Search Icon

Thank you . . .

November 11, 2011byPepper Hastings1

I never served in our military, but I thank those who have whenever I can. I thank them at airport terminals and at cab stands. I see them at the State Fair wearing caps designating them from wars 60 years ago and I thank them; I see them at the mall or at baseball games wearing t-shirts or vests mentioning wars 30 years ago and I thank them.

I thank my dad and my uncle. I thank my co-workers at Innovative-IDM:

Mitchell Smith – Navy (Field Service Baton Rouge)
Lonnie Muse – Navy (Applications and Field Service Dallas)
Donald Poehl – Navy (Field Service Houston)
Steve Lyons – Navy (Engineered Solutions Houston)
Gene Gray – Navy (President)
Mickey Jackson – Marines (Board Repair Houston)
Percy Foster – Army (Field Service Dallas)
Colbert Kaiser – Army (Warehouse Houston)
Dan Mahoney – Army (Sales Houston)
Jim Bishop – Air Force (Board Repair Houston)
Jesse Simental – Air Force (Purchasing Dallas)
Jeff Smith – Air Force (Field Service Houston)
James Nairm – Navy – (Board Repair Houston)
Bill Ware — Coast Guard (Engineering Houston)
Chris Mason — Navy (Board Repair Houston)
Robert Boeder — Army (Warehouse Dallas)
Josh Veverka — Navy (Sales Mobile)
Danny Causey — Army (IT Dallas)

A short personal story: On one of my visits to Pearl Harbor, I saw the park ranger about to drop the American flag at the end of the day. It was near the entrance/exit of the park, and a man wearing a cap designating him as a WWII veteran approached the ranger.

“Can I help you take down the flag?” asked the veteran to the ranger. To which the park ranger rigidly stood back from the flagpole and sternly said, “No sir you may not. But may I help you take down the flag, sir?” It was the ultimate show of respect from the younger park ranger. And the two finished the job together. Awesome. — pepper hastings

One comment

Leave a Reply