Veteran’s Day: Freedom is Never Free

This Friday, the 11^th day of November, is about appreciating all those mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts and every other family member who — at one point in their lives — chose to serve for something greater than themselves.

No matter when they served, no matter where they served, no matter if they were a Soldier, Sailor, Airmen or Marine, every Vet gave a piece of themselves to protect our way of life. They marched trails of their bothers and sisters in arms that came before them and they created trails that future generations will march on.

Being a Veteran is being a part of a brother and sisterhood that knows the worst evils humans can imagine and stands tall in the face of all of them to protect those who cannot protect themselves. George Orwell is quoted as saying: “People sleep peacefully in their beds because rough men stand ready in the night to do violence upon those that would do us harm.” The Veterans you know, they are the rough men and women that stood ready. They faced those evils and prevailed. They are strong. They are resilient.

Being a Veteran also means that you’ve had the opportunity to know comradery that few others will ever know. Vets have a unique bond that transcends gender, race, creed and every other belief. They are bonded through a shared mission and that mission is to protect the nation in which they serve. They put that mission before all else. They’ve missed birthdays, graduations, holidays and the birth of their own children.

They did not do this for glory or the paycheck. They did this because they believed in our nation and all have asked, if not me, then who?

Today is also about the families of those Veterans. They are often forgotten about. They are the parents who, overnight, were responsible for everything in the household. They are those brothers and sisters who said goodbye to service members not knowing if they’d ever see them again. They are the ones who had to explain to children why their mom or dad was not there on their birthdays. They are the mothers and fathers who anxiously awaited the return of their son or daughter and hoped that when they opened their front door, it was their service member and not a chaplain.

So today, honor them with a simple thank you. A slight nod. And never forget that Freedom is Never Free.

Veterans at Spartan

Published by Scott Lewis, CEO