As I am approaching the end of my college career, both academically and athletically, I have discovered that there is an alluring aspect to being a member of the Armed Forces or a first responder. I cannot exactly put my finger on what attracts me to it. Personally, I think the idea of being part of a team is something I can strongly identify with. After having been a part of some sort of athletic team for the last eight years of my life, I can’t really imagine not being a part of a group of people with a common goal in mind. For the longest time, I thought the military was the answer for me. I applied to the Naval Academy and got denied. Afterwards, I started talking to one of my closest friends who I played high school football and lacrosse with, Jack. Jack is currently at Quantico, completing his senior year of Officer Candidate School (OCS), with the goal of joining the Marine Corps.
I felt that being part of something that is bigger than myself, serving my country and helping to protect it, was exactly what I wanted to do. I later recently decided to discontinue that venture; however, that’s a story for another time. The purpose of this whole article is to be an open Thank You to the Armed Forces and to the First Responders. Without them, the rights that we so greatly appreciate on a daily basis would be non-existent.
Now, I would like to quote Thomas Jefferson, “The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.”
I quote Thomas Jefferson here for a few reasons:
1.) He is a Founding Father of the United States.
2.) His ideas, among a few others, are at the heart of what America was founded on.
There is a line at the heart of the Declaration of Independence that I believe spells out why America is the greatest country out there, and why our Armed Forces/First Responders deserve our deepest gratitude,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
These three key inalienable rights are defended with American lives on a daily basis by two groups. Two groups that are constantly criticized, two groups that are constantly placed under scrutiny and two groups that are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to allow America to be a better place. At the end of the day, yes there are some people that don’t belong in uniform, that make mistakes, but hey, here’s a thought for next time one of those people make a mistake...when is the last time you were a perfect human?
At the end of the day, I want to say THANK YOU to our Vets, our fellow countrymen overseas in hostile territory, to the Marines, to the Navy, to the Army, to the Air Force, to the Police, to the Firemen and to the Paramedics. Most importantly I want to say this, THANK YOU to those who have and will continue to pay the ultimate sacrifice for our country to continue to be free, to continue to have unalienable rights. Your sacrifice is not without recognition. Lastly, THANK YOU to one of my best friends Jack who will make one hell of a Marine Officer, I couldn’t be more proud of you brother!
God Bless the Armed Forces, the First Responders, and God Bless America, this nation that I love!
