This is Their Day

Veterans Day. Heros, all of them.

What a great day to honor those who have given so much to sustain freedom and fight for not only the liberty of Americans, but of many of the peoples of the world. In defense of their right to life, religion, family, and country, some have paid seemingly an unbearable price, whether it be a sacrifice of their own personal lives, loss of limb or ability, and of course, the ultimate sacrifice, life itself.

They sometimes bear further burdens, prejudice, blame, for wars not of their choosing, emotional scars, and worse. In recent times they are accused of crimes worse than the despots they deposed, impugning their honor as well. But as a whole, they endure nobly, silently.

How we ought to honor them. I feel so blessed to mingle among them, present and future veterans, to both perceive firsthand the magnitude of their outer and inner statures, and also hear some of their heart's laments. Such observations have I recently blogged about here: You Can Be Proud.

There are no remembrance days for haters, blamers, foot-draggers, or cynics. Only heroes. Maybe I will make the next week a week for them. I can only give you a taste, but since Veterans Day is about remembering, here are few memories worth a thousand words taken by the soldiers themselves from the early part of this conflict. I hope they move you like they do me.