Reflections of Those Who Served....

Staff Sgt Junius Moore III [USAR-Ret] attending the wedding of one of his friends in his native New Orleans, LA. Sgt Moore served as a medic in Afghanistan during the early part of the millennium before retiring in 2008 after 15 years of service.

As this 91st Veterans Day draws to a close and we let rest in peace those who paid the ultimate price to keep us free, I can't help but reflect on those in my family who dared to step up and answer Uncle Sam's call.

People like my father, Spec. Alvin Washington Sr [USAF], who served stateside just after the Korean War; my grandfather, Spec. Harley Charles Smith Sr [USMC], who served in the Asian theater during World War II; my uncle, Spec. Harley Charles Smith (USAR), who served in Vietnam; and my modern day hero, my cousin, Staff Sgt Junius Moore III [pictured; USAR-Ret], who served in Afghanistan.

There are some amongst us, even in our own communities, who would dare ask us why we would pay homage to such people. I have a simple answer for those who doubt the price these men (and women) have paid:

I am an AMERICAN and it is the right and just thing to do.