Freedom is never free

"There are only two defining forces that ever offered to die for you - Jesus Christ and the American GI. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom."

We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude. As Veteran's Day rolls around, I am reminded of the sacrifices made by the members of our Armed Forces and their families. Actually, that's not completely true. To say "I remember" implies that I forgot. Not a single day goes by where I don't thank my ancestors, family members, friends, neighbors and strangers for their willingness to march into hell on our behalf. Generally, as a society, we are indifferent to veterans. I am disgusted to read stories of how many veterans are out of work, homeless and committing suicide. The moral decay of our society has taken such a drastic turn in so much that we no longer honor the men and women who stood/stand up to defend our protected way of life. "Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit." - Ronald Reagan.

This picture breaks my heart ... have we grown so apathetic and disinterested that we no longer have respect for a symbol that has figuratively and literally been soaked with the blood of patriots? Yes, it is a flag - a piece of cloth with 13 red and white stripes and 50 white stars glittering against a blue square. But it represents so much more. The flag is the embodiment, not of sentiment, but of history. It represents the experiences made by men and women, the experiences of those who live and die under that flag. "Our flag is our national ensign, pure and simple, behold it! Listen to it! Every star has a tongue, every stripe is articulate." - Robert C. Winthrop. I'll throw in another quote because I LOVE quotes! "We do honor to the stars and stripes as the emblem of our country and the symbol of all that our patriotism means. We identify the flag with almost everything we hold dear on earth. It represents our peace and security, our civil and political liberty, our freedom of religious worship, our family, our friends and our home. We see it in the great multitude of blessings, of rights and privileges that make up our country. But when we look at our flag, and behold it emblazoned with all our rights, we must remember that it is equally a symbol of our duties. Every glory that we associate with it is the result of duty done. A yearly contemplation of our flag strengthens and purifies the national conscience." - Calvin Coolidge.

Music is a huge part of my life. Regardless of how many times I have heard certain patriotic songs, my eyes still fill with tears at the pride I feel for this country and the immense blessing it is to call myself an American - the daughter of a soldier. I could write song lyrics for HOURS but if you're interested, youtube it :-) There are so many quality songs that honor veterans and I would be remiss if I don't mention at least one. One song that never fails to have tears running down my cheeks is the second verse of America, the Beautiful. "O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife, who more than self their country loved and mercy more than life!" What a beautifully chilling Truth. (Yes, Truth with a capital T!)

Fun fact (and totally random and out of place): As I write this, "Hero" by Mariah Carey just came on my Pandora. I first heard this song when I was living at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas after my mother, brother and I were evacuated from Saudi Arabia following terrorist bombings at my dad's office building. My dad's orders required him to stay behind. We sang and signed this song at our Christmas music program. We first started practicing in late October - a week before my birthday. The same week, I was walking down the hall in Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School and I see a soldier in BDU's jogging up to me. My dad had flown in for a visit and surprised Tim and I at school. I will never forget the feelings I felt that day. It warms my heart to watch videos of similar events taking place with soldiers surprising their loved ones in various atmospheres. I'll be honest, I'm a total baby when it comes to that. Families of soldiers are often forgotten during Veterans Day and Memorial Day but they have willingly sacrificed much more than many of us will ever lose.


As FDR said so beautifully, "We Americans of today, together with our allies, are passing through a period of supreme test. It is a test of our courage - of our resolve - of our wisdom - our essential democracy." The biggest problems we are facing (in my horribly jaded opinion :-) ) are not from foreign enemies, but from domestic ignorance and apathy. We take for granted the freedoms we have and we have this inaccurate sense of entitlement. Please understand that I do not mean to belittle the American public. Regardless of party lines, backgrounds, loyalties, we are all Americans existing and thriving under the very blanket of freedom provided by veterans.

Our veterans deserve more respect and so much more honor and recognition that we give them (collectively). I am blessed to be connected directly and indirectly to a multitude of brave men and women who serve. I have tried my best to give back to those who gave so much for me; I donate time and money to the USO, the Wounded Warrior Project and other organizations that support our Armed Forces both domestically and abroad. I honestly wouldn't be who I am without the influence of the military in my life. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE! Please know that you are loved and admired. You are HEROES.