This year my perspective on Veterans Day feels is different. I can honestly say that my travels to South Africa this summer allotted me incredible insight to what it means to live in a free land. The power of Apartheid was prevalent and listening to first hand accounts was powerful and surreal. To have never lived in such oppression made me realize how fortunate I am.
I have great respect for my brothers and the many others who have served in our Armed Forces. I have seen the camaraderie of those who serve together. I have watched the vigorous and brutal training that prepares one physically for war. I have listened to the heartache of those in training that accompanies the emotional and mental torment that comes from giving your entire being to something you believe in. I have wept as I have seen others say good-bye to those we call soldiers and they call sons and daughters. I have witnessed the cost to families when their husbands and fathers are absent for long periods of time. I have seen the celebration of victories of all sizes! I don’t know that I can imagine the depth of the valleys or the incredible mountain tops that those who serve our country experience. I do know that my admiration and appreciation grows with every day older I get. There is a great cost to my freedom and I never want to lose sight of that. Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have or continue to serve for our freedom!
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy
