Prayers of Thanksgiving and Hope

This June 6, 2019, we Americans and millions around the world pause to remember this 75th Anniversary of D-Day when American troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France during World War II. I was five years old when my father received his draft notice to report. I can still see those tears in my mother's eyes as she contemplated her 26-year old sweetheart and father of two sons soon engulfed in military battle.

For the next two years while my father served in the 89th Infintry Division under the command of General George Patton, I remember running home from school each day to check if our service window Star was still that blue star in a field of white with a red border. I prayed all the way home that no dreaded Gold Star would be in our neighborhood windows. I also recall those wonderful 'voice' records of my father sent from training camp, which were compliments of cola companies.

There are no words to express the excitement in an eight year boy's body watching and waiting for that military train to pull into the St. Louis station at the end of my father's two-year stint. Oh, my God; To see my dad again! My mother lived to age 93 and I never saw her so overjoyed and nervous THAT day at that station.

And then there are these days and THESE American times. Yesterday, I read the interview conducted by British talk show host, Piers Morgan with President Donald Trump who was in Great Britain for events commemorating D-Day. Answering a question about his draft dodging during the Vietnam War, the United States' President said this: "I was never a 'fan' of the Vietnam War, I'll be honest with you it was very far away." Trump continued saying that he would be proud to have been called up for a war 'he' supported. A fan? A fan of war?

Over 400,000 American soldiers died in WWII and 68,000 American soldiers died in the Vietnam War. I wonder if all those noble souls were 'fans' of killing? I don't know if this man (Trump) is simply a social moron, a self-centered narcissist or an empathy-lacking fool.

For the record, It's approximately 5,000 miles to Normandy Beach from the United States and over 8,000 miles from the USA to Vietnam. And...it's only 4,000 miles from the White House to Trump's Ireland golf course where POTUS will be tonight. Trump's a fan of golf.

Each night, I say prayers. I ask God to keep our nation safe from evil forces and President Trump. I know...that's redundant.
(Touch)
Till Then