Wandering The Halls of Montezuma

I love going into the buildings on base.  All bases.  The kids get annoyed when i drag them into random buildings when we have time to kill but they become quickly distracted when we begin wandering the halls.  There is so much history in these buildings, especially the old ones.  The kids think i am rather odd and quite the geek when i tell them to imagine what it was like during different time periods and what uniforms they were wearing back then.  There are always fabulous wall hangings.  Whether there are actual pictures from history or paintings that have been donated to that branch of service there will always be something to learn about how The Land of the Free became that way and remains The Home of the Brave to this day!  Even the schools on base have photos; some hang group photos of units that have adopted that school who are currently deployed.  These usually show them proudly holding a school logo in the deserts of Afghanistan, other photos are more sobering as they show the happy childhood 'no care in the world' face of a student who previously attended that DODEA school next to the proud picture of his Boot camp photo with a tribute to his heroic sacrifice in Iraq or Afghanistan for our country.  Every building you enter on any military installation you can find yourself lost in history.  I can wander for hours looking at photos and paintings and reading all the captions.  I love to learn about those who have paved the path, who were essential in making this country the great nation that is.  Just recently Ed happened to be in my neck of the woods at lunch time and picked me up from work for a quick bite to eat.  He knew one of the buildings down the road had a small cafeteria and that i would love to roam the halls.  He was right, the Dude in Cammies is always right.....sigh......this was my favorite picture in the hall ways i wandered that day.....i love how the artist captured various emotions that are in the life of those that serve.  The poem is a reminder of what those in uniform continue feel every time they say good bye and while they are away awaiting their return.....