Veteran's Day holds a special place in my heart. There are a few reasons for this but I would like to give you my take on a day of remembrance and salutations for those who served our armed forces and this includes myself. As a young boy, I never understood we were poor. Maybe not poor but we weren't rich by anyone's standards when it came to earthly goods. We did have a nice vehicle and we always had groceries. But I do remember material items such as clothes and toys were not always at the forefront of my mother's shopping list. But dad always worked hard to ensure the power bill was paid and there was food on the table at the end of each day. We were a working class family as defined by the culture of the day. My father served in the Army and he would occasionally tells us of his memories from the service but he never dwelled long on the sacrifices this entailed on his own freedom and liberties he might have suffered for that service. I never really understood in my youth what he sacrificed until years later when I would follow his footsteps into the military. I chose a different branch and my sacrifices were different than his but I do believe we can agree we are both glad that we gave those years for the defense of our country. I don't think many of us who served actually place "sacrifice for our country" as the primary reason for enlisting. The reasons are probably as numerous as the numbers of men and women who have worn a uniform. For myself, it was about the money. As I mentioned, we were like so many other families of the working class. Just keeping our heads above water in the sea of cost of living. And, not to mention, there were four of us "little yuns" for our parents to worry about. College just wasn't in the cards for us. So, weighing my options as a senior in high school, I made the decision I would join. What I didn't realize then, but I do now, was the severity of that decision and the role my service would play in the rest of my life. The experience those years would give me probably will define me in my attitudes and focus until my last breath. And with that experience my perspective on this country and what liberty means will be forever defined in my heart and mind. I will, on occasion, with much regard for the future and moral ramifications, perhaps change my stand on issues as they arise in the politics at the current moment. I understand that, with freedom, everyone has an opinion and many choose to be heard. And as much as it pains me at times, I understand that they do have the right to say whatever they choose to say even if I totally disagree with it. But I also have the right to remain and listen or disregard their opinion without malice but with prejudice. For freedom comes at a cost - sometimes even to the sanity of those who have sacrificed for it by having to listen to those who never will. Today our country is hated as much as it ever has been buy it's own people. The labeling and callousness of those who disagree with the policies of administrations in the past, as well as the current one, is at such a level of difference that our country is probably close to the same level of confrontation as was felt during the civil war. On issues of immigration, religion, pensions, entitlements, same-sex marriage, welfare, and countless more, people feel strongly about their side. This unfortunately creates an atmosphere of "us" against "them" and hurts our country far worse than any attack from beyond our borders. The question I ask myself this morning is this - Can we survive ourselves? No matter how strong a defense is, and no matter how many freedoms are lost, tyranny will never sleep. There will always be someone who opposes another's core beliefs. There will always be a new enemy and there will remain old ones who oppose the United States for whatever reasons. But if we, as a nation, wish to remain a viable and sustainable idea, the differences we may feel towards others within our borders must be understood as such. For if we destroy ourselves from within, what defense, military or otherwise, can undo that damage? When I was 18 and entering into basic training I did not comprehend the immensity of the situation. I didn't understand that I was only one of many who had given up a life that I knew to serve and defend. I didn't realize how much that sacrifice would change me and what it really meant for the defense of an idea. An idea of liberty and freedom held dear for over two centuries. But I do now with the clarity of a life lived. The thing is this - the enemy which clearly holds the biggest threat to this idea of liberty and freedom has always been there. The biggest enemy is located within each and every one of us. For if we lose sight of what we are and what we are privileged to live in, we have done a far better job of destroying ourselves than any enemy at the gate. We should understand this but I fear we don't. My name is Rueuhy and I approve this blog.
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