This country as a whole has been called many things. The United States of America, The Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave, 'Merica, Land of Liberty, The US, and my personal favorite... Home.
As a country, we have faced many obstacles. We have faced segregation, we have faced economic tragedy, and more than anything, we have faced war. That being said, there are also beautiful things we are blessed to experience as Americans. We experience life, we experience liberty, and we experience happiness... this streaming from the fact that as a country we are free.
Freedom. I've always thought that word should be so much longer, and said with so much more emphasis. While freedom is such a relatively small word, it has such an unbelievable meaning to so many... because, contrary to common thought, freedom isn't free. Freedom is costly, a cost that was paid by many American Veterans. A cost that continues to be paid by those who give their lives to protect their country.
When I asked a few Veterans I know personally what being a Veteran meant to them, they replied:
“Being a Veteran to me means that at one point and time in your life you signed a blank check for your country and were willing to pay anything, time away from family, your personal safety, and even give your life for your country. That’s why they say when you sign up for the military, you are signing your life away to someone else, Uncle Sam.”
Jason Lamb, United States Marine Corps
"Being a Veteran means I was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for family, friends, and strangers. I have never wanted anything from anyone for that honor, not even a thank you! I and every other veteran I know would gladly do it all over again and again."
-Randall Harris, United States Army
These men are just a few of the millions of people who have served this great country. These people have done more for us than we could ever do for them. These people are heroes, they are role models, and more than anything they deserve our thanks -- even though they don't expect it.
A Thank You to the American Veteran,
I often lay in bed at night and wonder what our lives would be like if there weren't people like you in the world. I wonder how my life would be different, how my world would turn upside down, if you hadn't signed a blank check for this great country, willing to give nothing short of your life for millions of people... most of whom you have never met. It baffles me really because I don't understand how someone could ever risk their life for me, why they would want to, and I guess I'll never understand... but I can't tell you just how thankful I am that you did.
As Americans, we take so much for granted. We look at all of the little things in life, and don't realize just how big they are. We often fail to remember how blessed we are to be able to sleep in peace at night, to be able to bow our heads to pray, to be able to live our day to day lives without worry. We are able to do these things because of you. You say goodbye to your families so that we can embrace ours. You fight for us, so that we are safe. You watch your brothers and sisters die, so that we can live. You face a living Hell so that we can live in peace. For all of this, I am ridiculously thankful.
Looking over the course of my life, I have been blessed beyond measure to know so many of you. Some family, some friends, some on Earth, and some in Heaven, but all I have encountered have had one thing in common... passion. A passion and a love for this country that remains after all the sacrifices you have made for not only for your family and your friends, but for your country.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. I thank you for all you have sacrificed. I thank you for all you have done. I thank you for being brave, for being passionate, and most of all, for loving this country and the people of it enough to give your life for them. Because of you, I wear red, white, and blue. Because of you, I have a love for this country like no other. Because of you, I am able to live in the land of freedom. Because of you, I sing patriotic songs at the top of my lungs (Thanks, Toby Keith). Because of you, I am proud to call myself an American.
I could never find the words worthy enough to thank you for all you have given this land, but I have given it my best shot.
May God bless you, you wonderful people, and I thank you from the depths of not only my heart, but from the hearts of all Americans.
An American Citizen
