Jim Jablonski was average in most ways. He was average height and weight, an average student with an attempt at a moustache that just wouldn't quite fill out. I met Jim in high school. Jim and I resided in the brass section of the school band. As a baritone player he sat immediately in front of me and my tuba. We traded remarks , cracked jokes and when the band's yearly concert rolled around, it was Jim that had a bottle of blackberry brandy stowed away in his locker to help celebrate the event. Jim lost his life on a helicopter in Vietnam. Troubling? Of course! What's even more troubling is that everyone knows at least one Jim.

When Memorial Day comes around I think of Jim and it still seems kind of senseless. I guess engraving names in marble helps us remember, but it does little to help us understand. There isn't a day that we spend that we do not enjoy the benefits of a life that would not be the same if our relatives, friends and neighbors had not seen fit to give their lives. We remember them, and are grateful.

So I'd like to take the opportunity to say thank you, not only to those that gave their lives and their families...but to all who have and are serving their country. I find it impossible to not be extremely thankful for their sacrifice. So remember them when you're standing in the backyard grilling. Maybe the tearing in the corner of your eyes won't be from the BBQ smoke. And of course, thank you Jim.