Millions have fought in defense of our country and the values she stands for, and so many have given their lives.
My grandfather lied about his age to get into the Army in 1917. He died in 1979 of stomach cancer that resulted from being gassed during World War I. The doctors in 1918 had warned him that cancer would come. He continued to serve, and by World War II was training the troops. After WWII, he was stationed in France for two years, working with the department that was identifying the bodies of our war dead.
My father joined the Navy and served in the Korean War and officially in the Vietnam War, though he didn't see any action in Vietnam. He was a radioman in the submarine service during the Cold War, and he didn't tell any of us (even my mother) until the late 1990s about one time in particular when their sub was in imminent danger of being sunk off the coast of the Soviet Union, and nobody would have been the wiser.
Each veteran--past and present--has stories of courage and sacrifice witnessed or experienced, from the glorious to the mundane. It's an important work that our military does for us. I live and breathe in freedom because of what you and those before you have done.
Thank you. And happy Veterans Day.
1 comment:
My dad served as a fighter pilot during Vietnam, and retired after 31 years in the Air Force.
God bless all veterans, past and present who have defended this great nation.
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