Friday, May 23, 2014

Memorial Day - a time to be Thankful


As Memorial Day approaches, somewhere in the midst of organizing the big camping trip, family barbeque or visit to the beach, we all need to take a minute to reflect on the meaning of this very special holiday. 

To those of you who have served, and those of you who are serving our country, THANK YOU!  It might not be a lot, but my appreciation for your service is genuine and heartfelt. 
To your families, who endure time away from you, with the ever present fear that something bad could happen, I say thank you.

To everyone who serves, whether you repair vehicles to keep them safely running, or you fly jets across the globe, each of you contributes to the safety of our nation and I thank you. 

To the politicians & talking heads, who so easily demand that our country ‘do something about…?” (Whether it’s Russia, Syria, Iran or anywhere else in the world), I want to remind them that there is NOTHING easy about the service you give our country and we should never be in a hurry to put American men and women in harm’s way. 

So far, more than 6,700 U.S. servicemen and women have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and at least 50,000 more have been wounded.  In Vietnam 58,209 US servicemen were killed and 153,303 were wounded in combat.  In Korea 36,516 servicemen were killed and 92,134 were wounded.  In World War II 405,399 US servicemen were killed and 670,846 were wounded.  In World War I 116,516 US servicemen were killed and 204,002 were wounded.  We owe a debt of gratitude to each and every one of these individuals, and we should NEVER enter into war without considering the enormous price these men and women have paid for our freedom. 

17 comments:

  1. Well said. We owe them more than we could possibly repay.

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    1. Thanks Carl - it is so easy for us to forget the sacrifice that our servicemen and women have made.

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  2. Everything you say is so true, thank you so much for sharing ^_^

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    1. Thanks Diana! I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today

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  3. Very true. War should always be the last resort. No country is really totally self-sufficient so we should bind together and do a economic freeze out. Money is what moves the world.

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    1. Thanks, I think you have a great point, money can be very powerful

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  4. This post is a good reminder that the freedom and the state of not being at war are things that we owe to people who fought.

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    1. Thanks Russ - I think people forget too easily, Freedom comes with a price

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  5. Great post and so true. Wish we could bring them all home!

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  6. I totally agree with what you said! :)

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  7. Great post and pointers. I served for 4 as much as I hated being in, times like this I'm glad I did.

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  8. Well said. I grew up in the Vietnam era and I well remember when veterans were spat upon - freedom comes with a heavy price and I thank veterans of all wars.

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    1. Thanks Alana, I think we all need a reminder of what we have sacrificed for our freedoms.

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  9. Beautifully said, Laurie. I just reposted a tribute to my father-in-law who served in WWII.

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    1. Thanks Beth - I agree, three day weekends are nice, but it is always important to take a minute and remember the reason for the holiday we celebrate.

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