President Leo L. B. Smith of Chapter 31, Vietnam Veterans of America, I accepted your invitation to commemorate Memorial Day at the Final Approach monument.

Sir, I am pleased to learn that this Memorial Day marks your 30th Anniversary as a chapter, starting operations in 1982. As your ceremony is the closest observance of Memorial Day to my home, I felt it fitting to stand, not as a member of your honor guards, but as an American who never served in the uniform of my country. I am son of two military service members, one lost in the previous summer. I am uncle to a young man who served with distinction upon the sands of Iraq. However, despite being registered with selective service since 1981, the call to serve arrived only as a voluntary invitation. It was good that I was welcome to still stand bareheaded as seven men in crisp khakis fired three rounds each in a twenty-one gun salute. I did not raise my hand in salute when the bugler sounded taps, as I was not trained to salute correctly. Instead, I chose to listen closely, paying my only fitting tribute, that of understanding attention. Thank you, Mr. President. If I am again the neighbor of your monument, I shall return next year.

With gratitude,
WW