I had the privilege of spending a few hours with a veteran of World War 2 yesterday and he said something that stuck with me which I have been thinking about ever since. He lamented that his children had never served in the military, not that he wanted them to go to war, but that they would never really understand what it is like to be a soldier. I too do not fully understand this because I have not had the experience. I have read many accounts of their experiences but that does not bring real understanding.
He then told me of coming home, his first stop upon returning home, to ask the girl he left behind to marry him. He related to me some of his life experiences and what they meant to him. He went to work, raised a good family and served his fellow man. He is an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, a true hero who saved a generation, then went on with the important, but ordinary things in life. I'm sure that many he knew didn't come home with him, he didn't talk about that. It is to him and millions like him that we give our honor this day.
May we honor them by remembering their sacrifice, but also by living the principles that will keep us a free people, thereby respecting their sacrifice and service not trampling these under our feet. God bless these wonderful men and women. From one who can never fully understand...
No comments:
Post a Comment