Today is Veteran’s Day in the US, it’s called Remembrance Day in other countries. Please forgive me for this post, it’s not the typical thank you for your service post. It’s more: let’s remember that we send our young people into combat to do some really hard things; let’s make sure they come home, and make sure we support them with everything then need when they get back safely.

I always remember my Uncle, Robert Leo Babula. 

He’s one of the few men on the LKA (last known alive) list from the Vietnam War. He was captured a few months before I was born. I think his capture, and the fact that the US pretty much left him in a POW camp in Vietnam, radically altered my dad’s view of the world, and impacted the way I was brought up.

He was 19 years old when he was captured, six years younger than my son is now. My son looks a lot like him….it’s eerie.

I like to pretend I have cousins in Vietnam, although I know that’s probably not the case. It just sucks not knowing what happened to him.

So on Remembrance Day, please remember the men that never came back, especially the 324 men on the Last Known Alive list from the Vietnam War. Also, please be kind to the men and women coming back from our current conflicts, they need our support.