Meandering thoughts from a brief trip to the mid-South last week, where Kathy and I visited her son Travis and his wife Anna in Clarksville, Tennessee.....

Clarksville is a good-sized community which revolves largely around the Army’s massive Fort Campbell, where Travis is stationed (and which actually sits across the state line in Kentucky).

We had the opportunity to meet several of his fellow soldiers, and came away greatly impressed by their quiet dedication to duty. We all know people who are in the military, and a great many West Side families such as ours have loved ones serving, so our area is certainly familiar with the sacrifices being made by those in defense of freedom.

Visiting an Army town – where the only types of soldiers are those who have deployed or those who are going to deploy – and seeing them in their element leaves one with an entirely different feel and a renewed appreciation for their service.

Those who I met were very matter-of-fact about what they do, and believe very strongly in their mission.

I have never had a firm grasp or strong pro-or-con opinion on the political intricacies behind our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, but have always felt that we owed it to those serving to be supportive of what they are doing to protect our nation and to try to bring peace and self-sufficiency to a historically troubled part of the world.

Everything I saw and learned during our visit only reinforced that, and drove home the sacrifices which our armed forces make......even though they seem to largely consider it just part of the job.

Fort Campbell itself was impressive, from the “commissary” which was every bit as large and well-stocked as any full-fledged supermarket to the rows upon rows of barracks to the base schools to the stockpiles of equipment and vehicles.

We particularly enjoyed visiting the base museum, where displays from wars past and present offered new insight into the the Army’s role, the conditions under which our soldiers fought and the equipment they had at their disposal.

The museum also had displays depicting the uniforms and equipment of opposing forces.

One of the most powerful was the collection of items from Adolf Hitler’s mountaintop “Eagle’s Nest” retreat, including a walking stick he used on mountain-climbing expeditions.

Those displays were all literally pieces of wars which determined the course of history.

While I came back Sunday, Kathy stayed in Tennessee for a more extended visit.

As destinations go, Tennessee is one easy to love.

I vaguely remember visiting nearby Nashville as a child, but had completely forgotten the stunning natural beauty of the area.

The lush, rolling countryside is heavily wooded, and rock outcroppings are quite common.

A hint of early September color was coming onto the green leaves, promising a spectacular show of autumn foliage in the weeks to come.

Nashville is an up-and-coming city in its own right, featuring a host of cultural features and one of the world’s most famous entertainment venues, the Grand Ol’ Opry.

There is still no doubt, though, that one is in the South......not the deep South, perhaps, but certainly with a Southern influence.

The distinctive drawl is pervasive, hunting and fishing are almost a religion in their own right and if you forget to order your iced tea unsweetened......well, hope you like plenty of sugar. Churches abound....and so do bars.

A few more differences were evident when I returned to the Nashville airport Sunday morning.

Passengers were greeted by a pleasant TSA agent who had a little bit of a good-old-boy look to him (nothing wrong with that) who apparently answers to the name of “Tater.”

Don’t get me wrong – the Nashville TSA folks were some of the best-natured I’ve come across. But I’m going to guess that you won’t find too many airports with security guards named “Tater.”

Could you imagine some supervisor at SFO hollering for “Tater” to come check out a bag? Just not going to happen.

I also had the option of grits with breakfast at the airport in Nashville, which was a definite indicator we weren’t in California. I’ll eat a lot of things, and have even developed a taste for dishes I used to detest, such as asparagus and sopas, but I draw the line at grits.

The other thing I noticed was that more people took Coca-Cola with their breakfast than coffee.

Sorry, but old habits die hard and if I don’t have my morning coffee it’s going to be a tough day for everybody.

We greatly enjoyed our visit and the opportunity to experience a different region of the country while meeting people from around the country (as an Army town, Clarksville is the epitome of a melting pot).....even if they did wonder about anybody who would pass on the grits.