Overcoming Busy

True Heroes

June 2, 2010 by Marci

This past Monday was Memorial Day.  My family attended services at the cemetery in my hometown where my father, a vietnam war veteran and member of the American Legion, was part of the ceremony.  It was a humbling site to see a large group of men from my small hometown (population 1,800), most of which I knew, march by us in their crisp white shirts, blue ties and American Legion caps adorned with medals and pins.  They were young men of 25 and old men in their 80′s.  They were farmers, business owners, truck driver, teachers and factory workers.  They were members of the community that people walked by and chatted with every day.  But, on this day, I saw them in a different light.  On this day, they were heroes.  These brave men risked everything for the life we enjoy in our country today.  They lived, saw and heard the unimaginable.  They knew and fought beside those who paid the ultimate price.  All so that we could live free. I felt so humble and so grateful.  Grateful to our heroes and grateful to be American.

When I got home last night, I checked my emails and my reader.  I was so happy to see all the Memorial Day posts on my favorite blogs.  They were all touching and shared the same feeling I had that day.  Then, I checked the national news on several major news sites.  The only mention of Memorial Day was that our president couldn’t deliver his speech because of the horrible thunderstorms and how he valiantly called for all the people to seek shelter.  Grant it, it was late in the day, but I could find no mention of the over 1.3 million men and women who have gave their lives for our country.  No mention of the  over 1.4 million men and women currently serving our country in the military.  Our president’s act was hailed as a heroic gesture to protect the people.  While it was nice and kind of a common sense move, it by no means had any right to overshadow the honoring of our American heroes.

I know this is a VERY off-topic post, but nothing burns me up more than un-Patriotic Americans who bask in the glory of our freedoms, yet have no clue how or why we have them.  Our media has turned against the very people the give them the right to do what they do.  Have we all gotten too busy to care?