Let Us Remember Them For More Than A Day
By LonestarConservative Posted in Archived — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
His name was Dr. Joseph Warren, he was the first officer killed in the American Revolution. His name was Lt. Robert Mason Mathias, he was the first American officer killed by German fire on D-Day. His name was Johnny "Mike" Spann, he was the first American killed in action during the campaign in Afghanistan. These brave heroes are just a few of the great many that have died serving this great country. The last Monday of every May is a day when we honor those who died in order that we may have the freedoms we do.
Military men and women that serve our country are true heroes. Not the sports stars, the movie stars, or entertainment figures that we tend to see on the television or big screen everyday; those are people who simply bring fun into our lives. The servicemen and women that make up the United States military are the ones that allow us to freely assemble and watch the movies we want to watch. They are the ones that allow the press to print what they might, even if it directly criticizes, and jeopardizes, the same people who gave them that freedom. These people serve a country in which they fight for 300 million people, but might only know 300 of them personally. These individuals willingly put themselves in harm’s way, willingly put themselves in the midst of conflicts in the most dangerous parts of the world, and willingly take bullets for the 300 people they know, and the 299,999,700 they don’t know. I am starting to the think the word "hero" is an understatement.
Throughout this country’s 230 years, the call of duty has been answered on many occasions, and continues to be answered to this day. They have been to the jungles of Asia, the deserts of the Middle East, and the hills of Europe, and they continue to go, knowing full well that each time they jump on a chopper, get behind the wheel of a Humvee, or step onto a battlefield, it could be their last time to do so. Why? They understand that it takes action to preserve freedom, that freedom isn’t free; that in order for a free America to exist, free Americans must take up the call to defend it!
The appreciation that should be directed toward these men and women should go far beyond one day. Yet, there are some people who are not even willing to give that one day. There are people who show absolutely no respect toward what has been sacrificed for them. They do not stand for, or say the Pledge of Allegiance, they burn the flag, spit on our troops, hurl insults at them, and refuse to say thank you for the service given by the military. They seem to not understand that those people they despise defend the freedom that allows them to despise our heroes. They seem to not understand that the flag they burn would not exist if sacrifices had not been made to keep that eternal symbol of freedom flying, which in turn allows them to burn that symbol.
What possesses people to blatantly defile what has been done for them? What goes through their head when they do these despicable acts? If people do not like this country, move to a different one. But then again, their actions here would have them killed in most any other country; they could not freely piss all over the bravery and sacrifice made to keep their country free. People like this have no clue what the real world is like. Utopia does not exist. Sure, people might disagree with the current President, or the way our government runs things, but that political disagreement should never spill over into the things that allow that political disagreement to take place.
On this Memorial Day, let us honor those who have served, and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep us free. Next time you see the flag of this great nation, look at it a different way. Next time the pledge is said or the National Anthem is sung, stand up and say with pride you are from this country. No matter what side of the aisle you are on, this is the best country of them all. We are the land of the free, and the home of the brave. Of course we are not perfect, nobody, or nothing, ever is, but the United States of America is a great nation. Thank you to all of those that defend it, and those who will continue to do so.
"Oh beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife. Who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life!"
- Katharine Lee Bates, America the Beautiful