I attended a Veteran's Day program at the high school this morning. Our little town loves and honors the Veterans. Five current members of the National Guard were the color guard; the high school band performed a medley of the service songs, and choir performed the national anthem and Battle Hymn of the Republic; a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars was the Master of Ceremonies; members of the speech team gave a wonderful presentation of the symbols of America. The last presenter talked about the youth of this generation carrying the torch of freedom and preserving all the hopes and dreams of America. It was an inspiring program in which all the Veterans of the different eras were asked to stand and be recognized: World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Prisoners of War, and then we all stood and observed a moment of silence in honor of those who gave their lives, the ultimate sacrifice, to preserve our freedoms. My husband sat by me and stood as a Veteran of the Viet Nam era, and Desert Shield/Storm.
As I watched the members of the color guard I teared up thinking of another veteran, currently serving in the Air Force. And here she is at Recruit Graduation in San Antonio, Texas.
I was so impressed with the graduation ceremony. They really made a BIG DEAL of all these recruits. The commanding officer thanked us, parents, families, spouses, etc., over and over for allowing, encouraging, and supporting our loved ones in their decision to serve their country, especially in a time of war. That brought tears to my eyes. I don't like being reminded that my sweet little girl is a warrior. Fortunately her job will not be in harms way. Her training is too expensive and valuable to risk losing her. We had a great time visiting her and seeing her in her new role.
Airman's Run |
Do we look like proud parents?
Well, we were and are!
We have another family member who is part of a Royal Army serving far away in Argentina. He also is a warrior in the fight for freedom and liberty. We are so proud of him as well.
Elder PW is fourth from the right on the very back row. |
We love our veterans, both military and missionary, past, present and future. Thank you for serving valiantly and faithfully.
One final thought: As I watched the program today the words of a hymn came to my mind --
"Oh youth of the noble birthright, carry on, carry on, carry on."
Please thank your husband and daughter for serving our country. And thanks to you, too, for taking care of them both.
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