Thank you, my friends.
I am deeply saddened that relatively recent events have diminished Americans unfathomable accomplishments on behalf of freedom. As his grandfather's generation passes away, we lose not only the heroes that made the world what it is today, but also the people who have the context of those events - the individuals who were actually saved.
The below article appeared in my local paper today. It was buried in the back pages, but glad I found it. It is good to see the the opinion of America will always be tied in part to the efforts of such men.
French Legion of Honor At another spot in the paper it said 3,000 more troops from Louisiana were on their way to Afghanistan.
And finally, while the vets of WW2 are great men, worthy of constant praise, I find them no greater than the current generation of warriors. In 1941 we were attacked, and feared the goals of Japan and Germany to take over the world. These men left their family to stop that from happening - in part protecting their way of life and their homes.
Today, 18 year old men (and women) line up to volunteer to fight a much murkier fight based on pure patriotism. There is no fear their family will be taken over by the Afghans or Iraqis, no thought that Evil will spread around the world if they don't risk their lives today. Just the knowledge their country needs them to serve its needs and the needs of the less fortunate. And they are handcuffed by the role of savior, care giver, builder and warrior while their WW2 predecessors at least had the benefit of clear lines of engagement. I'm not minimizing the great sacrifice of the WW2 vets - my grandfather is one of them - just putting it into context.
But as you think about the dying generation of warriors, those of many museums and books and films, also remember those whose sacrifice is just as great, but not (yet?) the subject of the praise it deserves.
