I suppose, with all the uttering of profanity in NASCAR these days, from the Goodyear tire folks to the ones losing their spot in the infernal Chase by whatever means, there is much discussion about "tomorrows", or probably more specifically, about next season as after this coming weekend's race in Phoenix, the season is effectively over for all but four, in spite of the television commentators trying to convince us that the fight to attain fifth place in the points at the end of the season is a huge goal for some of the teams.  I do suppose that fifth place in the points is better than sixth place, but to be fed that line of bull and be expected to believe it sort of indicates what the NBC network thinks of the educational level of the NASCAR fan.  But, then again, when you consider NBC's team as a part of the mainstream media in all things, you realize the networks is run by a panel of folks with the intelligence just slightly above a Llama in the Andes Mountains.  That is about as nice as I could put that.

I watched a good part of the race from Texas, mainly because the rain had canceled my grandson's soccer game, and it was just too rainy and messy outside to go watch the grass grow.  I admit to falling asleep more than once, partly from the sound of the rain on the roof and partly from the hypnotic effect of watching the number 2 car go around and around the track with literally no competition until the late caution bunched the field and gave Jimmie Johnson the opportunity to take the win.  I understand the suspended Matt K. tweeted after the race, something to the effect that "way to pass when someone is holding your line" directed at Jimmie.  Wonder if the pinhead from Wisconsin learned anything by watching that?  Seems Brad didn't try to use the same kind of block Kenseth did on Logano at Kansas and Jimmie didn't have to tap Brad to move him over like Logano did to Kenseth.  But, I suppose, it is time to put that goat to bed.  I'm somewhat tired of hearing about it and talking about it.  I did think it was kind of funny, though, that three of the JGR cars were tagged for improper splitters before the race Sunday.  A riot for sure but I don't expect Preacher Joe is going to appeal that ruling.

Now let's get to the point of the title here.  As Jeff repeats over and over and over, sort of like a religious chant from some other part of the world, I am known as "wordy" in his mind.  I guess I have to bow to his opinion on that one because I know I get on a roll sometimes and don't know when to stop.  Danny Whitener and Larry Eury are sitting there right now nodding their heads in agreement with that statement.  If Ms. Janice is listening, she is probably applauding the truth of that statement as well.  But, as the title infers, it is sometimes not the number of words, but the impact of the words that make the impression.

When our RacersReunion Group toured Mooresville this past weekend, one of the places we visited was Richard's Coffee Shop in downtown Mooresville.  I have to tell you up front that before we arrived, there was not one indication in that shop that it is located in "Race City, USA". We didn't visit that as a race-related stop, but we did visit there because our own Bill McPeek had brought it to my attention when we first started talking about a Mooresville trip three months ago. Bill wanted to be sure to visit there so he could donate some of his military memorabilia.  You see, Richard's Coffee Shop is a shrine to honor of the men and women of this Country who gave so much for our freedoms. Displays start with the war for independence from Britain and continues through present day.  All Veterans are asked to sign the "Book of Honor" and the Vet is then presented with a beautiful key chain, part red, white, and blue from our flag, and the other part the color representing the branch of service.  Mine is blue for the Navy and is proudly displayed hanging from the rear-view mirror of my silver Mercury.

Unfortunately, Bill McPeek was unable to attend the event this past weekend but I have already relayed to him that when he is fully recovered from his surgery, he and I will make the trip to Richard's so he can experience what we all did Saturday.  I think the only Veteran we had with us Saturday that signed up was Danny Whitener. Danny was then interviewed by an elementary school student for her class project of interviewing a Veteran.  I didn't get to listen to that interview so I cannot comment as to the wordiness of it, but I'm sure Danny was touched by the honor and all of us in the group were very proud of Danny for being the one to give that girl the interview.  With all his multiple faults, when it gets right down to it, Danny isn't so bad.  I guess that's mostly due to Ms. Janice's constant supervision much as Ms. Ann keeps me out of a great deal of trouble with her constant supervision.

It's time now to get serious.  It is time now for us to consider the significance of tomorrow, November 11. November the 11th of each year is designated as Veteran's Day.  It is a day set aside to honor all Veterans, which is a good thing, but in reality, we all should be honoring every Veteran, and those currently serving, every single day.  Without the sacrifices of these men and women, just as Patrick Reynolds says every Monday night at the close of his show, and Jeff says every Tuesday night at the close of this show, we would not be able to do this on Tuesday nights.  As Patrick says, "Freedom is not free, and a Veteran has paid the price".  That's about as well as it can be said.

I was serving in the Navy during the height of the Vietnam era.  Not once was I ever shot at, with the lone exception of our ship being on target towing duty for the Canadian Navy and the Canadian destroyed aimed wrong and we had a shell clear our bridge by maybe 50 feet.  I never had to sleep in a tent, never waded through a rice paddy and when it comes right down to it, I was getting paid to do what tourist now pay big bucks to do, sailing around the Caribbean six months a year from October to April.  Things had gotten so bad in this country with the anti-war protest, that we were instructed NOT to wear uniforms off base in Norfolk.

I lost four very close friends in the Vietnam war.  When I was discharged from the Navy, I sort of put all that behind me and never spoke of it. After all, the only reason I was probably there anyway was that there was a military draft then and I just wanted to get my obligation over with and save some money to go racing.  I don't think I ever considered myself as being the protector of freedom but two events in later life changed all that.

First was a Veteran's Day celebration at the church I attended at the time, which was pastored by a retired U.S. Army Chaplain.  When he asked me if I was a Vet, I told him yes, but I really hadn't done anything to deserve the honor of being called a Veteran.  One of the best sermons old Clyde Aiken ever preached for me was the way he changed my opinion of my service.  The second thing was my now oldest grandson, five at the time, calling me one night asking me if I would be his "Bet Er Ran".  Finally had to get his mother on the phone to find out that Andrew's school was having a Veteran's Breakfast and he wanted me to go as "his" Veteran.  I did.  Tomorrow, when I go with Michael, my youngest grandson, to his school function honoring Veterans will mark my 15th year of doing so.  I am happy the schools here have programs to honor the Vets, but I wish the State would allow Veteran's Day to be a State Holiday.  Last year Michael and I slipped away and went to the Veteran's Day Parade in downtown Columbia but he's in Middle School this year and we may not be able to pull that off.

I watch many programs on The American Heroes Channel.  I have seen "The Longest Day" a dozen times at least, and I've managed to watch "Saving Private Ryan" once.  I currently attend church with a man who fought in the foxholes during the Battle of the Bulge.  I knew a man once who was a part of the Normandy invasion and lost both legs on the beach and laid there for hours until the medics got to him.  I listened to his story the day he told me which was years ago.  I have never forgotten the pride in his voice when he spoke of being a part of D-Day, June 6, 1944.

I grew up with a father that had fought Japanese, island to island, in the Pacific, from October 1942 until the end of the war.  Leyete, Iwo Jima, and other battles related in the history books were actually first hand information for the U.S. Army machine-gunner I called Daddy.  Never knew, until I attended a reunion of his 77th Division in 1987, what a war hero my Daddy was. Colonel Chagrin told me all about it.  I have a frame hanging in the Lair with all his medals, including the Bronze Star.

I don't brag about being a Veteran, but I'm very proud to be, especially now that I have grandsons who know what it is to respect a Vet. Actions of some of the freeloaders of Freedom such as we had during my service era are reprehensible.  Apparently, the same can be said for some today.  I read a piece written by a young man in The Daily Guidepost, a daily devotional book I read each day, that deeply touched me.  The young man, in his 20s, lost a leg to cancer when he was a kid.  He wrote about running into a man on the street who said to him "you got what you deserved from being in the military" referencing the fact the Joshua Sundquist has a prosthetic leg.  Perhaps that man making the comment could book passage to another country when he can learn to appreciate the price of freedom.

As I stated earlier, I've watched hundreds of hours of documentary footage on World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam on different channels.  I've watched war movies all my life as that genre was my Dad's favorite, just above westerns.  The horrors of war transcend video, words, and any attempt to impress the severity of the actions upon an individual who has never been there.  I stated I watched "Saving Private Ryan" only once, although I have it on video.  The first 20 or so minutes of that movie are why I have only watch it once. Some of the veterans of D-Day stated, at the time of the movie's release, that those scenes were as realistic as anything they witnessed that day.  The time I watch that, I knew I could never have done that.  Not long after watching the movie, I was talking with a guy who was 18 on D-Day and a part of the invasion force.  I told him I could never have done that.  His comment was something like "neither could I, but we did what we had to do".  When he said that, I remembered comments from that 77th Division reunion that reiterated that over and over.  Something they: “had to do".

Tomorrow is Veterans' Day.  A Day set aside to honor all who served in the Military.  A friend of mine in The United Kingdom sent me some photos of the "Remembrance Day" ceremonies in London Sunday.  That is their "Veterans Day".  When I am with my grandson Michael tomorrow, I'll feel special pride for being a Veteran because it means something to him.  For that, I am thankful.  For my freedoms, I am thankful.  To all the Veterans everywhere, I am thankful.  I try to personally thank each one I meet because I think it's important.  Not once, in all those hundreds of approaches to total strangers to thank them, has there been a negative response.  So, if you're listening and you are a Veteran, thank you.  If you're listening and you know a Veteran, thank them.  If you come upon a Veteran anywhere, thank them.  If it weren't for the Veteran, there would be no worries about who is going to prevail in The Chase. There would surely be no Chase, No NASCAR, and very little to celebrate at anytime.

God bless the U.S.A. and thank the Veterans.  The impact of words, not the quantity of words.

Note: Tim Leeming is a member of the regular cast of the Tuesday evening racing show "Racing Through History”, presented on Zeus Radio Network by RacersReunion®.  Live broadcasts can be heard from 7:00-9:00 p.m. every Tuesday.   Click here to visit the Stock Car community at RacersReunion.com.