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<\/a>Well…it’s been quite a week.\u00a0 I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to discuss something – anything – other than the election.\u00a0 Luckily, there are two events that have my attention – Veteran’s Day<\/strong> and Dash the Wonder Dog’s<\/strong> fourth birthday.\u00a0 On the surface there wouldn’t seem to be any connection between those two events but this week\u00a0I discovered that my beloved pet is\u00a0the Bob Hope of dogs,\u00a0ready to entertain the troops at a moment’s notice.\u00a0 As\u00a0you\u00a0may recall, Dash began his working life last spring when he got a\u00a0job at a local care center.\u00a0 Each week he trots into\u00a0the facility like he owns the joint\u00a0and cuddles up with the residents.\u00a0 He shamelessly begs for treats<\/strong>, which many of them readily provide.\u00a0 He is especially fond of people who have poor hand-eye coordination because the floor around their bed or wheelchair is a veritable treasure trove of crumbs and shattered crackers.\u00a0\u00a0Fortunately for Dash, such people are\u00a0in plentiful supply, plus they have the added attraction of fawning over him as\u00a0he roots around for their droppings.<\/p>\nThis week Dash was lucky enough to call on several men who were celebrating Veteran’s Day.\u00a0\u00a0Most of them\u00a0are former dog owners<\/strong> so they especially appreciate being able to pet and hold Dash.\u00a0 I\u00a0have observed that most of the veterans’ walls are adorned with\u00a0photos of themselves in uniform,\u00a0American flags, and commemorative awards and medals.\u00a0 This week the center gave them special recognition at a Veteran’s Day celebration, replete with music from the ’40’s and a special memento plaque.\u00a0 One of my favorite veterans is a 97-year-old man<\/strong> whose mental acuity puts me to shame.\u00a0 The first time we visited I remarked on a photo\u00a0of him in a WWII fighter plane.\u00a0 “Oh yes”, he said, “I was 19 years old when I enlisted.\u00a0 It was a good time to be 19 because I was too young to have the good sense<\/strong> to be scared<\/strong>“.\u00a0 That said, he wheeled around and pulled a sheet of paper out of his drawer.\u00a0 On it was a typed list of the FIFTY missions that he flew in Europe.\u00a0 That is an extraordinary number of missions – the maximum allowed by the Air Force at the time.\u00a0 He is still quite proud of his accomplishment, as well he should be.\u00a0 Last week I noticed that he had the book “Killing the Rising Sun” on his bed.\u00a0 There is a picture of General MacArthur<\/strong> on the cover so I mentioned to him that my husband and his family were rescued from a\u00a0Japanese internment camp\u00a0by Mac Arthur.\u00a0 “Humph,” he said, “I think there’s only one word for MacArthur –\u00a0pompous!”.\u00a0 As I said, he’s as sharp as a tack<\/strong>.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We discovered last summer that this wonderful man and I share a birthday.\u00a0 I can only hope that\u00a0portends I will be as engaged and dynamic as he is at 97.<\/p>\n As for Dash – we will celebrate his special day<\/strong> on Wednesday with treats and – if my husband isn’t looking –\u00a0a cute little birthday hat.\u00a0 I can’t believe how quickly the past four years have passed.\u00a0 Our lives are forever changed by having this sweet and loving dog<\/strong> in our lives.\u00a0 He makes us smile every day and\u00a0his kisses, which he so lavishly dispenses, act as a salve to mend any cracks <\/strong>\u00a0in our\u00a0hearts.\u00a0 I have to say he really is<\/em> a wonder dog.\u00a0 Last week a nurse at the care center\u00a0asked\u00a0us to visit a new patient in the memory unit.\u00a0 Dash crawled up on her bed and she stroked and<\/strong> cooed<\/strong> for five minutes.\u00a0 When we left the nurse said it was the first time in three days that the woman had smiled.\u00a0 In short, he\u00a0makes everything –\u00a0and everyone –\u00a0better.\u00a0 Maybe I should send him to Washington.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson Well…it’s been quite a week.\u00a0 I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to discuss something – anything – other than the election.\u00a0 Luckily, there are two events that have my attention – Veteran’s Day and … read more![\"pets-on-wheels\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Pets-on-Wheels-300x149.jpg\")
\n<\/a><\/p>\n![\"wwii-women\"](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/WWII-women-300x233.gif\")
<\/a>Also residing in the care center\u00a0is\u00a0a retired four-star\u00a0general<\/strong> and a man who fought in the Battle of the Bulge.\u00a0\u00a0I love talking with these men, not only because they love\u00a0being entertained by Dash, but because I have such unbridled admiration for their service and\u00a0frankly, the dedication of their entire generation.\u00a0 I read just enough sociology books to be boring at parties,\u00a0and\u00a0one recent phenomenon<\/strong> that worries me is the rise of the\u00a0“cupcake” or “snowflake” generation – young people who are easily offended, shrink away from\u00a0any opinion that differs from their own, and seek the\u00a0constant reassurance of hearing “good job”.\u00a0\u00a0 I think about the “Greatest Generation” by comparison,\u00a0whose work ethic and approach<\/strong> to life <\/strong>was forged by the Great Depression and World War II.\u00a0 Most, like my own parents, didn’t have the money for college.\u00a0 Their families “made do” during the Depression and when war broke out they volunteered and did whatever they could to contribute to the war effort.\u00a0 That generation knew a lot of sacrifice and hard work.\u00a0 They didn’t expect anything to be handed to them and learned how to face adversity with renewed resolve<\/strong>.\u00a0 The World War II vets\u00a0are\u00a0dying at a rate of\u00a01100 a day, and it is estimated that by the end of the decade almost all of them\u00a0will all be gone.\u00a0 We\u00a0will be the worse for it.\u00a0 So it was a privilege this week to wish the men in the care center a happy Veteran’s Day – we need to cherish them while we still have them.<\/p>\n