Posted on 05/26/2014 9:14:32 AM PDT by LTC.Ret
As we come to the end of another three day holiday weekend, let us pause to remember those that we honor on this Memorial Day.
As General MacArthur said, “The soldier above all others prays for peace, for it is the soldier who must suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war.”
Many of us assembled here hold to the memories of our comrades in arms who never came home. Mine is LTC Danny Holland. He was my colleague and unit commander, who gave his life while serving in Iraq when his convoy hit a roadside IED.
Today, I honor and remember all those who offered up their lives to serve, especially those who gave their all on battlefields at home and abroad. Let us never forget what their sacrifices truly mean to our country, and to the freedoms and liberties we cherish.
Did you come home from a job last Friday? A job where you have the choice to work or quit? Not one that was decided by your family’s name or caste? Did you come home to a house that you chose to live in? A house that you own or rent? Not one that was assigned to you? Did you go out for an evening with friends and enjoy whatever movie, dance hall, or adult beverages you wanted without fear of being arrested?
These inalienable rights and more were protected and preserved by the ultimate sacrifice of those that we honor today.
Did you have a Bar-B-Que on Saturday? Could you buy pork chops or ribs at the grocery store if you wanted them? Did you relax by the pool with your friends in your bathing suit? Did you drive yourself to go shopping at the Memorial day sales at the mall? If you saw cars parked there with bumper stickers that read “Impeach the Governor” or “Texas Secede from the Union” did you think the occupants of those cars were most likely in jail or in the mall shopping?
These inalienable rights and more were protected and preserved by the ultimate sacrifice of those that we honor today.
Did you wake up early on Sunday morning or sleep in? Is there a church in your city, or many different churches to choose from? Did you go to the church of your choice, confident that you would not be killed if caught there? Did you stay home and watch the game without fear of being beaten, or worse, for not attending worship? If you hear a gong, a horn, a wailing voice, or the bells ringing in a church steeple, can you freely pass by and ignore it?
These inalienable rights and more were protected and preserved by the ultimate sacrifice of those that we honor today.
Do you want your voice to be heard, and to count? Do you look forward to college or trade school to study for the job of your choice? Do you believe that hard work can lead to personal success? Do you look forward to finding that special someone you love to marry? Do you plan to have more than one single child? Do you hope for the leisure of retirement? Do you expect to vote for the candidate of your choice in the next election?
As we leave here today and continue to live our lives the way we choose, may we be ever mindful of the blessed lives we have here in the freest and most prosperous country in the world. Let us never forget that the checks that pay for this freedom and prosperity we enjoy are signed by sacrifice and cashed in blood by those willing to serve this nation.
God Bless and comfort all our Gold Star families, and may we always remember the ultimate sacrifice of our fallen Patriots from all the wars and battles in the history of our great United States of America.
Thank you, and God Bless America!!!
bump
I wear a gold star everyday for my brother as my father and mother are at rest next to him. 1st. LT. Charles Edward Wilder U.S. Army.
Bless you and your family.
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