Paddy's Pub

So........I pull into a parking lot to do a map check, looking for a place to have a few pints, when, through the trees, like a sign from above, glares the green and white beacon "Paddy's". Well, like a moth to the flame. I was looking for a well known night spot, but like a magnet, I'm drawn to "my people"!
It could have been any neighborhood Irish bar on the "Southside", short-haired young guys, baseball caps on, 2 man acoustic band playing sing-along songs with NC17 lyrics, yeah, this could be home. But its not. These young men are at war. This is America in 1943. Nothing showed this more than the when, at midnight, the entire bar raised their drinks and sang "The Star Spangled Banner".
These young soldiers know the deal. They are they ones, along with their families, who make the sacrifices in this war, and you'd be hard pressed to find one among them that questions this country's need to fight and to win.
When I see old men in their 70's or 80's, I envision them as young men, serving their country in WWII or Korea, and show them the proper respect. These days, look around you, some of the young faces you see everyday may have seen and done things for your safety and freedom that you'll never know about. You can usually tell vets by the way they carry themselves, if you get the chance, tell them thanks.
I'll close for now, and say thanks to my New York and Alabama Vet brothers at "Smokin' Guns" Tattooing, good sharing some pints with ya', and thanks for your service.