The greatest gift in history was when Jesus Christ laid down his life for the salvation of everyone that would believe in Him. Every person, past, present and future have the opportunity to receive salvation. Everyone.
Talk about inclusive.
During the American Revolution, three percent of the population of the English Colonies emulated that gift, willing to lay down their own lives for the freedom of their fellow Americans.
During the American Civil War over 3 million young men participated in a war that began regarding State Sovereignty, and ended with the abolition of the great sin of slavery.
During the two World Wars, over 20 million Americans served, so that the American Serviceman could also protect the freedoms of those that are not even Americans.
Veterans of the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, fought for freedom in a different theater of war, in the far east. They fought to stop the tyranny of communism, and keep the slaughter of freedom contained. In Korea nearly 2 million Americans saw battle. 3 and a half million were deployed to Vietnam, where nearly 60,000 souls were taken in the theater of war.
When the Middle East finally knocked on our door, we responded once again, in the name of freedom. Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm during the opening years of the 1990s welcomed just under 700,000 American servicemembers.
The most recent war, the Global War on Islamic Terrorism, beginning with the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, and a war that now includes a current campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq, carries numbers that are rising day to day. The ongoing conflict has come to define America's foreign policy, and has served to remind us that even in this age of modern technology and alleged global cooperation, evil still lurks in the dark corners of the world.
All of these American military members served to defend freedom, and protect the liberty of people they did not even know, nor would likely ever meet. They were willing to spill their own blood in the horror of war so that you may remain free, and so that peoples around the world may be protected from the height of tyranny.
Today is Veterans Day, and it is today, once a year, that we celebrate and thank these military members for their service. But the appreciation should not stop here. We should not fly our flag only on Veterans Day, or any other day we deem to be appropriate, but everyday. . . because everyday we are Americans. Everyday we enjoy freedom. And everyday there are members of the United States Military out there doing the things necessary to protect liberty.
Above I mentioned many of the wars that our servicemembers participated in, but the service of the members of the United States Military is not limited to wartime. We have millions of peacetime veterans, as well, who, though they did not see activity during a war, were prepared and trained to face the enemy should war become something that appeared during their time of service. They took the same oath, and they deserve our thank you, as well.
Thank you to all of our military veterans. Thank you, and welcome home.
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment