Heroes

I’m not talking about the sandwiches either.

Last week Chris and I went to see Flags of Our Fathers. If you haven’t seen it, it’s a must. It’s a must see for the entire nation. I believe that it should be requirement for students in school. It is that good and it shows the humanity in war. I sat in tears through the majority of it.

Last Saturday our unit celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday* in the traditional style with a Birthday Ball. We listened to the messages of the Commandant of the Marine Corps and the guest speakers and it wasn’t until one speaker asked the veterans of the various wars to stand that I looked around and realized that I was sitting amongst heroes. I have known this ever since I married a Marine and have taken great pride in his service to our nation, but sitting there at dinner next to my veteran husband and seeing the older men and women rise and realize that there were at least four present that had been at the battle of Iwo Jima I felt like I was in the presence of greatness, and I was. They don’t believe they are great, they were just doing their jobs. To see these men sharing war stories with the younger generation made me think of how they had their own families, how they were fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers and they were just people; men that were underpaid and under appreciated and it made me sad because I know that some football player, some actor on the screen is idolized more than these men and women and they haven’t achieved the greatness of these quiet heroes.

Tomorrow is Veterans Day, take a moment to remember the fallen and to honor the living. These men and women gave up a huge chunk of their lives to secure freedom and life for people they will never meet, for people that seem very ungrateful in the face of today’s society. Older Veterans might seem a little grouchy and maybe even a little crazy, but thank them for their service and ask them about where they were stationed and watch their eyes light up. They have a story to tell and it is a beautiful story, a story of sacrifice, of heartache and of mishaps that will make them laugh to remember. Thank your servicemen and women for their service. I don’t care if you don’t agree with the war, I don’t care if you don’t agree with Bush, I don’t care if you’re Republican or a Democrat, these men and women signed a contract that states they are willing to give their lives for their country and if you are living in the United States, that includes you. Would you give your life for a stranger?

*Which is today, November 10.