Veteran's Day

A government titles day of the year where we stop and take the time to recognize the braze men and women whom have given so much, sometimes the ultimate sacrifice, so that you and I may enjoy our freedom every day of our lives. From the beaches of Normandy, to Vietnam, the sands of the Gulf War, to the conflicts of Bosnia, Darfur, and even Libya…. These are just a few examples of where we have taken soldiers to defend what is rightfully ours or also share what many of us have come to take for granted…. Democracy and Freedom.
We often forget during our expressions of the 1st Amendment that so many have fought for us to exercise that right as American citizens. We could be living in places such as China, North Korea, or even Libya where we are sanctioned by our government for what we will read or hear. A choice many of us would not be able to handle. These brave soldiers go to work just as many of us do and bravely take the orders handed to them without question. At a moment’s notice they are ripped from their family homes, their children, their loved ones and sent to places unknown. The order requires that they be expected to put their
lives on the line often times for people they will never meet or for reasons they may never understand why it is they are there…
Some of you will remember when the young men of this nation were not given the choice to serve or attend college or enter the work force…. They were told for whom and where they will serve their country… Those young men went with friends they had known all their lives to fight for this country… Tragedies of war saw many of those men had lost their buddies, their friends, even their own brothers and came home alone… Even today in one of the richest countries in the world those same soldiers are left to ride out the storms of life alone… mental anguish from the trauma they lived that not one of us could bare the weight of… leading them to a life of alcohol and addiction.. The only things they have found to take the pain away for a small period of time. And often times we find it OK to make judgment on why they stand ashamed, alone, dirty, and hungry…
And then there are those brave men and women whom have chosen to take the oath to defend this great country just as members of their clans whom have gone before them.  Sometimes they may find it be the right decision to support family, a means to obtain a higher education later in life, or even that guided path of a lost soul that really knew of no other way to turn… Either way, either decision, either handed out order…… The soldiers of this great nation have given us so much, have ask for so little, and in the end would do it all over again should they be asked to do so.  Yet when they come home, when they have completed their oath… are left to fend for themselves during the next chapters of their lives.. Often times struggling to find a means to support their families.
A veteran of this great nation should never have to look for his or her next meal. A veteran of this great nation should never have to worry about healthcare, education, or a roof over their head. We find today where we give out more to those who do nothing and will continue to stand with that open hand with the expectation there should be more than for those whom have given it all. It’s not just today that we should take the time to remember those men and women…. It is every day that we should be thanking these men and women. Whether it be a handshake and a thank you for your service, a cup of coffee, a grab of the tab for a traveling soldier’s dinner… That small gesture goes a long way.  And that should be just the beginning… So today, as many of us have taken the time to do… I will stand and say thank you to all those men and women for your courage, your sacrifice and your dedication that provides me what I have today.  Thank you.