Joyce and I made a trip to Walmart yesterday afternoon. We walked in and I saw an old character sitting on a bench in the entry/exit way. He had a navy ball cap atop his head which showed his ship’s name, which I cannot remember. The ship was an old fleet oiler. The old man had an oxygen tank beside him and his gray hair and scruffy face showed he did not shave often these days.
Now that I’m an old fart and ex-navy myself, I stop, shake hands and thank every other old fart who served in any branch of service. They appreciate it and I think they deserve a bid of thanks. We started swapping sea stories about underway refueling operations and were having a good time when another ex-sailor, a young pup, barely 40 years-old stopped, introduced himself, shook hands and said he was a destroyer sailor and a signalman. He departed and shortly after that the old man’s daughter and ride home came by to escort him on his way.
It’s Memorial Day weekend and there are a lot of old vets out there. If you see one with a ball cap from any branch of service, you might just tell them thanks for their service. To those of you who get this post and were in service, I tip my navy cap to you and bid you thanks for your service. If you are in Branson this weekend you’ll see a lot of them down there.
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