Not a game…

This Saturday is Armed Forces Day :

Armed Forces Day is a joint celebration of all six branches of the U.S. military: Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy, and the newly created Space Force. The day honors all people currently serving in the U.S. armed forces.

Veteran.com

It was established during the Truman Administration. Truman was succeeded in the White House by Dwight Eisenhower.   After witnessing war first hand, Eisenhower took this perhaps unusual position for a career military man:

For Ike, war was not a policy alternative.  The purpose of military power was to avoid war, not fight one.  Soldiers were not paper cutouts, and combat was not a board game.

Jean Edward Smith  

War can do that - bring out the unusual.  During a Korean War press conference unusual surfaced again as related by Eric Hammel:

Later in the day, while explaining the breakout plan to several reporters, (General O.O.P Smith agreed to field some questions.  'General', one of the newsmen soon ventured, 'all this adds up to a retreat.'  O.P. gave that a moment's thought, for it was a fair surmise...  Ever the patient teacher, Smith said gently to the reporter, 'No, not a retreat.  It will be an attack in another direction.’                                   

My Dad served in the military.  My Brother; Father-in-Law; two Brothers-in-Law; one Sister-in-Law; and several other relatives, too.  That makes us a typical, American family.  I bet you have veterans and/or active military members in your family.

This Saturday is a chance to thank those real life members of our armed forces.  We Americans are fortunate these men and women are willing to defend our country; even if it means going to war which - truly - is not a board game.

GAP

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.