Introduction
May Day (May 1st, annually) is a festive occasion in Russia. The Ununited Socialist States of America (USSA, formerly USA) doesn't celebrate May Day. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and I remember the celebrations in Russia from 1995 to 1999. We were Christian missionaries in that country from 10/1/1994 to 9/30/1999. The history of May Day is found at “May Day,” History.com, by editors, originally published 5/1/2017.
This article is published on May 8th, Victory in Europe (VE) Day. Russia, formerly a part of the USSR, celebrates VE Day the next day, May 9th, annually. See “V-E Day is celebrated in America and Britain.” History.com, by editors, originally published 11/16/2009.
In Russia, the 50th anniversary of VE Day was on 5/9/1995. My wife and I were living in Moscow at the time. We have fond memories from that day. I still have film photographs taken on the day. The following is a free photograph that I found. It is similar to the one that I took, with his permission, of an elderly veteran of the Great Patriotic War, as Russians call World War II.
The USSA does not celebrate VE Day. It should.
The Thin Blue Line
May Day, 5/1/2021, was last Saturday. Early that day, I felt fine, bionically, such as I am. I suspect that the “spaghettios,” which my wife fixed for supper the evening before, the literal dust that I cleaned at the office the previous day, or a combination of both made me feel очень плохо (very bad) after my shower. I managed to haul off the recycling and trash and fill up my truck. I assumed that it would be an “endure it” type of day.
After I hauled off the trash, I filled up my truck at the local Weigels. I had just started to pump the 100% gasoline into the tank. On the other side of the pump, a young man pulled in to fill up his vehicle. Getting out of his car, he asked, “How are you?” He was wearing a blue police officer uniform. I replied, “I'm livin' la vida 'rona!” That started a very good and inspiring conversation that lasted much longer than it took us to fill up our vehicles!
The fine young officer is an outstanding member of the thin blue line.
I am about 40 decades older than him. My newly found friend spoke with wisdom and experience that are tributes to how well he was raised, educated, and trained. He shared his moral code and values. His words painted a canvas of his experiences in law enforcement. He has an extremely tough, dangerous, and often thankless job. He shared several true stories. Despite his displeasure with the socialist propagandists, who disdain police officers and want to “defund the police,” he still does his job every day. He is discouraged, but not defeated. He still stands proudly, wearing the blue uniform.
I shook this young man's hand twice! We swapped email addresses. He knows this website. I asked him if I could write this article without mentioning his name, his work location, or any point of our conversation that might identify him. He gave me his full permission. I told him that I would publish an article in a few days.
I regret that it has taken me seven days to publish this entry. Well, not really. The publication date is on VE Day. The young officer spoke in a manner similar to World War II combat veterans, with whom I have spoken over the years, in the former USA and the former USSR. My new friend has combat experience as an outstanding member of the thin blue line.
Conclusion
Happy VE Day to all! I hope that you remembered that today is VE Day, before reading this article. To Russian readers, happy VE Day tomorrow! Russians will remember tomorrow.
To my new friend, who holds the thin blue line, I will email you shortly to let you know that I have published this article. Godspeed to you. Thank you for your service!
I plan to publish another article soon. It has been a good and bad week.
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