GIG LINE
By: Marsha M. Brown
GIG LINE is a column born out of the love and respect for all of our Veterans. It is written with the purpose of honoring the men and women who have served and those who currently serve our nation today.
UPDATE: We’re in the process of confirming the date the Rural Health Care Initiative out of Hampton, VA will come to Hatteras Island – Fessenden Center (hopefully in May, 2012). Once there, the reps will meet with Veterans regarding Agent Orange, potential benefits and/or entitlements, provide helpful handout material and answer questions a Veteran might have. If you are a Veteran who lives on Hatteras Island, please make plans to attend once the date is announced. It will be advertised in our (Sunday) GIG LINE column, in local Hatteras Island businesses and at the Fessenden Center itself well in advance.
Over the last seven months, I’ve come to hear testimonies of what life was like for Veterans who have served in a war. Sometimes they want to share how the experience touched their lives but for some, it’s still a little too difficult to pull up and out those deeply buried memories. And that’s okay too. One gentleman I’ve come to know and greatly respect has a miraculous account of survival while another Veteran said he’s still just getting used to having the new, recent attention paid to them and he’s grateful.
If you’re a Veteran who’s willing to be a part of our mission to honor those who serve, we’d like to hear from you. Maybe someone in your past said one word that gave you the courage to keep going; or they held you up after an injury; or maybe they were a person you met far away who showed kindness and appreciation for your sacrifice at just the right moment; or maybe it wasn’t a stranger but a fellow comrade who made you laugh – a jokester determined to make the best of a difficult situation, no matter the circumstance; or maybe it was your team leader, Sergeant, Captain or another officer who inspired you to be the best you could be. If so, will you share your story with us? You wouldn’t have to divulge their name but simply share how that special ‘someone’ touched your life, then that special memory can go on to touch ours!
It goes without saying that news and future event announcements are important but interviews with our Veterans and/or those who stood by them waiting at the pier, in the hangar or on the base are golden. We want to acknowledge the loving support for our Veterans families too because they kept the home fires burning often times alone themselves and far from home.
Billy has always said that the military “builds men”, speaking with reference to the male gender of course, and that it “instills discipline, respect and responsibility”. If you think about it, there’s always something different about a service man or woman – they’re set apart somehow and they shine. Billy boasts, “They take pride and they have pride”.
We have a lot of columns to write and we can’t wait!. In addition to any stories you’d like to share, we invite you to make suggestions for articles you’d like to read about. Send your thoughts, ideas and questions to us at editor@giglineheroes.com – for future reference.
Also, in case you missed the previous announcement, the weekly “GIG LINE” column can now be found in the Sunday edition of the Coastland Times. Until next time…be happy, be proud and stay tuned.