At Ease Soldier!

This weekend, we had my Dad and Connie up to celebrate birthdays.  You may already know that I call my Dad "The Tin Man".  It's not just a blog nickname.  I call him that because he had a heart attack and lived to tell.  Of course The Tin Man always wanted a heart.  Well, I feel like my Dad got his new heart, just like The Tin Man.  It was over ten years ago that my Dad got his new heart.

Something you don't know about my Dad, he is a Vietnam War Vet.  My Dad, a Soldier.  For years, Dad didn't always talk about it and of course the Vietnam Vets weren't always welcomed home the way soldiers from other wars were.  It wasn't until recently, that alot of our boys from that "Conflict" have received their due.  Try telling them it was a "Conflict" and not war.  I would never tell my Dad he wasn't in a "War".  He fought, friends died.  And thank God, my Dad lived to tell this one too.

Every year, I call my Dad on Veteran's Day.  I thank him!  I always want him to know how thankful I am for him as our Soldier.  This year, here's how I let him know:

I wrapped him in a big hug!  Now ya know my Dad is a bit of a crier.  And yes, like he tried to talk it out at the end saying "They take bets", we do.  We take bets on how fast we can get him to cry.  Terrible, isn't it?

The timing may have been a bit off as his Birthday was in July, but ya know the garden just threw me off a few months this year and I didn't get it done in time.  It took him a bit to realize what it was and seeing as how I only had 2 minutes of record time on my little camera, we had to push it a little to get him to the part that would just bust him up.  Terrible...  ;o)

So the quilt is done in all red, white, blue and gold.  Half-Square Triangles arranged in a Depression Block pattern.  

My MIL did a fantastic job with her long arm quilting!  Thank you, Jan...you make a wonderful partner in crime!  

I did my best to throw Dad off by saying, "We" were still working on his Birthday gift.  Pretty sure he assumed Pig Pen and I were building him something.  Little did he know the "We" was my MIL and I.  Sneaky, huh? 

The back of the quilt is the part that sealed the deal.  I special ordered the Army Crest fabric and of course, The Tin Man.  This is what made his little lip quiver:

My note to him: 

Nicholas G. Kallas – 589th Engineer Battalion – Vietnam 1967-1968

Every Veteran’s Day, I call to say Thank You. It’s not just on that day that I am thankful for the soldier that you were…it’s every day.

When I was little, you gauged things by if I could wrap my arms around you. This is how I will wrap my arms around you every day.

I hope it keeps you warm, surrounds you in love and comforts you. You deserve that and so much more for being our Soldier, my Dad, my Hero…my Tin Man.

“At Ease, Soldier!”

I love you, Dad!

And I extend this to all our Soldiers.  Thank you!  I may not know these Soldiers personally, but I do know my Dad.  Like him, you may not ask for the honor, you may not even agree with your orders, but you do it any way. 

And that is honor.   

Your honor, our honor. 

It doesn't matter how you vote, what your political views are or anything else, Our Soldiers are there for us.  I for one am thankful for that.  

Here is a photo of my Dad's reunion held just this past month.  He got to see his "brothers" after 40 years!  Pretty.Darn.Cool.

To all the Soldiers and Vets out there, this hug is for you too.