More than a name on a wall

Last month, I told you about Lt. Stanley K. Smiley, whose name is on my POW/MIA bracelet.

Earlier this month, it was a distinct privilege to travel to Washington, D.C., in memory of the late, great Sam Hardman on the HonorAir Knoxville flight, which takes World War II and Korean War era veterans to see their monuments.

Because nobody in the Beltway has a brain, most things were closed due to the government shutdown.

Don't worry. That didn't stop the veterans.

But, it did stop me from making a rubbing of two names at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, known popularly as The Wall.

I wanted to make a rubbing of Bruce Blakely's name for my dad. Dad and Bruce were buddies. Bruce graduated from Halls High in 1969, joined the U.S. Marines and was killed by friendly fire in Vietnam on June 8, 1970.

I also wanted to sketch Stanley K. Smiley's name.

Enter Lisa Deason.

Lisa, a licensed tour guide in D.C., saw me at The Wall and asked me to write down information about both men and give her my address. She said she'd make the rubbings for me as soon as she could.

They arrived in the mail today. God bless ya, Lisa. Saying thank you for your kindness seems inadequate.

And to Bruce and Stanley and to all the 58,000-plus, please know that you are indeed more than a name on a wall.

Lt. Stanley K. Smiley

Hi gang.

Hope you survived Monday.

Have to make this one short and sweet. I had to be taken to the doctor. Somehow, I have managed to strain my lower back. And, I have a massive migraine to boot.

But I wanted to take a moment to mention Lt. Stanley K. Smiley.

Lt. Smiley was either captured or went missing on July 20, 1969 -- ironically the day Neil and Buzz landed on the moon -- in Laos.

I have worn POW/MIA bracelets for years. My last one broke and I bought this one through an organization that gives the profits to veterans' affairs and benefits programs.

If any member of Lt. Smiley's family reads this blog, please call me through my office at (865) 922-4136. I would love to talk to you. I am going to research Lt. Smiley and his story after I convalesce.

This bracelet in microcosm is a memorial for all American POW/MIAs in every war, and is especially for those who didn't make it home.

Let us never forget

"And I remember daddy sayin' you'll come back a better man, and I just wonder if they ever think of me?" --- Merle Haggard, "I Wonder If They Ever Think of Me"

Today is Memorial Day.

I thought about writing a star-spangled patriotic piece today. Then I changed my mind.

This is a time to remember, not for bombast. As we give thanks for those who served, let us also remember those who have yet to make it home.

Nearly 1,800 Americans have yet to be accounted for from the Vietnam conflict alone. I wear a POW/MIA bracelet for SFC Roger C. Hallberg, United States Special Forces. Sgt. Hallberg has been missing since March 24, 1967, when he disappeared in South Vietnam.

For more info on POW/MIA efforts in the United States, click here.

Let us never forget.