Well, I will try to do my part today to support the Axis of Weevil Thursday Three party. This week the questions are about those Veterans that we can lay claim to and their exploits and service.

1. Have you or any of your immediate family members ever served in the armed forces, and if so, what branch(es)?

Um, yes, I am a veteran. That still feels odd to write, but its true. I served 21+ years in the US Air Force, from 1978 until 2000. Several of my uncles served at least one tour of duty in the US Navy and one of them retired as a Chief. Two of my brothers almost did an entire 4 year enlistment between them in 2 different services, Pete in the Navy and Mark in the Army.

2. Were you or you family member ever on active duty during wartime?

I still have a Navy Unit Commendation medal on my ribbon rack because I happened to be stationed at RAF Mildenhall during the attack on Libya in 1986. The tankers assigned to that base provided support to the F111 jets from RAF Lakenheath and the Navy's F14 Tomcats. As a result, everybody on base received this Navy award which provided a distinguishing feature to member's ribbon racks forever. During the first Gulf War, I was stationed in Louisiana and unhappy that I didn't get to deploy somewhere closer to the war. I did get to see Dhahran, Saudi Arabia after the war was over and I lived in the Khobar Towers that were later attacked by terrorists.

3. If your family member died in service, how do you honor them on Memorial Day (or throughout the year)?

Fortunately, no one I know or am related to died while in uniform. I try to honor all our troops, veteran and active duty alike by proudly flying the Stars & Stripes on the front of my house everyday the weather permits. And everyday, when I read about our servicemen and women dieing under fire in Iraq and Afghanistan, I say a prayer for the comfort of the loved ones they leave behind.