Thank you to all our Veterans!

Please take a moment today to thank a veteran and reflect on what they have done for us. Without their service to our country, we would not have the freedom to express our opinions on forums like these.

I have had the priviledge of knowing and working with many veterans in my previous job, they are all true heroes. I especially want to mention those that have passed away since this time last year, Bob Clancy (Lt. Cdr. USN, Ret.) and Sylvester Lapkiewicz (Col. USMC, Ret.). I miss these gentlemen every day and wish I still had them here to talk to.

Since today is Thrifted Thursday, I want to show you some of my collection of WWII sweetheart jewelry. I think this is appropriate for today, because it was a memento of loved ones overseas. I collect it because it helps me connect with the time period on a personal level, and also because I can't bear to see someone give the stuff away. I guess it's the museum curator in me, but I feel like I need to give these pieces a home where someone will appreciate them.

I am wearing one of the Buzz Bomb Alley bracelets I got over the summer, and I can't help but think about the airman that created them. I can picture him sitting in the Quonset hut waiting to be called for a mission, hearing the bombs fall outside and thinking of home. Creating a bracelet out of coins and scraps of aluminum to send to "Honey" so she would have something to remember him by. I often wonder if he made it home.