Yellow Ribbon

Being in a small community instead of a college town means that I now notice random things and do not immediately dismiss them as college nonsense.  I have been noticing yellow ribbons tied on people's trees lately...and wasn't quite sure what it was all about.  I suspected that it had something to do with the military, maybe a ribbon per person you know serving? 

Well I wikipedia.com'd it today and it turns out I was kind of right!  Turns out that they were used initially to symbol to those coming home from war (or prison actually) that they are welcomed home by their women (predominantly in the 70s).  If there was no yellow ribbon, the men knew to stay on the bus and not go home. 

Do you have any yellow ribbons?  Just last week my cousin who just graduated from high school enlisted in the marines.  Being the pacifist and anti-violence person I am the military is such a conflicting institution for me.  While I believe it can create incredible character in people, I worry about the methods used to create said character.  What are we communicating when teaching 18 year olds to hit or shoot when not given the answer they want?  Nonetheless I am very excited for him and truly believe it could be a door opening move for him.  Not sure what he'll be doing in the marines...but I'll keep you posted about any potential need for a yellow ribbon.