Veteran's Day

What does Veteran's Day mean to you?

To me it makes me think of the countless veterans I've known throughout my life. My granddad was in the Army. My dad served in the Navy, retiring shortly after I was born. My uncles served in the Air Force, and National Guard. I have cousins who have served or are serving in the Navy, National Guard, Army and Air Force. And that's just my family members that I've known. We can trace our genealogy back to at least one person from our family serving in every war including the Revolutionary War.

But why? Why do we have a day to honor these people? Because they made or were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Those who have served in the military knew that they could be called upon to fight and even to die to defend the freedoms that our country was founded on. Their families paid the price of not knowing if or when they were coming home.

Today we have so many people who take those freedoms for granted. They protest because they have the freedom of free speech. A right that was defended and paid for by the blood of our men and women in arms.

They worship how they choose because they have the freedom to pick their religion or have none at all. A right our soldiers have defended.

They can protect themselves because they have the freedom to keep and bear arms. Another right that most people in the world can't even dream of.

And they have the right to elect their own government. They can vote people in and out of office, have a say in what laws pass or don't. Is it a perfect system? Of course not. But it's a right that we have that most of the world's population can't imagine.

There are so many rights that we have that our soldiers have defended since the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776. Many take them for granted or have not learned what they really mean.

So why do we celebrate Veteran's Day? So one day out of the year we stop and think about that sacrifice that was and is being made.

So thank you to Veteran's everywhere and a special thank you to your families. And happy Veteran's Day.