Day 11: A Word of Thanks

To all those who are current, future, or past members of our armed forces, I want to extend my most sincere "thank you." 

As the grandson of a World War II Iwo Jima veteran, I have grown up knowing the true importance of those who have laid their lives on the line for me to have freedoms such as the chance to communicate openly with all of you online however I wish.  All day we have seen things across Facebook and Twitter, of people expressing their appreciation for our servicemen and women.  It takes days like this for many to realize how great they really have it.

In America today, we often seem to forget that we have one of the best qualities of life in the entire world.  This did not come without a cost.  They fought at Gettysburg, Bull Run, Montezuma, Normandy, Germany, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and many more.  Why do they fight?  Well, they fight not because they hate what's in front of them, but for the preservation of what they left behind.  Soldiers don't fight for a president, senators, of corporations.  Soldiers fight for every single one of us, and for the freedom with which we get the pleasure of living.  People in many other countries will never have the chance to experience this.  I hope everyone took a minute to say thank you to someone serving our nation at home or abroad, or to pat themselves on the back if they served or are serving themselves.  To quote the Facebook and Twitter-famous "Earl Dibbles Junior," "Heroes don't have their name on the back of a jersey.  They have their country's flag on the arm of their uniform."  I feel that this is a very truthful statement, and one we should remember.

Happy Veteran's Day to all!  Tonight with Purdue Collegiate FFA, we wrote over 60 thank you cards that we are taking to an ice cream social tomorrow at a veteran's home in Lafayette.  It is an honor to me to be able to do something like this for people that did so much to preserve our nation's beliefs, values, and freedoms. 

God Bless America, Our Veterans, And You.

Link up to other "30 Days" bloggers here.