...to all of the vets out there. On behalf of everyone here at The Shelf, I would like to say "Thank you" to all of those men and women who have served and given the ultimate sacrifice- and to their families who as well. Thank you for going out and training and defending and protecting my freedom. Thank you for sacrificing time from your families, leaving your homes and jobs to go to other countries and build schools, hospitals, roads and infrastructures that no one in the media will acknowledge.
Thank you for having gone and fought for your buddy and your company, and fought for your bunkmates - for burrowing down into a wet and muddy foxhole to avoid the fire from enemies unknown- for eating cold, undigestible food in field sometimes - for stitching up a wounded soldier or civilian- for following the orders given, even when everyone of you knows what might happen in the end.
Thank you for hundreds of years of American history, for defending the constitution and our way of life. I am sorry that sometimes it may seem we all take it for granted. Some people do, put I personally know many more who don't, and who value your service as well. Sure, you will always have some people who will never care for you, this country, or our way of life. They don't look at our history as a promise made on a piece of paper hundreds of years ago, that we have struggled to make true for people regardless of their sex, skin or race. They don't look at our country, mistakes and all, as an ongoing, developing and growing "Experiment" to make Freedom a reality. We've made mistakes, and we will continue to make mistakes- it comes with having freedom. But we have always risen above them and we try to learn from them. Some people only choose to see the mistakes and the negative and dwell on everything that's wrong. But you go out and serve your country, full of all kinds of citizens- including those who prefer to see the negative and could care less for you- and you still serve.
You might have signed up decades ago and fought the Axis powers. You might be among the many who signed up to fight during the "hot times" in a cold war. You might be among those who fought back and forth on a parallel line you couldn't see in Korea. You might be among those who were drafted or even ending up in place of someone who ran away, paid their way out, used political influence, or flat out refused to go- then turned around and spat on you when you took their place. You might have fought in a small country named Vietnam that seemed at once a world and a time all of it's own. You might have signed up and fought in the Middle East among people, some of whom were grateful and some who were hateful. You might have gone to middle east, the far east or the islands of the sea. You might have been captured and held and told that you were forgotten, even though it wasn't true. You might have guarded our nation's buildings, our treasures and our citizens- even when no one noticed. You might have signed up to fight, to earn a living, to get an education or even to continue a family tradition. It might have been a couple of years ago or a lifetime ago. You might have made it home...when your buddies didn't. And maybe, you are one of those that we think about, that we cherish, who didn't make the trip home at all.
Whoever you are- Man or Woman, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine- Thank you. Wherever you are- Hawaii and Alaska all throughout the US to South Carolina and Florida- Thank you. Whenever you served- wartime, peacetime, World Wars to Terrorist attacks- Thank you.
Not just on this day, but every day. Thank you for what you've done. We honor and cherish you.
There's a great lesson in this. Those of us who've learned it the hard way aren't going to forget it. We must never again let any force dedicated to a super-race... or a super-idea, or super-anything... become strong enough to impose itself upon a free world. We must be smart enough and tough enough in the beginning... to put out the fire before it starts spreading. My answer to the sixty-four dollar question is yes, this trip was necessary. As the years go by, a lot of people are going to forget. But you won't.
Thank you for having gone and fought for your buddy and your company, and fought for your bunkmates - for burrowing down into a wet and muddy foxhole to avoid the fire from enemies unknown- for eating cold, undigestible food in field sometimes - for stitching up a wounded soldier or civilian- for following the orders given, even when everyone of you knows what might happen in the end.
Thank you for hundreds of years of American history, for defending the constitution and our way of life. I am sorry that sometimes it may seem we all take it for granted. Some people do, put I personally know many more who don't, and who value your service as well. Sure, you will always have some people who will never care for you, this country, or our way of life. They don't look at our history as a promise made on a piece of paper hundreds of years ago, that we have struggled to make true for people regardless of their sex, skin or race. They don't look at our country, mistakes and all, as an ongoing, developing and growing "Experiment" to make Freedom a reality. We've made mistakes, and we will continue to make mistakes- it comes with having freedom. But we have always risen above them and we try to learn from them. Some people only choose to see the mistakes and the negative and dwell on everything that's wrong. But you go out and serve your country, full of all kinds of citizens- including those who prefer to see the negative and could care less for you- and you still serve.
You might have signed up decades ago and fought the Axis powers. You might be among the many who signed up to fight during the "hot times" in a cold war. You might be among those who fought back and forth on a parallel line you couldn't see in Korea. You might be among those who were drafted or even ending up in place of someone who ran away, paid their way out, used political influence, or flat out refused to go- then turned around and spat on you when you took their place. You might have fought in a small country named Vietnam that seemed at once a world and a time all of it's own. You might have signed up and fought in the Middle East among people, some of whom were grateful and some who were hateful. You might have gone to middle east, the far east or the islands of the sea. You might have been captured and held and told that you were forgotten, even though it wasn't true. You might have guarded our nation's buildings, our treasures and our citizens- even when no one noticed. You might have signed up to fight, to earn a living, to get an education or even to continue a family tradition. It might have been a couple of years ago or a lifetime ago. You might have made it home...when your buddies didn't. And maybe, you are one of those that we think about, that we cherish, who didn't make the trip home at all.
Whoever you are- Man or Woman, Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine- Thank you. Wherever you are- Hawaii and Alaska all throughout the US to South Carolina and Florida- Thank you. Whenever you served- wartime, peacetime, World Wars to Terrorist attacks- Thank you.
Not just on this day, but every day. Thank you for what you've done. We honor and cherish you.
There's a great lesson in this. Those of us who've learned it the hard way aren't going to forget it. We must never again let any force dedicated to a super-race... or a super-idea, or super-anything... become strong enough to impose itself upon a free world. We must be smart enough and tough enough in the beginning... to put out the fire before it starts spreading. My answer to the sixty-four dollar question is yes, this trip was necessary. As the years go by, a lot of people are going to forget. But you won't.
