Memorial Day has become the day known as ‘the unofficial start of Summer’– and a holiday in which everyone travels to visit family, or has cookouts where they grill hotdogs and hamburgers. The day is, however– and much more importantly– the day in which we are supposed to remember those Americans who gave their lives in the wars our country has been involved in since its birth. War is a terrible and ugly thing. It’s a tragedy that war has become a fact of mankind’s existence from its very beginning (however you believe that beginning came about). Modern warfare– which many believe began with our own Civil War– is especially horrific. However I might personally feel about war, though, my admiration for those brave citizens of this country who are willing to stand up and fight the battles their civilian leaders send them into knows no bounds. Today I will reflect on the Americans who have lost their lives in the name of this country. This is not a day for taking sides on whether any given war is justified or not… it is a day for thanking those men and women who have lived… and died… for us and the ideals our country was founded on.

I’ll also think about those Veterans of wars past and present who are still with us. Vets like my Father, who was in both Korea and Vietnam– and vets like Nick Cardy. Nick, who is not only one of my favorite artists from the Silver Age of comic books– but was a member of a tank crew in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. We are losing our Veterans from that generation to time as more and more of them pass on from this mortal coil– and it’s on a day like today that I’m proud to know Nick. I look forward to seeing him every year at HEROES CON in Charlotte.

So today–spend some time reflecting on those who have lost their lives in military service for us.

This is Entry 382.

Mike