Duty and Patriotism

What is a soldier? A soldier, as defined by Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, is a person engaged in military service. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, or marines are more than this. They are the best of America, the very essence of America. They are the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of America, the very heartbeat of a thriving nation. They provide us with the greatest gift of all, freedom. They allow capitalism to grow in a comparably young nation.

Abraham Lincoln best stated it in the Gettysburg Address, saying, “But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract.” In that day in time, when America struggled against itself, President Lincoln addressed the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters of America. His vision was of a United States of America.

Lincoln’s great vision, through that terrible war, united a youthful country with the use of military force. The tragedy of Gettysburg saddened a divided nation, but united a country after four years of war. The noble sacrifices of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have brought us to that vision so long ago. It has united us into one America, the greatest nation of all.

“Only aim to do your duty, and mankind will give you credit where you fail,” Thomas Jefferson stated. A soldier simply doing their duty will not fail. And it is the duty of every man and woman in the military to provide Americans with freedom. That duty has carried us for over 200 years, allowing individual Americans the chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, the intentions of the U.S. Constitution. The Founding Fathers purpose was met with duty to their country, forming the United States of America. Their single purpose of freedom led to the creation of the greatest country in the world.

From the Founding Fathers to Abraham Lincoln to President George Bush, men and women in the military perform their duty, keeping America safe from harm. Those servicemen and women have done their duty, all that we ask of them. They have performed and exceeded expectations through their individual sacrifices to this country.

Those sacrifices allow them to live in honor. They serve and have served the people of the United States of America. The honor of each soldier, sailor, airman, and marine will allow each individual, past and present, to execute their duties faithfully to their country. For those that have gone before and for those yet to come, I give my undying gratitude and appreciation for performing their honorable duty to the United States of America.

There are men like Andy Stone, a Chartered Financial Analyst that love American, who now works for INVESCO in Louisville, Kentucky. He went to the U.S. Military Academy, graduated with the class of 1989 and commissioned in Field Artillery. He served in Augsburg, Germany, Fort Ord, California, and Ft. Sill, Oklahoma. He also went to Ranger School, class 2-94, which had a pass rate of only fifty- percent and he succeeded. He left the military in 1995 and went to Duke University, obtaining his MBA. He was more than happy to tell us what he loved most about America, driving his patriotism in this great country.

“The boundless optimism of the American people,” Andy stated. “I traveled a lot in Europe when I was stationed in Germany. As far a physical beauty of the landscape, I think Europe beats the US hands down. They have some pretty draconian zoning laws over there but it beats the endless strip malls of Middle America. But the people are ugly. They are all so glum all the time. They are very cynical, have no sense of humor, and seem too ‘hip’ to get excited about anything. I think it’s because the big secular, socialist welfare states just sucks the life out of them. They trade vitality for security. Americans, on the other hand, are full of energy. They really believe that things will be better tomorrow. They believe that they can make things better for themselves and their families. At least they used to until the soft socialism of the welfare state here started to erode that. I feel that America is the best place to live and might even be the last great hope for humanity. And I'm not ashamed to say it. I'd do anything to keep it like that. To paraphrase Churchill: Democracy is a terrible form of government except for all the others. This is as good as it gets. This Republic is an aberration in human history. It can be a tenuous thing. If we don't take action to protect it, we could lose it.”

There are also men like Emerson R. MacAfee, best known as Mac. “The most beautiful part of America I think is its people and its scenery. By spending 25 years in the Air Force and another 16 years working civil service for the Department of the Army, I have been able to travel this country from one end to the other. I have also traveled overseas a half dozen times. I have seen what other countries look like and how they live. There is no place like the U.S.A. The west has the plains and the Rocky Mountains while the southeast has the beaches. The northeast has the old houses and buildings as well as the beautiful changing of the leaves when all the colors burst forth in the Autumn. The Northwest has such an abundance of green while the upper Midwest has hundreds of small lakes. The Southwest has endless highways that open into such multicolored hills and rocks that have been hewn from the land for more than a thousand years.” Mac also says that the major things that affect his patriotism are the flag, the National Anthem, and seeing our young troops in uniform. “Any one of these can grab my attention and it doesn't take much to bring a tear to my eye,” he said.

And there are also veterans like John McInerney that tells us of his patriotism. “What do I find most beautiful about America,” he asked. “Opportunity. Plain and simple. With hard work and perseverance, a person can make a good life for their self no matter where they come from. You can’t find that many other places. As a conservative, the thing that drives my patriotism is that we have freedom and accountability. You have the freedom to do so much you can’t do anywhere else in the world, but you have responsibility with that freedom. You have the freedom to make yourself a success and the accountability of being a failure. These two things drive each individual and are collectively what makes this nation successful. Taking away one or the other will be this nations collapse. You can’t get that anywhere else.”

These conservative veterans believe in America. They believe in the people behind America, and the concept of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I thank them for their sacrifice made in wars past. And on Memorial Day, I am grateful for their sacrifices and belief in this country. With some of the veterans serving during Vietnam, it is almost magical to find that their faith in this country has never failed. And their belief in conservative philosophies had kept this country strong. Today, and in the future, their legacy will stand for strong values, deep faith, and good old-fashioned patriotism.

Thank you for the ping,and thanks for the wonderful article.

ON THIS DAY

The bugle has sounded

Its notes drift away.

This time now belongs to you….

Verse:

On this day for one brief moment

Hear the silence fill the air.

Think of those, who walked beside us; Now no longer there.

Then, don’t cry, but hear their laughter

For their spirit lives inside,

Let the mystic stream of mem’ry

Fill our hearts with pride!

Make us humble,

Make us knowing,

And reflect on what is done…

On this day

For now, forever

Make this nation one!

On this day,

For all the fallen,

Make this nation one!

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