OTHER TIMES AND PLACES
(….from a camera’s eye glimpse of one)

It’s Armed Forces Day, 2012, just a few weeks short of our traditional Memorial Day observances for those fallen in the service of our country.

Coming across a long forgotten camera’s eye glimpse of other times and places, commemorating this day, it’s a reminder that this is not just about those who are serving us today, but also, about those hardly ever mentioned or praised on this occasion….their families.

While in this instance the image we see is that of a long past happy moment in time for such a family, it’s also a reflection of an unvoiced, unstated reality that such moments are, more often than not, few and far between for them.

It’s the nature of the –Armed Service- beast to have its imperatives unavoidably burden service families with long bouts of separation, and loneliness from the insecurities and stresses of a gypsy-like life of moving from one posting to the next, often enduring penury, if not want, in the process; and, much, much too often, the shattering loss and grief for a loved one who will never return to them….which no amount of solemn ceremony or flag-gifting (from a grateful nation) can ever really overcome.

So while it is proper to set aside such a day like this for those actively serving our country, perhaps it would be more fitting to also honor their families, those truly unsung heroes on the sidelines, proudly there, smiling, cheering, and waving at their serving one and only who, in parade today, comes marching by.

CENTURION