WOULD YOU DIE FOR YOUR COUNTRY?
Would you be willing to give your life to protect and defend the lifestyle, the freedoms, the benefits you enjoy as an American citizen, would you?
I wonder sometimes whether that day is coming when WE THE PEOPLE will have to put our all on the altar of DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM to protect and defend this one – of – a – kind country. Many think that day may not be far off.
There were American men and women by millions who were willing to die in defense of the America they loved. And in fact, millions did. So I ask again, would you die in defense of America your freedoms like millions of Americans have done for you and for me, and like thousands of Ukrainians are doing this very day to protect their freedoms and their way of life, would you, would I?
Anyone who was so willing is special, very special. Obviously, they love America deeply. They believe in and champion FREEDOM the world over. They are against tyrants like Putin, like Hitler, like Mussolini, like the Chinese communist government today, like Islamic Iran and the clerical rule that exists and they are willing to put their lives at stake to put an end to anyone or anything like that. There was once THE GREAT WAR, World War I, it ended officially November 11, 1918. An armistice occurred. Then President Woodrow Wilson, so blessed by that ending declared the date of the armistice November 11, 1919 as officially Armistice Day.
That day was set aside to honor the heroism of all those brave Veterans who fought and died, and survived that horrible war. In 1938, Congress made the 11th of November of every year a legal holiday in honor of those heroic Veterans. Armistice Day was official. It originally only honored those Veterans of the first World War. In 1954, November 11 became a legal holiday to honor American Veterans of ALL WARS. Then President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a Presidential proclamation asking for an even requiring a wide spread observation of the day in honor of America’s finest, THE VETERANS OF ALL WARS.
November 11 of every year became the legal holiday in America for all Americans to honor Americans past who both served and died to protect the freedoms of this great country.
We owe them. WE THE PEOPLE have a never-ending debt, a patriotic debt to those American heroes. 1.1 million patriots died defending America and ridding the world of Adolph Hitler. Even more died in the Korean War, and the Vietnam War and we owe them observants and gratitude. Those Veterans gave much of their lives or all of it in service of America and for you and for me. We owe them, those heroes.
For them, what they did in war was something more than duty. It was the highest form of patriotism, the deepest love for America. They cherished the freedoms, the lifestyle and the democracy so many of us take for granted today. They endured sacrifice, a kind of warfare which doesn’t even exist today. So many of these Veterans were wounded, maimed, handicapped for life. Many of our beloved Veterans, men and women suffered the pain of warfare for America every single day they live. We owe them!
By the way, when you see a member of the armed forces, do you salute them, do you thank them, do you honor them?
Those Veterans of foreign wars indeed had higher standards, patriotic standards. The Stars and Stripes, the precious flag of America was sacred for them. Those Veterans honored and respected that flag and all that it represented. Today, there are tens of thousands who disrespect the flag, dishonor America and care nothing for those who made it possible for them to disrespect the country which has been so good to them. How tragic that is. They can hardly be considered citizens of the United States of America. They are destructive, hateful, disrespectful and without an ounce of gratitude for those who sacrificed so much for this great country. Today, patriotism is on the wane, big time. Holidays, like Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Labor Day and more are simply viewed as a day off from work, a day set aside to party, have fun engage in sports but in so many ways by so many, those days mean little or nothing to so many who take freedom for granted. Former President Thomas Jefferson rightly stated that:
THE TREE OF LIBERTY NEEDS THE FRESH BLOOD OF
PATRIOTISM SHED FROM TIME TO TIME
Our Veterans believed that and millions did in fact shed their blood as incredible patriots so that freedom might live, and prosper, and we the beneficiaries along with it. I for one, older American citizen am deeply, deeply grateful to any man or woman who has served this country in time of war or otherwise for that matter and I salute them where ever I can.
NO ONE RESPECTS A VETERAN OR HONORS VETERANS DAY more than I do. Those Veterans loved America, love this country deeply. SO DO I! and I do hope and pray that you do as well for there is only one America and if what America is, is lost because of apathy, indifference, negligence or down right sabotage, America like freedom once lost is lost forever. Tragically, that day may soon approach.
While you can, honor America every chance you get. It has its problems, by no means perfect but it continues to work for liberty and justice for all. Never forget that, my fellow Americans:
NEVER FORGET
I pray that God will bless America, and I pray that God will bless and encourage every VETERAN, every man or woman who gave time or life in the service of this great country. WE THE PEOPLE owe a debt of gratitude to those Veterans which can never be repaid.