Thank You
To our veterans. All of them. Throughout time. Wartime. Peacetime. These men and women choose, freely, to place their lives on the line for others. To protect us and our nation. And we should not limit this day or remembrance to military veterans, but expand it to all those of our countrymen and women who put their lives on the lines for us. Policemen. Firemen. Paramedics. Anyone who has selflessly sacrificed themselves and their lives for others.
Amen DD. I would like to add my personal thanks too–because I am the biggest chicken–and am so grateful for those who consciously know they are putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the freedoms and liberty I DO NOT take for granted. Having been in second and third world nations; and even other “firsts”, I would not for a moment trade my fluke of U.S. citizenship away; and regard it as a gift and blessing. I may not agree w/ it all, and embarrassed by some actions–but will stand by this country, and those that serve, full well knowing our “worst moments” pale in the face of humanity, generosity, kindness, and good intentions of our citizens and leadership. Thank you to all who have and do serve. And thank you to the families who face the day to day with their loved one in action, another sacrifice often unheralded. I sleep well at night, because you do what I am afraid to do, do not want to do, and do not want to know what you have to do–but I am free. And others around the world covet that. THANK YOU–and with my inalienable right–God Bless America!!!!
On the contrary, I would prefer God bless the entire world. It is the emotion-based fealty of good people like Joanne that makes the errors and blemishes on America’s record so numerous.
And my prayer for the soldiers is that they stop being deployed in ways that threaten, rather than protect, our freedom. They have no say in the ongoing crimes against humanity represented by our military occupations.
Agreed.
God Bless Everyone – no exceptions.
DelDem, it seems like you’ve confused Memorial Day with Veterans Day. Today is the day we remember those who were killed in wars. Nothing wrong with thanking veterans any time, of course.
I really dislike Memorial Day. It brings too much sadness thinking of the men and women who lost their lives fighting in wars — wars that are not fought to “defend our freedom” or “bring democracy to their country” or any of the other buzz words the Govt. uses to perpetuate war.
Retired General Smedly Butler said “war is a racket–something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people and is conducted for the benefit of the very few, who make huge fortunes, at the expense of the very many. Protecting US business interests, sometimes referred to as “national interests” is still the primary mission of the U.S. military.” I agree with that statement. All the fine service members killed in Vietnm, Iraq, and now the never-ending war in Afghanistan died for what? Not to protect our freedom!! When I hear people saying that, it makes my blood boil.
Every year we’re mourning more and more who were killed in war. Until the American People start asking questions and thinking for themselves, more and more will die.
June, Geezer, Anon,
YES. If we are to have a Memorial Day, we ought to remember not just our own dead, but those who die on the “other” side.
Delacrat, when we (peace activists) protest against the war, we always include those killed on the “other” side. But I always thought Memorial Day in the US is to remember our own war dead.
Exactly June. Originated by women post Civil War to decorate graves of fallen soldiers, regardless of North or South–memorializing a loss for mothers, sisters, etc…acknowledging these boys and men were sons, husbands, sweethearts etc., before they were a soldier. So they mourned as a greater family–not a military family, knowing the loss as a human, in the course of serving their country.
Overseas, folks actually “adopt” a US soldier’s gravesite to “decorate” on our Memorial Day–in those countries we may have liberated, and there is a US National military cemetery. Some folks actually remember the experience of new found freedom–unlike much of us here, who give more thought to their choice of pet food.
So yes–God Bless the World–and he has–but since man keeps getting in the way–we’ll just have to keep decorating graves, so that personal, familial loss is never diminished.