Foto Friday. . .Veterans Day

Do you all know what today is? Don’t cheat and look at the blog title! Yep, it’s Veterans Day! Woohoo! ! !
I LOVE the military! I don’t know if I’ve shared this or not but I grew up in a Navy family. My father was in the Navy and retired after 21.5 years. I moved about 7 times before I was 12 years old! (And I wouldn’t trade it for anything!)
I grew up on/near the base. We had Navy fighter jets flying overhead all the time! Air shows were a regular part of my life! I vaguely remember the USS John F Kennedy, aircraft carrier, that my dad was on (because I was so young) but I do remember that I DID NOT like it, at the time, because it always took my dad away. But he always came back. . .and he always brought me a surprise! woohoo! (I love the Kennedy now. . .she’s a beautiful ship!)
When we were stationed in Brunswich, Maine, my dad was part of a VP squadron. He would always leave on patrol and would be gone for about 3-5 months at a time. My mom would take my brother and me out of school to see our dad off. . .of course, it would always upset me. Afterwards, we would go get donuts and I would place a chocolate Dunkin’ Donuts munchkin in our freezer and save it for my dad when he got back. Now remember, my dad would be gone for 3-5 months at a time. . .I don’t remember EVER seeing my dad eat that donut when he got back! LOL!
Did I go into the Navy? No. I really wanted to be a Naval Aviator but during my junior year in high school, I got glasses, so that kind of prevented me from flying. But that’s okay, the Lord led me in another direction!
Here’s a photo of my dad! He’s on the right about to shake the officer’s hand.
When my dad retired from the Navy, he gave my brother and me a set of his wings.
Here’s a view of the wall I face every day in the office. Just over my monitor, I see Uncle Sam!

Did you know that yesterday was the 236 birthday of our United States Marine Corps?
Did you also know that the United States Navy is celebrating the Centennial of Naval Aviation.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORS0aOB1gEU&feature=player_embedded#!]
So, to ALL the brave men and women of our military, past and present, THANK YOU for your service and THANK YOU for your sacrifice! And to the families of our military service men and women, THANK YOU!
And THANK YOU dad for you service too!