Mail Call USA has been launched. I very excited and yet very scared because I do not have a clue as to what I am doing. If all goes as it should, then these will be regular letters you can read and respond to as your Mail Call time allows. Perhaps it will even encourage you to write your own letters or something else.
This blog was inspired by my dad, Troy Beasley. Daddy left this world on May 6, 2010, and I miss him very much. Please don't think my dad was a saint. Far from it. He was a bigger than life character who loved his brothers and sisters more than his wife could comprehend (for she was an only child). He loved his children and grandchildren very much and family was a very important part of who he was, though he didn't always show it in ways we understood.
Daddy was very patriotic. He loved this country and was very proud of his military service and the service of his sons, sons-in-law, and grandson (at the time of his death, his oldest grandson was the only one of age and eligible to serve). That love for country and desire to support our military is something he passed on to all his kids. Each of us (there are 4 kids) have severed either as an active duty member or the spouse and supporter of an active duty member. My husband and I, well we have opened our doors for over 30 years to activte duty military members who cannot make it home for the holidays. We've sent lots of cards and care packages to those serving overseas. My husband and I have raised our kids with that same sense of love and support for our military that we have. Now, our oldest son and his wife carry on this tradition with his service to the USAF and our middle son, prepares for his service time in the USMC after his graduation from college.
Daddy always wore a hat with some type of military insignia on it and one of his favorite hats was the one that had the name of the ship he had served on in the USCG, the USS Conifer. Daddy and I were out having lunch one day at Mongolian Grill. He had always wanted to eat there and since it was just the two of us, we decided to give it a try. Daddy sat his hat on the table and we began enjoying our meal. Towards the end of the meal, a gentleman stopped on his way out and asked Daddy if he had served in the military. Daddy smiled and said yes, he had served in the USCG aboard the USS Conifer. The man asked if he could shake Daddy's hand. Daddy's eyes started to tear as he nodded yes. The man shook Daddy's hand, thanked him for his service, handed him a business card, smiled and walked away.
I didn't know what to expect when I took the card from Daddy's trembling fingers. On one side there was a picture of Old Glory with the emblem of each branch of our military and the words "Thank You For Your Sacrifice that Gave America Its Freedom". On the other side it read
"I ___________________ Gave some, but some gave all they had for the freedom we enjoy in this great land of America. I am an American and my country offers freedom and opportunity as no land before has ever done: Freedom to think, Freedom to Love, Freedom of Words, Freedom to Speak, Freedom to Live and Freedom to Fight for our survival as the greatest nation on eath.
May God Bless the USA.
That card touched my Dad very deeply. He had some made and he carried them in his shirt pocket or wallett. As he encountered those who had served or are currently serving he would pull out this card and hand it to them, shake their hand, and thank them for their service. He gave each of us kids and grandkids a stack of these cards to keep with us so that we could in turn pass them along those people we encounter who have served.
The morning I left the hospital after my dad's death, I stopped to get gas. As I was filling up, a young marine pulled up and began filling up his tank. I smiled at him as I stood watching him fill up his car I heard my Dad's voice say: "Go ahead and give him a card and thank him for his service." Now those who know me know that approaching strangers is very out of my comfort zone. However, I reached into my wallett and grabbed my card and walked over to that young marine and thanked him for his service then I shared briefly about how my dad always made it a point to hand out that card and say thank you to those who gave some. That is the legacy my dad has left for his kids and his grandkids. It is this spirit that has set Mail Call USA in motion. It is that spirit of pride that encourages me to continue handing out these little cards to complete strangers. So the next time you see a vet, please take a moment and say "thank you." And yes, if you'd like some cards, let me know. I still carry them in honor of my Dad.
