Veterans' Day 2009: A Personal Reflection

I received an email the other day with a tag line that really made me think.  It said:

America is not at war. 
The US military is at war. 
America is at the mall.

I don't know who the author of that statement is, but they deserve major kudos for summarizing the status quo in a few profound words.  Our brave servicemen and women are fighting the battles overseas and carrying out their missions on the homefront so that we can continue to enjoy life as we've always known it.  They put themselves in harm's way to defend our freedoms.  The tragedy at Ft. Hood, Texas last week reminded us once again that the sacrifices made by our military personnel can happen at anytime and anywhere. We owe those honored dead, and the members of our past and present military so much more than just respect and honor on special days like today.  We are forever indepted to them for preserving and defending our freedom to live as Americans.

Last week, my spouse retired from the military after over thirty-two years of service in a ceremony in Washington, DC.  I was humbled as I walked the halls of our Pentagon for the first time, saw the memorial to the 9/11 victims and observed the multitude of uniformed personnel in the corridors performing their duties to defend and preserve our nation. On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln ended his Gettysburg Address with the following words:  "that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth."  It is our service men and women, our veterans, and all the generations that came before that have sacrificed to ensure our great nation endures.

To all the veterans, past and present,

and to the members of our military:

Thank you for your service.