I’ve never met a more patriotic man than my father. The American-born son of Italian immigrants, he purposefully forgot most of his parents’ language to embrace his country’s native language. His father was a cobbler in Butte, Montana. If you know any history of Butte, it was a rough place to live and most of your options for work ended up in the mines, which is where my dad worked for awhile as a young man.
I wasn’t born yet when WWII broke out, but my dad, now married with a young son and living in Washington state, beat feet down to enlist. His remorse at being rejected because of those feet bothered him a lot because he was willing to fight and even die for the freedom offered by this country. He got a job at Boeing to help with the war effort and once the war was over he moved into the retail business where this self-made man with barely a junior high education worked his way up to become an executive vice president of a retail chain before retiring. Even late in his life when Alzheimer’s had robbed him of most of his cognizance, he still demonstrated a love for this country and a respect for the military and everything it stood for.
I can rarely speak of the military without coming to tears. I know not every man or woman who’s worn the uniform is deserving of accolades (i.e. Fort Hood), but the majority of them certainly deserve our respect. They place themselves in the service of this country—to defend it, to protect it, to fight here and abroad to accomplish the freedom we so often take for granted and abuse. The respect should be automatic. We should be grateful to them and for them.
Pacifism disgusts me. It’s a cowardly excuse for giving in to whatever the current political fad dictates. This earth will be destroyed one day and it won’t be by mankind. God will render its end, and no man can stop it. The arrogance of thinking the efforts of sin-laced hearts will find a compromise to make peace is laughable. Why not by now? If man is so brilliant, why is it that greed and fanaticism and the lust for power which have existed since the fall of man still reign supreme? There has been no improvement, no technology, no ability to simulate a compliant race of human beings. We are flawed and damaged by our sinful hearts, and no noble professions of philosophies will solve the world’s ills.
Veterans, thank you from my heart. You have my respect and my prayers. God bless you. God Bless America.
Father, for each individual who serves you and this country with a willing heart, who understands sacrifice, who believes in your principles, may your rich blessings cover over them. May they know you through your Son and embrace your Spirit. Thank you for them. Thank you for this country. Thank you for the privilege of living here. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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