~ Freedom Is Not Free
The average age of the
military man is 19 years. He is a short
haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal
circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet
dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die
for his country.
He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own
car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment
either. He's a recent High School graduate. He was probably an average
student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old
jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when
he left or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away.
He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or country or rap or jazz or swing and
155mm Howitzers.
He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he
is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has
trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field
strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark.
He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade
launcher and use either one effectively if he must.
He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional.
He can march until he is told to stop or stop until he is told to march.
He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not
without spirit or individual dignity.
He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of fatigues: he washes one and
wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry.
He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle.
He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts.
If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food.
He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low.
He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands.
He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job.
He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay and
still find ironic humor in it all.
He has seen more suffering and death than he
should have in his short lifetime.
He has stood atop mountains of dead bodies, and helped to create them.
He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in
combat and is unashamed.
He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body
while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to
'square-away' those around him who haven't bothered to stand,
remove their hat, or even stop talking.
In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he
defends their right to be disrespectful.
Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is
paying the price for our freedom.
Beardless or not, he is not a boy.
He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years.
He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding.
Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood.
 A Prayer for our military...
"Lord, hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they
protect us. Bless them and their families for the selfless acts they perform
for us in our time of need. Amen."
When you receive this, please stop for a moment and say a prayer for
our ground troops in Afghanistan, sailors on ships, and airmen in the air,
and for those in war with Iraq or preparing to go. For the souls
of the soldiers that have lost their lives and the injured ones. And
especially for the families that have soldiers, that they will grow closer
to God as they wait to hear about their loved ones.
Please....
Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier, Sailor, Marine, or
Airman prayer is the very best one.
-
one nation under God...
*
"When I despair, I remember
that all through history the way of
truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers
and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -
Think of it, ALWAYS." --Mahatma Gandhi
*
"America,
Why I Love Her"
You ask me why I love her?
Well, give me time, and I'll explain...
Have you seen a Kansas sunset or an Arizona rain?
Have you drifted on a bayou down Louisiana way?
Have you watched the cold fog drifting over San Francisco Bay?
Have you heard a Bobwhite
calling in the Carolina pines?
Or heard the bellow of a diesel in the Appalachia mines?
Does the call of Niagara thrill you when you hear her waters roar?
Do you look with awe and wonder at a Massachusetts shore...
Where men who braved a hard new world, first stepped on Plymouth Rock?
And do you think of them when you stroll along a New York City dock ?
Have you seen a snowflake
drifting in the Rockies...way up high?
Have you seen the sun come blazing down from a bright Nevada sky?
Do you hail to the Columbia as she rushes to the sea...
Or bow your head at Gettysburg...in our struggle to be free?
Have you seen the
mighty Tetons? ...Have you watched an eagle soar?
Have you seen the Mississippi roll along Missouri's shore?
Have you felt a chill at Michigan, when on a winters day,
Her waters rage along the shore in a thunderous display?
Does the word "Aloha"... make you warm?
Do you stare in disbelief When you see the surf come roaring in at Waimea reef?
From Alaska's gold
to the Everglades...from the Rio Grande to Maine...
My heart cries out... my pulse runs fast at the might of her domain.
You ask me why I love her?... I've a million reasons why.
My beautiful America... beneath Gods' wide, wide sky.
My hope and prayer is
that everyone know and love our country
for what she really is and what she stands for.
May we nurture her strengths and strengthen her weaknesses
so that she will always be a "Land of the Free, and Home of the Brave."
Sincerely,
John Wayne
- "Ana is a 4yr. old German Shepherd
assistance dog. Here she is showing which side she's on in the War on Terrorism."
Thanks, Mary Ann
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