Tuesday I went to a local nursing home with 10 other Airmen to say thank you to for their service to our country. Of the 10 veterans we visited with the Navy, Marines, Army, Army Air Corps, and the Air Force were represented with service dating back to WWII.
If it's been a while since you spoke with someone who lived through the atrocities of previous wars, or you never have, I would encourage you to take the opportunity to say thanks and to learn what these people experienced. As an active duty service member myself, the service these folks performed have made my job easier. As a citizen of the United States, they've ensured I have the opportunity to raise my family in a nation of equality and freedom. The people of this country are not perfect, but the ideals upon which it was built are.
They all have their stories. We visited with a woman who served in the Navy. One of the gentlemen we visited with is a WWII Army Air Corps veteran who finds it very difficult to speak any more, but he cried like a baby as we visited with him. The last gentleman we visited with followed Patton around Germany and served through three campaigns; upon returning home he left some time later to serve in the Korean conflict...and he said he'd do it all over again.
We have our own present-day heroes serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, Djibouti, South/Central America, among other locations helping provide freedoms not only to American citizens but also for other nations. The press (though it seems to have died down considerably lately) hasn't done a good job telling the American public about all the successes we're having in Iraq. Let me tell you we are succeeding in Iraq. Our young Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, and Sailors are performing spectacular work over there simply because they've been asked to go and do and they know it's what needs to be done.
Next time you visit with a veteran, take some time and say thanks.
Chris
