To My Classmates Who Served in the Military
Posted Saturday, November 9, 2013 12:16 AM

To My Classmates Who Served in the Military
Posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010 05:40 AM from 64.12.116.13 

 
To My Classmates Who Served in the Military:
 
A strong feeling of pride and gratitude to those who served our country, and helped preserve our democracy, filled my heart recently at a local gym here in S. Florida.  That day,  I was early for Zumba, that's a cardio class  featuring contemporary dance music and steps.  We were waiting for the instructor when I turned to my gym buddy, a lady who is a physician, and asked if the girl on that horrific Time Magazine cover would be able to have reconstructive  surgery to her face.  She said yes, there's been efforts to do so since the publication.  The doctor and I agreed that if we lived in a Taliban- controlled  country, or other oppressive regimes,  we'd be  arrested for attending this class.  Some of the dances can be viewed as daring,  like Lady Gaga's Telephone  or Shakira'sWaka Waka.
 
Alycia, our teacher, began the routines and we got busy moving around the floor.  After class, images of oppression elsewhere and our freedom here criss- crossed my mind.  I know that as a woman, I might not be able to enjoy the privileges and rights I do here in many parts of the world:  having an education, holding a job outside the home  for example.   I've long been grateful for our way of life, but a small thing like attending a gym class can bring the thoughts home in a new way. 
 
 
Like many others, I was moved by the salute to former military classmates at our high school reunion in August,  and saw the additional words posted on that site since then.  I want to add my opinion to the statement that too many people don't understand the honor today.   Upon reflection, I think people do now.  In addition,  I considered the information on the page in numerical terms. 
 
Let's revisit the site:
 
the pages, as presented by Roger Goyette,
contain  81 names representing the five branches of the service.
Skimming the histories in the military page:
 about  31  US states mentioned, multiple cities
 25 countries listed  (I may have missed a fact or two)
about twenty different service ranks earned
average time of service is about four years...
calculating four years as 365 days x  4 x 24 hours that's a commitment of 1,460 days.
 35,040  hours.
  Oh, there's more:
considering the miles  from Miami to Saigon (Ho Chi Ming City) is 15, 878 miles, one can estimate the mileage covered by our military peers. 
Reading the vignettes, our boys and a lady zig- zagged the country and the globe.  Just consider 3,000 miles to California from Boston..  Tallying it all up,  it approximates the distance from Earth to Mars,  55 million miles.  Impressive, isn't it?
 
But how can one analyze the human commitment in terms of pain, suffering, loneliness, deferred dreams, or damaged lives?  Being a perpetual optimist, I have to look at the other side, the brighter picture maybe as experience gained, new skills, close friends, perhaps educational  or business opportunities, and plain fun to balance out the sacrifice. 
 
I know that we Americans have the best standard of living in our planet.  More than that, I know that many countries and governments don't allow ordinary citizens, to enjoy the liberty, education and freedom we take for granted today and for that, I thank you. 
 
Sincerely,
Maria O. de Melo Gulla

RE: To My Classmates Who Served in the Military
Posted Monday, September 13, 2010 02:22 PM from 71.232.242.77 

Maria,

Great job! Unfortunately, I think you are the exception more than the rule.  In my opinion, many Americans take everything they have, as far as their freedom, for granted. Many of today's kids don't have military service very high up on their list of things to do. Over the years I think joining the military has somehow become a negative thing. I know many parents who say "I don't want my child joining and going and getting killed", even if the kid himself or herself wants to join.

Let me stress, I am not saying ALL parents and kids feel this way. I'm just saying many do.

Even after 45 years, I would not trade the four years I spent in the US Navy for anything and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The things I learned, the people I served with and the feeling of camaraderie is something that will be with me forever.

God bless those who have served, are serving and will serve.

Later,
Karl