Some veterans bear visible signs of their service: a missing limb, a jagged scar, a certain look in the eye. Others may carry the evidence inside them: a pin holding a bone together, a piece of shrapnel in the leg--or perhaps another sort of inner steel: the soul's ally forged in the refinery of adversity. Except in parades, however, the men and women who have kept America safe wear no badge or emblem. You can't tell a vet just by looking.

What is a vet?

He is the cop on the beat who spent six months in Saudi Arabia sweating two gallons a day making sure the armored personnel carriers didn't run out of fuel.

He is the barroom loudmouth, dumber than five wooden planks, whose overgrown frat-boy behavior is outweighed a hundred times in the cosmic scales by four hours of exquisite bravery near the 38th parallel.

She--or he--is the nurse who fought against futility and went to sleep sobbing every night for two solid years in Da Nang.

He is the POW who went away one person and came back another--or didn't come back at all.

He is the Quantico drill instructor that has never seen combat--but has saved countless lives by turning slouchy, no-account rednecks and gang members into Marines, and teaching them to watch each other's backs.

He is the parade-riding Legionnaire who pins on his ribbons and medals with a prosthetic hand.

He is the career quartermaster who watches the ribbons and medals pass him by.

He is the three anonymous heroes in The Tomb Of The Unknowns, whose presence at the Arlington National Cemetery must forever preserve the memory of all the anonymous heroes whose valor die unrecognized with them on the battlefield or in the ocean's sunless deep.

He is the old guy bagging groceries at the supermarket--palsied now and aggravatingly slow--who helped liberate a Nazi death camp and who wishes all day long that his wife were still alive to hold him when the nightmares come.

He is an ordinary and yet an extraordinary human being, a person who offered some of his life's most vital years in the service of his country, and who sacrificed his ambitions so others would not have to sacrifice theirs.

He is a soldier and a savior and a sword against the darkness, and he is nothing more than the finest, greatest testimony on behalf of the finest, greatest nation ever known.

So remember, each time you see someone who has served our country, just lean over and say, "Thank you." That's all most people need, and in most cases, it will mean more than any medals they could have been awarded or were awarded.

Two little words that mean a lot: "THANK YOU."

It is the soldier,
not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the soldier,
not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the soldier,
not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Let's remember them on this Veteran's Day observance.

--Selected from Mikey's Funnies newsletter.

Feel like pokin' around Peggie's Place?
START HERE or skip straight to the ROOMS!.
Have fun--and should you get lost, scroll to the end of a page for a directory.

"Peggie Breaks"--humor & inspiration links each month

The Devotional Buffet--for over 500 archived devos at Peggie's Place!

+ + + + + + +

For more humor, visit The Fun Room at Peggie's Place!
For more inspiration, visit The Prayer 'n Praise Room at Peggie's Place!

For more daily humor:
Reverend Fun--A fun Christian cartoon of the day!
Pastor Tim's Clean Laugh List--a daily email humor list

Thanks for coming! God bless--and see you tomorrow!

Remember, there's nothing that can happen today
that you and your Lord together cannot handle!

Please e-mail me to say hi.

With thanks to Songs of Praise
for the music playing at Peggie's Place!
This original composition is entitled, "Jesus, You're the Song that I Sing."

All Scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Holy Bible.

Humor and inspiration in Tickles 'n Truth are extracted from items that circulate around the Web. Many authors are unknown; I do not claim copyright privileges on the articles used. Should you know the author of a certain piece, please notify me that I may give proper credit.

Privacy Statement at Peggie's Place!
Peggie's Personal Statement of Faith . . . The Peggie's Place Story & a Mission Statement

Don't leave Peggie's Place without your chocolate!

AddMe - Search Engine Optimization

Most of the music playing at Peggie's Place originates from Songs of Praise.
Visit their great Web site to hear beautiful tunes by many talented artists (CDs are available).

Celebrating God's goodness . . . . . . 14 million and counting!

Note: Counter keeps a running total of "page views" for the entire site.
--It jogs around the world and around the clock--to find YOU!

This Christian home has been visited a zillion times since December 26, 1995!
Well, not quite, but there HAS been a houseful--and STILL room for one more--YOU!
The Christian Counter scans the entire site--and there's plenty of chocolate for everyone--so enjoy!

Please note that while I strongly adhere to major tenets of the evangelical Christian faith, I may not personally agree with every specific doctrinal belief set forth in other Christian pages, nor would all necessarily agree with me. I do want to provide a diversity of links and resource material for the entire Body of Christ to enjoy, and trust you will view it as such.

A safety tip: Internet links and material may include other links and/or material which do not reflect my Christian views or yours. Please choose wisely and use with discretion! And if you find an ugly spider hiding in a dark corner, you may smash it with a broom from my BROOM CLOSET--I hate offensive stuff too!

|Contact information: E-MAIL|
|HOME| |Exploring Peggie's Place: A Site Map | |Search Peggie's Place!|
|Father's House: A Worship Experience at Peggie's Place!| |The Blue Room| |Virtual Vacation!| |!WordWalk!|
|Son Room| |Fun Room| |Family Room| |School Room| |Prayer 'n Praise Room| |Mystery Room| |The Banner Room|
|The War & Peace Pages at Peggie's Place!" |Devo ARCHIVES| |Armor Room| |Favorites Room| |Hide 'n Seek Search|
|Celebration Room| |Chat Room Next Door | |All the Rooms| Fun 'n Faith newsletter | |Tragedy Pages| |Tower of Strength devos|
|Peggie Breaks!| |The Daily Doorstep| |Words from the Well| |Daily Bible Booster devos| |YOUTHlinks!| |Tickles 'n Truth|

Report problems to pbohanon@peggiesplace.com.

Copyright 1996-2008 by Peggie C. Bohanon, Springfield, MO. All rights reserved.