We really don’t need any more guys in cowboy hats Stetsons getting their kneecaps – or worse – blown up and out, let alone what the outcome would be if the nuclear dogs of war are unleashed.

Happy Memorial Day to all those who made it back alive. (And to their service pups, too.)