Honoring Our Veterans

It’s Veterans Day

Today we honor the brave men and women who signed up to fight for our country.  There  is no question in my mind that they deserve this special day and every day in recognition for the sacrifices that they make and have made to protect and serve.  How can you not respect someone who signs up to leave their families not knowing whether they will ever return or not?  But they leave, so that the world that their families live in will hopefully be a better and safer place.  They leave to serve to make sure that certain freedoms are not sacrificed and those same freedoms are protected in our democratic society.  And while certain people may have different opinions about those sacrifices, I believe that the majority of us appreciate the men and women that make that choice and what they have to give up to do so.

Protecting From the Enemy

I had a cousin to once tell me that people just do not realize how real the threat is to our country.  When talking about being under attack, including intelligence as well as war, we must never let our guard down and we must never think that we are free of regimes that want to take us down.  So for the men and women who serve and understand that far more than any civilian ever will, I say thank you.  I say thank you for your bravery and commitment.

The Flag

I can hardly talk about veterans without mentioning the controversy over the flag.  It’s the herd of elephants in the room.  I believe that unquestionably, whether one kneels for the flag or stands with hand over heart, overall, the majority of Americans respect our men and women in uniform.  I say thank you to the men and women in uniform that have spoken up to say that kneeling for the flag and respect for our military are exclusive of one another. I thank them for understanding the real purpose behind kneeling during the National Anthem and recognition that is has nothing to do with disrespecting our service men and women.  I know too many men and women that serve and have served not to be grateful to them and to say that I disrespect them because of my position on “taking a knee” would be ludicrous.  It’s so far-fetched that I cannot fathom a world where no matter how different our opinions, I would not respect the sacrifice made for this country.

I can’t speak for everyone, but I can certainly speak for me and I say THANK YOU veterans.  I appreciate every one of you that served with honor and integrity.