"...wE mUst bE thE chAnGe wE wiSh tO sEE iN thE wOrld..." K.G.

5/30/2010

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I had a hard time finding a nice banner for this post and for what i want to say. most say "happy memorial day" and it dawned on me that it is NOT a happy day at all. i don't know where that caption originated from. to me, at least, memorial day is about remembering those who gave their lives to keep us safe and maintain our freedoms.

I wouldn't call it a happy day. i would rather call it a day of reflection and remembrance of who ever you knew that lost his or her life for our country... and to thank those who continue to sacrifice so many things to assure our freedoms. our military willingly fight, and at the same time attempt to bring peace to other nations in turmoil.

When i see one of our soldiers taking the time to pay attention to strangers who are part of a society we consider enemies, i beam with pride. not all of them wish to harm or are terroristic... many are innocent and scared because they are caught in a country that is evil. when one of our people stops to talk or attempt to show those people [and animals] that we do in fact care and love them, i get all choked up...

I cant imagine what it would be like to be in a hostile country and retain hyper vigilance 24/7 because i could be killed at any time... what would living in that state of fear and anxiety eventually do to me? and to then see people in need, clearly frightened- and to let my guard down to help them in some way without even thinking twice of the risk, i mean who does that? i don't think i could. and how much compassion and courage does that one little act alone, take?

Our soldiers put their personal stories and lives on the back burner to assist people they never met before. there is no one braver or more humbled, than the American soldier. and to me it doesn't matter if they ever see combat or spend their whole enlistment time in an office pushing paper work... they are ALL part of the same team. they are ALL doing this for you and me and ours. they have my highest respect and gratitude and i pray for them to remain safe.

When i was still working on my unit, we often had military families as we are right next to Offutt Air Base. i made sure i had a chat with every military family i took care of. i personally thanked them for everything they do. because it might be my only chance to give a pat on the back to a hero.

What they do encompasses their whole family. it's their personal mission to do this service as a family, usually with one parent [or other family member] staying behind to handle the home and kids... the worry, the loneliness, the unknown. it is a FAMILY affair, a FAMILY sacrifice, a FAMILY gift to the rest of us .

That is what i think of on memorial day. yes, we picnic and celebrate a day off from the grind of work, have a few beers... and there's nothing wrong with that... however let's also remember what this day is really about and ask God to bless and watch over those who are brave enough to step up to protect the rest of us.

My wish to you is to have a safe, grateful, thankful, family and love filled day, compliments of our enlisted people.

C

7 comments:

ChiTown Girl said...

Amen, my sista, amen!

jo.irish.rose said...

yup i remember many days when we were in japan when jimboob left for unknown amounts of time...it was really my favorite of all our places we went, i would go back there in a heartbeat, i loved it and the people. right before we left, we went on a tour. it was the battle of okinawa tour. it was such an eye opener. the lady doing the tour was a toddler during WWII. she escaped with her brother and lived in caves. her parents were killed by japanese. YES! you heard me, japanese. she was threatened many times for telling the truth behind what went on. we (the americans) landed on okinawa to save them from from the japanese. they thought they were spying for our side and would kill them. some of them of course, did go with the japanese and work for them, but they were just pawns, just like in any other society, it was soooo sad. we got to speak to the last few remaining elderly people who were around then, via our tour guide, and go thru the caves where many hid for months while waiting for the word that it was safe again. some did not trust us or the japanese. they just waited in caves, months later they were found after and told the war had been over. it was horrible. they never said this in the history books. i had to go over there and learn this from this lady who survived it. japan is such a wonderful and neat culture, if you ever get a chance to go there, it is so worth it. the people have endured so much, in okinawa, i mean, i haven't been to their mainland other than to stop over...but what a memory. the best 4 years...thanks to united states air force!

betty said...

this is beautifully written; people do need to stop and reflect how difficult it is to be a soldier in a country that is your enemy and to still have compassion for the people there. very good thoughts for this memorial day weekend. we definitely do need to pray for our military and their families and support them as we can

betty

Technodoll said...

HUAA!

(heard, understood and acknowledged)

that's what they say in the army!

Cyndy Bush said...

Wonderful post...
I have always had trouble with "Happy Memorial Day"...it just feels wrong.

C said...

thanks everyone for your comments.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Ditto C.