laflorida3’s BodyBlog

Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Many men in my family are veterans, and I’ve always respected them. This year is different. For the past 9 Veterans Days, I’ve been able to thank my brother, a member of the U.S. Air Force, for his service. This year I can’t thank him, I can’t call him, I can’t write him an email or even a good old fashioned hand written note. My brother, my hero and best friend, died in June. My parents lost their son and I was left the only remaining child. It was and still is the worst moment for me and for many people. Every second of every day I miss my brother. It’s the little things, just being able to ca him and ask if he’s watching the Family Guy episode that’s on. Him calling me to make sure I’m tank good care of the cat and make sure my parents are feeding him. Thing like that, moments like that are what I miss. He knew things about me nobody else did and since we were the only 2 kids, we shared a bond which thankfully made us extremely open and honest about many things we couldn’t tell others. He took such a large part of me with him, a part I’ll never regain, but if anyone should have it, it’s him. If you love someone, tell them. Tell them every day and tell them often. Do not let anyone leave this world without them knowing how you honestly feel.

We often forget to thank our military members, past and present, for all they’ve done. Whether they agree with military practices or not, the fact they are fighting for us deserves nothing but respect. My brother sacrificed more than anyone will ever realize, more than he probably realized. Through him I have met many many amazing military men and women and love and respect them all.

My love for my brother extends to all military members, past, present and future. No matter what our government does or where they send you or if I agree with it or not, one thing is always constant; respect.

So everyone, do our military a favor every single chance you get. Guys, buy a military woman a drink. Women, sleep with a man in uniform lol… Either way, just show some love!

My brother left me with pride for our military and left me with a strength I never knew existed. So please, thank a Veteran. They deserve it.

Love and miss you, Carl. You were the best big brother in the world. I try not to be sad about us not being able to make more memories, but damn I sure as hell have enough to last a lifetime, so it all works out in the end