by Gil Rivera

It’s that time of year again. Time for picnics and parades, a nice three day weekend. But let’s not forget what today is really for. Let’s not forget as we sit around the picnic table enjoying the company of family and friends, quaffing a cold brew and waiting for the steaks to be done, that there are sons and daughters in harms way. They are there to protect us, to preserve our way of life, to take the fight to our enemies, rather than fight them here. They are there out of a sense of duty, honor, and love of freedom and all our country stands for. They are there voluntarily, not drafted. These men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan today joined up well after 9/11, knowing full well what may lie ahead. Despite your feelings on the war, you owe them more than you can ever repay.

And let’s not forget those who came before them. The brave men and women who served in Vietnam and Korea, two highly contested wars on the home front, yet these selfless individuals fought and died to aid others. The remainders of the WWII vets, possibly the bravest men to have ever walked the earth. The scarifices these men made in order to halt Fascism and Imperialism from decimating our world are beyond description. WWI and beyond are but a twinkling in the memory of our young nation, yet the consequences of the actions of a brave few molded and shaped our country into what it is today. Take a moment and remember. Reflect on where we might be had it not been for their altruistic gifts of themselves. Thank a vet for his service, welcome them home and let them know you appreciate them. Not just today, everyday.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 25th, 2008 at 2:02 pm and is filed under Etc.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.