Happy Thanksgiving to all of you serving in the armed forces today, and to all of those who served in the past. I read the other day that there is only one living veteran of WWI in the U.S. – to him, as special thank you and best wishes for another year.

December is a tough month for me – I arrived in the Republic of Vietnam on December 1, and was shot while rescuing Vietnamese civilians on December 22. One good thing, I did get to meet Bob Hope and his troop who came through my ward (Neil Armstrong, the Gold Diggers, Connie Francis (from whom I got a memorable kiss) and more. Unfortunately, I was so whacked on morphine at the time that it is all like a dream sequence (I had to ask the guy in the bed next to me if that really was Connie Francis).

So to all of you heroes holding the Purple Heart, a special thanks and a very special holiday good wishes.

To all of you who did not serve, for what ever reason, you will never know the depth of brotherhood that exists between people who have shared combat. Please, take the time this weekend to thank each Vet you see. You do not have to interrupt them in the airport or where ever you see them — just place your left hand over your heart, look at them and nod, and take your hand down. Every single one of them will feel the love.