Has Anyone Asked You For Your Autograph?

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Irisheyes's discussion about the Palin family and autographs gave me the idea for this thread. Not that I want to make this about the Palin family, I just wanted to give inspirational kudos to where they are due. I remember the first time someone asked me for my autograph. It was at the airport in Bangor, Maine. Returning from Desert Storm, we stopped there for refuelling. There were literally thousands of people there to welcome us. We weren't from Maine, we were from Ft. Bragg, NC, but they didn't care. Bangor was the first contact back on American soil for a lot of plane loads of returning troops. The people of Bangor knew this, so they wanted us to feel welcome back home. I don't know how many times I wrote my name on papers, stuffed animals, autograph books, T-shirts, Army posters, and whatever else was put in my hands. I knew it wasn't about me, it was about my uniform and what I represented to them. Those bits of memorabilia are probably fading away somewhere in basements and attics of Bangor... much like the most the memorabilia of us vets. But I'll never forget the look in the eyes of the boys and girls, men and women who, for that few moments, wanted me to feel like a hero. It's happened a few times since. I guess you can't do things that people consider "heroic" without attracting a few fans... even if it is just for the moment. What about you?