Today is September 11th. It’s been 13 years
since hijackers flew planes into the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. 13 years
since some brave passengers overtook the hijackers in a 4th plane
and caused it to crash into a field rather than a building. America was wondering
if there were any more attacks coming. President George W. Bush had some tough
decisions to make as to how to make our country more secure so that something
like this would never happen again and as to what our country’s reaction would
be. It wasn’t long before war was declared on al-Qaeda and we had boots on the
ground in Afghanistan. Since September 11, 2001, there have been no attacks on
our soil by foreign terrorists. Right now our country faces additional threats
from ISIS and an unsecure border between the United States and Mexico.
A big part in why our country hasn’t been attacked is
because of our military. We’ve lost many brave men and women in Iraq and
Afghanistan. We’ve had many injured. They stepped up did what so many are
unwilling or unable to do – they have defended our country. Most came back
alive and uninjured, but none of them came back the same as they left. Many
left as boys/girls (yes, 18-19 years old may be an adult, but it far from
having reached maturity) and came back as men/women. They made sacrifices, and
the majority that I know would do it again and have volunteered for multiple
deployments. Even knowing what he knows now and having been injured seriously,
my husband would go back in a heartbeat if he could.
I read an article yesterday about an Army Lt. Colonel who
was trying to meet with someone at his daughter’s school. He happened to be
wearing his uniform (not unusual since it was during the week and he likely had
to head back into work as soon as the meeting was concluded), and the security
guard would not allow him to enter the school due to the uniform because
another student might find it offensive. Offensive? I’m offended that such a
statement would be made. According to the reports I’ve read, this was not the
school district’s policy and it is being dealt with and that the school’s
superintendent apologized personally for the incident. But still, it boggles my
mind how someone who lives in this country, who enjoys the freedoms that come
with being a citizen of the United States can be offended by our flag or by the
uniform of someone who serves our country and has promised to defend it, and in
turn, us. Their service has protected the freedom of people like that to spout
off whatever they please. I was reading the comments on Facebook on one article
about this incident and most were appalled that such a thing would happen. One
in particular stood out to me.
Victims? I know plenty of active duty service members and
veterans. I know many who have been wounded in combat. Funny, but I don’t know
any victims. I don’t know any veterans who go around trying to get people to
feel sorry for them…certainly none at Walter Reed. These men and women don’t
want pity, but they do deserve respect. I would guess that most of the people
in the military now joined the military after September 11, 2001, so they knew
that they would most likely be deployed. They knew what they were getting into,
yet they still decided to serve our country. They knew that they would make
sacrifices in their service and they still did it. In order for our country to
be safe, we need a military and we need local law officers and emergency
personnel. Someone has to do it. Men and women, like my husband, chose to be
that someone. They don’t ask for pity, they don’t consider themselves to be
victims, and they don’t ask for special treatment. They don’t even ask for
respect, even though they deserve it. What they do have is pride. They are
proud of their service to our country. They are proud to display the flag that
they fought to defend. I think our country could use a little more pride in
country. I don’t always like the direction our leaders take our country, but
you’ll never hear me say that I’m not proud to be an American. I’m proud to
have a flag waving in the breeze at our house. I’m proud of our military. They
are willing to step up and serve even though politicians are always trying to
cut their pay and take away their earned benefits. I’m proud of the faithful
military spouses and the military children who do their part to support their
loved one in his/her service. I’m proud of the caregivers who support their
wounded service members. I think “Jimmy” needs an education on what it means to
be an American and how much his life is better because of the men and women who
serve. (*edit* in the time it took me to finish up this blog and post it, "Jimmy" or someone with admin for the posting page deleted his comments. Such ignorance should be deleted both from online and from the attitudes of people in our country.)
God bless America, God bless our military, and please, Lord,
protect us from those who wish to do us harm.
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