Giving Thanks

Today after this wonderful holiday weekend, I thought it was time to reflect on our troops.

Have you thought about your freedom?  I think most people who live in this country take their freedom for granted.  Would you be willing to sacrifice your way of living to defend your freedom?  I think most of us would reluctantly fight for our freedom if we were ever invaded, but beyond that we don't worry or think about the cost of freedom.  Part of the reason for this, I believe, is because the draft is no longer around so we assume that everyone in the service wants to be there.  People join the services for a variety of reasons these days & a lot of them join to try & make a better life for themselves & their families. Many of the members of our armed services are younger people that have joined to give themselves the opportunity for a better education.  Still others joined the national guard assuming they would only be used for national emergencies.  Did you know that largest amount of casualties are among our national guard troops.

So on this Monday after the 4th of July do we truly understand the sacrifice these men & woman go through?  How would you like to be told that in two months you were going to be away from your way of life for 1.5 years.....could you adapt?  Well our troops do that for us & our freedom.  They leave their jobs they leave their families & they leave every part of their lives to go & fight two wars thousands of miles away to defend our way of life.

When they return, their life is different.  It's different because of what they've seen & had to deal with on a daily basis and it's different because their lives have changed while they're away.  Why?  because in their absence everyone has to move forward with their own lives.  We do this so we can keep moving forward but we don't realize the impact on our returning troops.  They come home feeling like an outsider in their own life. Because of this many of them can't deal with the changes and end up taking their own life.  Is this what we want?  What we believe is part of the sacrifice of being a member of our armed services?  

I don't believe any of us want this to happen but I do believe that we don't act to help.  So what can we do; First donate time or money to returning veterans associations, Second, if you know someone in your neighborhood that has served reach out to them help them re-engage in your community be their friend.  Third, if you only see them in passing, thank them, give them a smile any small gesture can help to make their day better.

Together we can change the lives of the people around us.  Together we can make a difference in the lives of our returning troops.  Think about what you can do today!  Help the country heal and avoid any further sacrifice.

Till tomorrow,

Bill

I wrote this blog from a friends request & out of love & support for our troops.  If there's something you'd like me to write about please feel free to let me know.

Quote of the day: The dreams we dream are all made possible by the people who served our country & paid the ultimate price to keep us free, never forget."