Victory in Europe Day - My Thoughts

This may not be totally coherent or have good pacing but I just wanted to let out the emotional spaghetti.

I grew up when there were still many World War II veterans around.

Frequently in the US you would see them wear their "WWII VETERAN" ballcaps adorned with ribbons of the theater the served in.  Their ranks were so plentiful in the 2000s, you couldn't go anywhere without seeing one of them in public.  They would be so glad to tell their stories, or at least those they could bear to, to young people who admired them.

I always looked to that generation as the one who saved the world from totalitarianism.  One of the last wars that we were involved in that had a net positive outcome. 

Today we have less than 65,000 of the 16.4 million who served who are still alive today.  Many of them who are not in any position anymore to speak with us in their failing health.

Sometimes I am afraid the world feels so different without them.  Almost as if we have few heroes to look to for guidance.

As these men and women depart our mortal world it reminds me of a takeoff scene from the movie Memphis Belle.  Between the score and the slow separation between the camera and the protagonist aircraft it feels like a visualization of my feeling.  I am so thankful to have known these people but also am letting go.  I am bitter to loose them but glad they may be at peace.

I just hope I can amount to people like that one day.

YOUTUBE - MEMPHIS BELLE: TAKEOFF SCENE