Living History: Thanking the Veterans for Their Service

Tomorrow, November 11th is Veteran's Day.  Veterans represent one of the downsides to freedom in the world - the need to protect that freedom with force.  Veterans represent the highest ideals of character: faith, hope, courage, dedication to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Veterans always have been and always will be the living embodiment of sacrifice in this country.  We can all take a moment this weekend to remember we owe a lot to the men and women who served this country with honor.

We should also take this opportunity to reflect on the role of the United States in the world.  As many people know, Pearl Harbor was the last time the United States was actively fighting in their own territory.  Sadly, there are not many of our WWII veterans left, we should make sure to listen to their stories and remember the "Greatest Generation."  The rest of our veterans served in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and countless other countries in the world.  Regardless of your political views on these interventions it is important to thank our servicemen and women, however, it is also a time to remember the times America has entered conflicts and to learn from those interventions.

Image - www.epica.com

I encourage you to think about the wars, police actions, and military interventions of the 20th Century and remember: Freedom isn't Free.

-MB