From: niteshift@shaw.ca   
      
   One of the many things  that is great about being   
   a military brat is knowing how pervasive we are.   
      
   In my work, I've run into two military brats whose   
   fathers had not only served in the Armed Forces around   
   the same time as my father, but had been posted to the   
   same base as we had been.  In both cases, their fathers   
   had been posted to Griesbach at the same time that   
   my father had been.   Y'know, it can be quite an experience to casually   
   mention something to someone   
   and next thing  you know you're talking about  PMQ's,   
   Meat Heads, what it was like to live on a particular   
   base....well, you know what I mean.   
      
   In once instance, my colleague told me a story about   
   the time his father had taken the time and expense to   
   attend memorial services in France, commenorating   
   the D-Day landings at Normandy.  All the Canadian   
   dignitaries were being seated and positioned in their   
   designated spots, close to the microphones and cameras.   
   My colleague's brother was late arriving for the ceremony   
   and was desperate to find a parking spot.  When he pulled up to the crowd   
   control barricades, he rolled   
   down his window and said to the Gendarme manning   
   the position, "My father is a Vet, is there any way I   
   can get him close to the stands to drop him off?"   
   The Gendarme looked around, reached over my   
   colleagues's brother's shoulder, extending his hand,   
   and said "Merci...merci beaucoup..." and after shaking   
   my colleague's father's hand,proceeded to clear a path   
   straight to the Reviewing Stands.  Say what you want   
   about the French... not *all* of them are a bunch of   
   self-centred, snobish sons of bitchs.   
      
   This is not to say that our own sons and daughters, uncles   
   and aunts, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, fellow military-brats,   
   are enjoying that same regard in   
   the Middle-East.   The politics are irrelevant.  The only   
   thing that matters is that they, along with our American   
   and Brit, and numerous Allies are in a WAR and are   
   serving in Harm's Way.  Think kindly of them, and if   
   you are  of a mind and soul, say a prayer for them.   
   They deserve nothing less from us, for they believe   
   that they are fighting a good fight and that what they   
   are doing is the Right thing.   
      
   Keeping The Faith,   
      
   Kenb Mazeroll   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)