Memorial Day Page #5

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and I accept full responsibility

for all of my actions...

It's not that.

I held this back an extra day,

and I stand by that decision as well.

I'm sorry, Vogel.

We got a Red Cross message

30 minutes prior to SP.

I wish I could send you home for

the funeral, but frankly,

I need every second of Staff Sergeant

Vogel I can get before we rip out.

Yes, sir.

I understand you two were close.

Mailman, yo!

Phone bill... credit card app...

Anthrax.

Modern Knitting Magazine

Found this while going through

Bud's things.

Guessing he wrote it some time ago,

but forgot to give it to you.

Sorry about your grandpa, man.

And those troops will join British forces

that will be deployed later on this month.

A soldier from U. S. Army's 3rd Infantry

division was mortally wounded Tuesday

when a road-side bomb exploded

near Haditha.

The bomb is believed to be

the latest strike

stemming from the notorious

/ED cell headed

Still got a camel spider up his

ass, huh?

By Mahmoud Abu Hassan.

Hassan is now believed to be responsible

for at least 24 U. S. soldier deaths

and remains at large.

Killed in action was Private 1st

Class Travis Shane of Marietta, Georgia

Anybody know him?

Private Shane was out on his 3rd

Tour of Duty and is survived

by his wife Kristy and his two children,

Ryan and Mary Shane.

Hey, you a'ight?

Step one:
Look alive, Sergeant.

Step two:
We are goin' home!

Dear Kylie, my old

head can't hold too much any more,

but today, a whole lot came

flooding back into it.

You might remember this afternoon as just

another Saturday at Opa's farmhouse.

It wasn't.

I've never liked the word "souvenirs,"

but I guess that's what they are.

Shards of memory, shrapnel.

You take them to help you remember.

What you don't count on is,

they don't let you forget.

Here's your lemonade, dear.

Thank you, ma'am.

You're welcome.

Pain. Happiness.

Friendship.

Death.

Smells of diesel and dead animals.

Eating meals within arm's length of corpses

...men you laughed with a day before.

People wonder if leaders are born

or made.

All I know is you can

see it in a man's eyes.

Problem is, leaders end up

where they're needed most.

And eventually, that's war.

You're special, Kylie. I hope you

know that.

I always have.

But I need you to stay strong.

People look to guys like us

to make decisions.

If you do wear the uniform one day,

remember something:

When you put it on,

you don't get to choose the war,

or what happens when you get there.

There's no right or wrong in combat.

There's only what you did.

You do your best,

and you try to live with it.

Some day they'll take me

off this porch for good.

When that happens,

what's left that matters?

Photographs, letters, empty clothes?

No. It's the stories behind them,

those are what matter.

Stories live forever,

but only if you tell them.

I may sound like I've known

this a long time.

I didn't know it until today.

I just wanted to say thank you

for teaching me that.

It was one hell of a souvenir.

Love, Opa.

Daddy! Daddy!

Z Man!

You are getting heavy.

I said I'd be right back.

I told you we wanted

to come with you.

You don't have do this alone.

What's that?

That... that is a souvenir.

Can I have it?

Not yet, bud.

Let's go.

You know, you're gonna have to

tell him about it someday.

- I know.

- When?

When he makes me.

Know why I like birds so much?

They don't just talk their stories.

They sing them.

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