Memorial Weekend-Instant Replay

A couple of dozen of our best friends and Memorial weekend on the Saint Francis.  Here are a few of my favorite moments:

Fishing is always a popular activity.

What a whopper of a catch!

Oops! On closer inspection, maybe not so much.

We discovered this strange prehistoric beast on a granite perch.

After day moved into night, a potato gun war broke out. Heads up, all ye enemies across the river!

One sad little face, begging to be released from tent jail. Not to worry, she got to join the party later.

And it was a weekend to remember for another reason, too.

Though I have no photos (cameras and water don't mix), one of the weekend's highlights came on Sunday. The river was high and fast, so we floated the rapids. When we arrived in a calm area of the river a shout rang out,

"Bald eagle!"

I looked up and sure enough, a bald eagle flew about thirty yards overhead.  He circled above us several times as though trying to figure out why we were disturbing his afternoon meal hunt.

We gazed at the majestic bird, while he glided through the air for several minutes, until he dipped, swayed, and moved far away, becoming a tiny speck in the sky that finally disappeared from view.

We don't often see eagles on the St. Francis, so it couldn't have been more exciting to get the opportunity on Memorial weekend. This symbol of our nation is an amazing reminder of our country's freedoms and of those who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free. What a privilege!  

I can only hope that you had a weekend every bit as awesome as ours!

Dogs of War

War dog memorial dedicated in 2006, near the Vietnam Memorial site in New Jersey.

They sniff out booby traps, mines, and weapon arsenals. They alert troops of pending ambush. They drag the wounded to safety. They train, work, sustain injuries, and die just like any other soldier in defense of our country.

These are the war dogs, too often unrecognized canine soldiers that have gone into battle from the earliest days to the present, sent to the most difficult and dangerous combat zones in the world. Because of them, countless human lives have been saved.

But shamefully, in the past, most dogs that survived and completed active duty were labeled "excess" by military powers. And after their faithful service to the United States they were euthanized rather than honored.

Fortunately this changed after the passage of H.R. 5314, now Public Law 106-446. In essence, the law requires efforts to place retired military dogs in suitable homes, a far better fate.

In addition, several memorials dedicated to these animals have been commissioned, such as the one pictured above in New Jersey.

I found much fascinating information on the history of war dogs in the United States as well as poignant individual stories. Check out War Dogs and the U.S. War Dogs Memorial sites. Trust me, they are worthwhile reading, most especially on this upcoming Memorial weekend.

And on Memorial Day, when you pause to honor all our brave soldiers, please don't forget to thank the courageous dogs of war.