The Charlie Bravo Story

Lest we forget…

I’ve always found it off-putting when someone says “Happy Memorial Day”; I know that they have the best of intentions, but it seems to me that a day of remembrance is not exactly a gala affair.

The first indication when I began posting that there might be something else to this endeavour besides a narcissistic dog was when I received a PM at 0230 from a vet, “your post just helped me through a PTSD episode” and I realized that there was a another layer to my mission. This is when the “no dog left behind” motto was coined, and I’ve always felt that there was an unexplained connection between my story and that of our serviceman.

Obviously, I’ve never been in the military, and certainly never been deployed, but a can relate on a very small level; when we come in off of a long trip, there is always a certain disjointed feeling, like “now what?”.
After the camaraderie and shared trials of the road, life at home can seem a bit claustrophobic; even though we can tell the stories and share the pictures, unless you shared the experiences first hand, it’s hard to feel reconnected.

I’ve always wanted to use my story to support our servicemen in some way, whether it be with raising funds for service dogs to return with their handlers or training dogs to alert to an impending PTSD episode, and still feel like something else is still “out there”, a need just waiting to present itself. “Service every need as it arises and you will find your ministry”.

Don’t get me wrong, I AM the Charlie Bravo, and I have no intention of moping around the house on this day of remembrance; dad and I are taking the motorcycle out to the Ouachita mountains for another adventure and who knows where that will lead. But no matter where we go or what we do, the memory of those that fell at Khe San, the Chosin, the Bulge, Normandy, Iwo Jima, Baghdad, or a million other hallowed pieces of scorched earth will never be far from our thoughts.

Semper Fidelis, James Russell Street and James Robert Hauss; we will never forget.

Join the discussion

  1. Luke Sherwood

    Having been forces, any Remembrance Day is poignant and another chance to remember those who we have lost, but it also helps us support those that are with us and that they to are remembered for all their dedication and strength.

  2. Sherry Ralph Jadrnak

    SEMPER FI! GO ARMY! (This military Mom’s house is divided into 2 strong branches!) Remember our Veterans!

  3. Sharon Loska

    Thank you for your post!

  4. Susan Bridge-Chan

    Respect from Australia to your fallen this Memorial Day.

  5. Hansi Schaffer Brittain

    Let’s not forget those who were exposed to agent orange in Vietnam and all the chemicals in Desert Storm and the current war who later succumbed to illnesses brought on by that exposure.

    • Linda Wright

      Heavenly Father, we ask Your Healing Power touch the vets who suffer from chemical poisoning due to their presence in American wars and conflicts as soliders of the country that the Pilgrims dedicated to You at their landing at Plymouth Rock, MA in 1620 from the Mayflower ship on their journey to our shores for religious freedom from the King of England.

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