Monday, May 26, 2014

Remember. Honor. Respect

As I watch the car races, baseball games, playoffs, grilling suggestions, and faces relieved to see a long weekend (happy is good!), I pause to reflect on why we get to to do this. Why we are here. Why we are still here.

We are. A nation of immigrants. Very few get to say they are "native."

We are. Workaholics. We are working, or thinking of work, for much of our waking hours. Even if we don't think we are. Burning our candles at both ends.

We are. A nation that enjoys its pastimes. Many of our highest paid non-Cxx individuals are in the entertainment industry.

We are. Young. Very young, in world history. And we often act like it.

We are. Myopically individualistic. We often don't play well with others.

We are. Entitled. We take things for granted. Someone else will provide. We often think we are owed, demand, instead of continuing to earn our place in the world.

We are. Rich. We have things, as a group, that some others can only dream of.

We are. Paying it forward. Helping the next group move forward. Sometimes, against their wishes. Yeah, have to think about that one.

Yeah. We are pretty out there as a nation.

We are. Very strong when together, very formidable when angered.

We need to remember, always, that we get to do what we do, get to have what we have, because of the "human shield" we have put around ourselves. The shield that pays the price when our liberties are attacked from the outside. That pays the price when our leadership is lacking, and they are starved of what they need to do the job they volunteered for, to put themselves in harms way when the call is made.

Today is the day to remember those that payed the ultimate price.

Not to forget those that have died the "little deaths." Those that are scarred for life, in body and/or soul, be it in battle or by loss of a loved one.

But this day is for those that have died in service of this country. Honor and respect their memory.

And smile. That's what they would have wanted.



Semper Fi. Once and forever.