Welcome to the Friday mailbag where you will find some of the comments, questions and ideas sent recently by readers of this newsletter or our publications. They are edited for space and clarity.
“Thank you for sharing your poppy piece today (The poppy, May 21, 2026). As a member of a VFW Post in West Des Moines, I just wanted to let you know that, not only does the American Legion distribute poppies, but the numerous VFW Posts throughout the region also participate in the distribution. Again, thank you for noticing.” - Randy
I appreciate the correction, and I apologize for not mentioning the VFW Posts. Thank you, Randy. - Shane
“Shane, your column stopped me this morning in a way I wasn’t expecting (That means something, May 25, 2026). I grew up decorating gravesites and standing quietly at Memorial Day services with my mother. And, like your daughters, I didn’t fully understand it then either. This morning I stood at a service in Trussville, Alabama — not as a bystander, but as the mother of a Gold Star family. My daughter Libby’s husband, Major Alex Klinner, was killed in a KC-135 crash on March 12th. He left behind three children: a two-year-old and infant twins. There are real humans behind the headlines. A two-year-old who won’t remember his father’s voice. Two babies who will know him only through stories and photographs. A young widow doing the hard, holy work of keeping his memory alive for children too small to carry it themselves. I sincerely hope that people enjoy the cookouts. Enjoy the sun. Enjoy the beginning of summer. And pause — just once — to remember that the freedom making all of it possible had a human cost. It always does. Thank you for writing your column.” - Mary
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, Mary. Major Alex Klinner made the ultimate sacrifice, one that so many of us will never truly understand but must always respect and honor. - Shane
“Shane, we were at my uncle’s house on Memorial Day, and he had pulled out two orange-vinyl jelly-tube lawn chairs that used to be my grandparents’ for additional seating (Vintage lawn chairs, May 27, 2026). I have memories of those chairs going back to sometime in the mid-1980s. They are still in great shape other than well-worn wooden arm rests, but I had the same thought echoed in your column. The reunions, family gatherings, fishing trips, and parades those chairs have seen make some great stories today. Plus, there was no chance the chair I had brought with me was going to last anywhere as long as those two chairs had. And it’s easy to see why they are still around; there was no way you could misplace them with their bright orange vinyl seats and back.” - Chris
Ah, the jelly-tube lawn chairs — the ones that would hold the shape of your buttocks for 30 minutes after you stood up. And who says plastic doesn’t have a purpose? - Shane
Have a fantastic Friday, and thanks for reading. |
