Today, I pause to say, “Thank You Veterans!” The longer I live the more grateful I am for those who have served our nation through the military. We owe the men and women who served, because they were drafted into service, or because they voluntarily accepted the responsibility to serve in the armed forces, a debt of gratitude we will never fully understand or be able to repay. Having never served in the military myself, I often look back over my life and think that while I have served many people, and sacrificed a great deal in doing so at times, it is not the same as bearing arms in defense of our nation. The men and women who have done so deserve our thanks.
While some disagree on principle with the concept of an armed military, and others contend those who serve today are often simply in the military as a “job,” the fact remains: the men and women who serve on the front lines, and in support of them, are playing roles that make it possible for me to write these words, without fear of governmental intervention, or some outsiders’ disdain. The very freedom to disagree with what I right here, and to have right to speak our minds has been bought with the service and lives of men and women who have served in the armed forces. I appreciate that willingness and commitment on the part of so many to provide such opportunities.
Thank you to any who read this post who have served or are serving in the armed forces of the United States of America. Thank you for the sacrifices you have made or are making on our nation’s behalf. Thank you for standing up and in some cases standing down in order to bring or maintain peace and order here and abroad. Thank you for being willing to serve your fellow Americans, and those of many other countries, sometimes in situations that most of us can’t even understand. Thank you for those who serve as a response of duty to God and country, and thank you for those who serve, because it is your chosen vocation. Whatever the reason for your service, Thank You!