Wish I knew how many veterans' stories I'd written over the years, Bridget. They are all painful. I'll never forget being at Fort Hood the morning soldiers were leaving for Iraq and families being torn apart and this little girl was crying. We walked up to her to make sure she was okay and she just started blubbering about war and America, and she couldn't have been 10. I said, "Don't you think the country needs your daddy?" She wailed, "No, I need my daddy." That has always summed it all up for me.
Praha was a Czech settlement, Robert. That accounts for the name. But I agree with you, one has to wonder if they'd be viewed today as outsiders instead of immigrants who love their new home and become patriots. Thanks for reading.
Thanks, my friend. Praha has haunted me since the day I first discovered it. Everyone should go there. No town really, just the church, graveyard, and a few houses. But very moving.
Yes, a must read every Veteran's Day. It's also worth stopping by on that road trip to Houston. Soft sloped green land taken advantage of by industrious Czech farmers used to surround the painted church. It's been so long since I've been there. I hope the possibility of quiet reflection remains undisturbed and the shade of that oak tree finally reaches and cools the earth memorialized in its shade.
A beautiful work, Jim. It's important to be saddened by it before most of us go on with our fortunate lives.
Beautiful- the way you painted their faces with words ! Just beautiful! That was a lovely tribute. Now I want to visit this small town with such history.
Of course I loved this piece, and may I say, hearing it in your own voice makes it all the better. I am grateful to have listened to this essay rather than one more post election analysis! I did have a moment of panic that you published today because your articles normally arrive on Sunday morning. For a brief moment, I panicked that it was Sunday and not Friday!😩😂. Retirement is not always good for the brain. As the daughter, sister, and mother of military veterans I appreciate your tender care of the memories of the fallen. And I am of course grateful for the safe return of my vets.
Another great piece, Jim. Every American needs to know this story, and others like it, to be reminded of what we used to be. I was struck by the surnames of the fallen, so “foreign”, clearly immigrants at some point, in Texas, and pondered if a village such as Praha could exist today.
Wish I knew how many veterans' stories I'd written over the years, Bridget. They are all painful. I'll never forget being at Fort Hood the morning soldiers were leaving for Iraq and families being torn apart and this little girl was crying. We walked up to her to make sure she was okay and she just started blubbering about war and America, and she couldn't have been 10. I said, "Don't you think the country needs your daddy?" She wailed, "No, I need my daddy." That has always summed it all up for me.
Praha was a Czech settlement, Robert. That accounts for the name. But I agree with you, one has to wonder if they'd be viewed today as outsiders instead of immigrants who love their new home and become patriots. Thanks for reading.
Thanks, my friend. Praha has haunted me since the day I first discovered it. Everyone should go there. No town really, just the church, graveyard, and a few houses. But very moving.
Thanks for this information. I’ve passed the turnoff to Praha many times on my way to the coast. Maybe I’ll stop and look at the cemetery next time.
Yes, a must read every Veteran's Day. It's also worth stopping by on that road trip to Houston. Soft sloped green land taken advantage of by industrious Czech farmers used to surround the painted church. It's been so long since I've been there. I hope the possibility of quiet reflection remains undisturbed and the shade of that oak tree finally reaches and cools the earth memorialized in its shade.
A beautiful work, Jim. It's important to be saddened by it before most of us go on with our fortunate lives.
Beautiful- the way you painted their faces with words ! Just beautiful! That was a lovely tribute. Now I want to visit this small town with such history.
Of course I loved this piece, and may I say, hearing it in your own voice makes it all the better. I am grateful to have listened to this essay rather than one more post election analysis! I did have a moment of panic that you published today because your articles normally arrive on Sunday morning. For a brief moment, I panicked that it was Sunday and not Friday!😩😂. Retirement is not always good for the brain. As the daughter, sister, and mother of military veterans I appreciate your tender care of the memories of the fallen. And I am of course grateful for the safe return of my vets.
Another great piece, Jim. Every American needs to know this story, and others like it, to be reminded of what we used to be. I was struck by the surnames of the fallen, so “foreign”, clearly immigrants at some point, in Texas, and pondered if a village such as Praha could exist today.