Friday, November 11, 2016

Veterans Day

This past week has been referred to as a "historic" week in the history of our nation. The 45th President was elected in a stunning upset. The majority of pundits and prognosticators were wrong and Donald J. Trump was chosen to lead our nation. I was thankful for the opportunity to have been able to cast my vote as a reminder and symbol of my freedom as an American citizen. I was able to vote my conscience without any fear of retribution or any coercion by the government or some other political force. Wasn't it Lee Greenwood who sang these lyrics; "I am proud to be an American..."

This week also affords us another wonderful opportunity. We will celebrate Veterans Day on Friday, November 11th. In many ways these two "celebrations" are interconnected. I have always thought about these two events being connected each time that I have cast a vote even if the vote took place in a month other than November. Veterans Day allows us to focus on those men and women who have served the nation in our military. These individuals have served in both peace time as well as times of war. They have served bravely but also compassionately. They have stood strong against the various forces that have sought to destroy our nation and sought to destroy the freedom that we enjoy on a daily basis. Friday is our opportunity to say THANK YOU to those who have served our nation in honor and who have demonstrated the desire to protect the freedoms that we celebrate, I encourage you to make sure that you personally speak to a Veteran and let him/her know that they are honored, respected and appreciated. These valiant soldiers deserve our appreciation and they deserve the honor and praise that they will receive on their special day of recognition.

This Veterans Day is also unique from a personal perspective. Today is the first Veterans Day since the passing of my Dad seven (7) months ago. His family was blessed that he lived one week past his 90th birthday, He was a World War II veteran who served in the European theater of action. Our Dad, Wallace E. Willingham served in Company B, of the 347th Infantry, in the 87th Infantry Division of the 3rd Army. The 3rd Army was under the command of General George Patton. Dad was in combat action at the Battle of the Bulge, the crossing of the Rhine River (under the cover of darkness on his 19th birthday) the Siegfreid Lines, etc. I am very proud to be a son of this Army Veteran who loved God, who loved his family and who loved this nation. He won several awards; Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Mans Badge, Presidential Citation, European WWII Camme Nation Medal, and the European Theater Ribbon and Medal (with two Bronze Stars).  

Dad was a strong advocate for Patriotism and he possessed great respect for all of the Veterans that had served with him as well as those who had served our nation after him. Scattered across our nation are a group of men and women who do not ask for respect but they deserve our respect. Scattered across our nation are a group of people who are not demanding to be applauded but they deserve to receive the applause of appreciation from a nation that has provided wonderful opportunities for people of various races, ethnicities, various religions, and various nationalities. Much is being said about people "having the right" to express their opinions and their ideas. Let me remind you that "freedom of expression" did not come without a price. Take a tour of a local Veterans Hospital and see the men and women who are still paying the price for their time of service in our nation. Our freedom was not cheap and it is still not cheap. 

I am thankful that I have the freedom to express my thoughts via this blog. THANK YOU DAD FOR YOUR SERVICE!! THANK YOU SIR, THANK YOU MAAM FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR NATION. I OWE YOU A DEBT OF GRATITUDE THAT I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO PAY. BUT I WILL DO MY BEST TO HONOR YOU, SUPPORT YOU AND PRAY FOR YOU!!!

Happy Veterans Day!!!

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