Here in the United States, today is the day we set aside to honor those who died for our country -- from the Revolutionary War through the ones who've died this week. I hope those of you from outside our country will bear with me as I talk a bit about what this day means to me.I admit to being a little biased when it comes to honoring our vets. I come from a long line of those who served. My father lied about his age and enlisted in the army at 17 so he could fight in WWII. He was part of the Battle of the Bulge. He seldom spoke of his time served, though I inherited hundreds of pictures taken in Germany after he died which spoke volumes of the things he experienced.
My brother spent many years on the Air Force, my uncle served in the Korean War. And, most recently, my husband is a Gulf War vet. He, like my father, seldom speaks of what he saw and experienced there, but it certainly changed him in many ways.
I tried to honor our vets with my writing and included a soldier in my Korean War era short story, "Don't Fence Me In". I only hope I did them justice with my words. I'd like to share the book video with you, and hope it moves you:
Representing the red white and blue
The colors of our flag stand out proud and true.
The white stars on blue background with red and white stripes
Remind me of these veterans, who all risked their lives.
Just so the people of the U.S. could all live in peace and be free
These are the heroes that represent you and me.
They stood up strongly, untied as one,
And kept up the fighting until they were done.
And although some have fallen, and lost their lives in war,
We pray for each one of them.
And now that their souls live on forever more,
Above in God's hands.
They watch over our nation,
And give us strength to triumph over others with strong anticipation.
So every year, when this day comes by,
Think of all the veterans that while fighting, had to die.
And remember that they were people
With fire and passion embedded inside.
They die for this country,
So remember and honor them with pride
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Visit Marianne Arkins:
http://www.mariannearkins.com
http://www.reading-writing.blogspot.com
No Matter the Decade, Always Happy Ever After
Enjoyed your book video. My dad was too young for WWI and too old for WWII but I did have a couple of uncles in WWII, one in Europe and one in the Pacific (who lost his right arm due to his injuries). I never heard either man speak of their time spent in the war. My oldest brother was drafted into the Army in 1959. He was to get out in Nov '61 but was extended for 3 months because the Berlin Wall went up in Oct that year. My younger brother enlisted in the Air Force for 4 peacetime, albeit cold war, years. Both were too young for Korea and thankfully, fulfilled their military obligation before Viet Nam.
ReplyDeleteOn a happier note, my birthday is Nov 11th.
I want to thank the men and women who either will serve or have served our great country.
ReplyDeleteI'm proud to say that members of my own family have served, including myself.
Thier are men and women who stand up to fight, trusting in their orders, even in a war that they might not personally agree with, but standing and fighting just the same.
These great servicemen put the needs of others before themselves, sacrificing their own wants and desires to do so, sometimes giving their very lives for those ideals.
Some have died, and some have been so tormented by their experience that they've been emotionally fragmented and may never quite be the same.
Military personell, thank you.
My son is the first in his generation to join the military, and I am so very proud of him.
ReplyDeleteEep! I thought I'd subscribed to comments, but I apparently did not. I'm sorry it took so long to respond.
ReplyDeleteMary Anne, good for your dad. WWII was a tough, bloody war.
Karen, my brother served during the cold war and was in charge of a nuclear warhead in one of the silos. Ugh! Serving any time, war or peace, is something to be proud of.
Taylor, amen to everything you said :-)
Cathy, good for your son and may he stay safe in this very unsettling time.
Thanks to everyone for visiting!
Marianne, I LOVED this book trailer! In fact I am posting it on my Facebook site. Kudos to you for writing this book. I am a "veteran of VA hospitals"- I am currently working at my 5th one as a medical technologist in the chemistry lab. I see our heroes every day and they inspire me to no end. However, seeing the younger ones so terribly affected by the current wars is very depressing, those are the ones I pray for. Freedom isn't free!
ReplyDeleteMarianne, thanks for your kind words. I'm a big believer in supporting our veterans, young and old, any way we can :-)
ReplyDeleteOur freedom, the very principals our Nation was built upon, is upheld by our Veterans and those that will one day become one. Great post.
ReplyDelete