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.
Well said. We owe them more than we could possibly repay.
ReplyDeleteThanks Carl - it is so easy for us to forget the sacrifice that our servicemen and women have made.
DeleteEverything you say is so true, thank you so much for sharing ^_^
ReplyDeleteThanks Diana! I'm so glad you stopped by my blog today
DeleteVery 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I think you have a great point, money can be very powerful
DeleteThis 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks Russ - I think people forget too easily, Freedom comes with a price
DeleteGreat post and so true. Wish we could bring them all home!
ReplyDeleteThanks Terri - I totally agree.
DeleteI totally agree with what you said! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post and pointers. I served for 4 as much as I hated being in, times like this I'm glad I did.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWell 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.
ReplyDeleteThanks Alana, I think we all need a reminder of what we have sacrificed for our freedoms.
DeleteBeautifully said, Laurie. I just reposted a tribute to my father-in-law who served in WWII.
ReplyDeleteThanks 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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