Veterans Day

In Remembrance . . .

A friend recently sent me the URL for a four-minute presentation “I fought for you.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgYLr_LfhLo)/  Her daughter’s school showed it in in honor of Veterans Day. The tribute closed with: “All gave some. Some gave all.” I cried.

Thank God  for veterans who help make America and others in the world free. May we never forget to honor them, many of whom truly did give their all.

"What Freedom Means to Me"

 

Patriotism is still alive and well among our young people. Two of my grand-nieces from Enumclaw, WA, express their love and appreciation for our country in words straight from the heart. Their essays won First and Second place in the 2015 Enumclaw VFW Post 1949 Patriot's Pen Writing Contest, "What Freedom Means to Me." Sophia's essay also won for WA state.

Sophia DeMarco, 11

The dictionary tells us freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.  To me, freedom is captured in faces, not words.  I think of our country’s history and its heroes.  I think of those who fought for freedom, those who stood for freedom, and those who embodied freedom.

Freedom is the power to act. It is Rosa Parks standing for freedom to live equally. It is Benjamin Franklin standing for American freedom on Engand’s soil. It is our founding fathers gathering for freedom and signing a Declaration of Independence guaranteeing each man and woman freedom of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

           

Freedom is the power to dream. It is Amelia Earhart dreaming of having the freedom to fly. It is Martin Luther King who had “a dream” of brotherhood, and a nation that was an oasis of “freedom and justice”. It was Neil Armstrong who dreamed the impossible and took one “small step for man and a giant leap for mankind.” It is Abraham Lincoln who dreamed of peace in conflict and unity in war.

Freedom is the power to choose. It is Miracle Worker, Anne Sullivan, who chose to see potential in Helen Keller and freed her to communicate. It is thousands of men and women, who have risked their futures, their families and their lives to fight for the freedoms of America and its citizens. It is mothers who give their children wings to fly. It is teachers that free their students to think. It is children who see the world as possibility and refuse to be told they can not make a difference.

Freedom is to be treasured.  Gail Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber, once told me that he had asked some children in post World War II Germany why they were so happy, despite having nothing. They responded, “We have freedom and that is worth more than anything.” For those with freedom, it is often taken for granted. For those without freedom, it is priceless. To me, freedom is living in a country where I get to stand for what I believe in, even if I stand alone.  Where I can pursue my dreams, no matter how unrealistic. And where my freedom to choose has been paid for in the blood of those who truly valued freedom.



 

Hand over heart, I gaze at the red, white and blue and freely pledge my allegiance. I pledge to remember my right to say these words was bought by those who valued freedom over their own lives. I pledge to pause and thank them each time I visit the grave of my naval officer grandfather. He saw the price of my freedom in the face of every mother, father, wife, and child he informed would never see their Vietnam soldier again. I see the price of my freedom every Memorial day as I scrub the headstones of those who purchased it in blood.

Gabrielle DeMarco, 13

 I pledge to remember we are one nation under God. I embrace this religious freedom as I hear bells peal, chants raised, prayers spoken and songs sung by Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, and Muslims alike. I celebrate this freedom as I notice the many different religious symbols on top of each stone at the National cemetery. 

           

I pledge to remember we are a nation indivisible. Freedom means we are one. My freedom to worship was purchased with the lives of patriots of every religion, creed, gender and color. I pledge to remember all my fellow Americans who hunger, who are oppressed, who mourn, who seek justice and who struggle. The dates on the graves show the fight for freedom is found in people of every age, willing to stand, fight and defend the country they love.  I pledge to stand along side them, ready to fight and defend my freedom and theirs.