Be Grateful for Those Who Served
I know for most people it’s hard to imagine the feeling that an eighteen-year-old man or women may have, on that first moment that the strong, angry looking man – wearing a large brimmed hat – yells at them to get off the bus and to stand on a set of yellow painted foot prints on the pavement in Paris Island, South Carolina.
Why in the world would someone ever want to put themselves in this position? What has happened in that little space between someone’s ears to make them want to be there or at any other boot camp of our military?
As many people as we have in this beautiful country we live in, less than one percent have served in the armed forces of our country. Every one of these men and women has a different reason or story as to why they served. Why they would raise they hand and pledge their life to serve their country? They know and understand at that moment, as it’s said, that they are writing “a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to and including their life.”
Take a moment and think about that, why would someone else possibly sacrifice their life or very well being so others could have comfort and safety in theirs. They are ones that say ‘for you I may forgo a hot meal, a warm bed, the fine dining with someone special, the night with a loved one, the holding of a child, the playing of a sport, or simply having holiday dinner with the family’.
Whatever their story or road they took to get to that point in their life, the most underlying common reason ties into being part of something greater then themselves in service to the protection and safety of others in our country.
As a Veteran myself, I can tell you first hand, that being a US Marine was one of the greatest parts of my life, as well as having a wonderful family. I know with all my heart that I am so grateful to all those who served before me, with me and after me. I am most grateful for those who sacrificed their lives and who did not have the chance to have another holiday dinner with their families or hold a child of their own.
Be Grateful for Those Who Served
For this week our country is honoring Veteran’s Day, as Veterans we honor each other every day and like others, I am most grateful to those who hold and share that bond of a brotherhood that can never be taken away from us. To you I will always serve and give you special thanks. To wherever you go or what course you take I will always be here for you.
Thank you for your service, Semper Fi