Senior Moments
Senior Moments
>>Valley Patriot>> |
God Bless
America
Veterans are a proud and patriotic flag-waving group, as found in the formal American Legion or VFW posts, or whether they stand alone but still remember with pride their military heritage. Why aren’t all citizens as proud as veterans to have America living in them? I thought about that after coming across a published photograph from a Midwestern newspaper. The photo showed a typical Veterans Day parade passing down Main St., USA with the uniform colorguard leading and carrying our National colors, the American flag. As they passed, the photo shows parade spectators either seated on the curbside or lounging on the sidewalk, hands in pockets, hats planted firmly on their heads—except for one young man struggling to stand at attention for the flag passing in front of his wheelchair! The caption over the photo is: ”What’s wrong with this picture?” Unfortunately, there are plenty of things wrong with that picture and it grieves veterans to still have to report such wrongs after we have all suffered through September 11th. But on a day set aside to honor and remember veterans and the military, we would like to take the liberty of calling some of these shortcomings to your attention. We do this with no malice toward our citizens, but purely out of love for our country. First of all, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country and apparently some native Americans need to understand. It is not our responsibility to continually try not to offend you in any way. As Americans, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture, called the American Way, has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. Our Forefathers fought, bled and died at places such as Bunkerhill, Iwo Jima, Normandy, Korea, Vietnam, and now Iraq and Afghanistan. We speak English, not Spanish, Arabic or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn our language! ”In God We Trust” is our national motto. This is not some off-the-wall Christian right-wing political slogan - it is our national motto. It is engraved in stone in the House of Representatives in our Capitol and it is printed on our currency. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women on Christian principles founded this nation and this is clearly documented throughout our history. If it is appropriate for our motto to be inscribed in the halls of our highest levels of Government, then it is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools! God is in our pledge, our National Anthem, nearly every patriotic song and in our Founding documents. God is part of our culture and we are proud to have him. We are proud of our heritage and those who have so honorably defended our freedoms. We celebrate Veterans Day and other American holidays. As an American, I have the right to wave my flag, sing my National Anthem, quote my National motto and cite my pledge whenever and wherever I choose. We ask you to keep Patriotism and Freedom alive by teaching your children about God, Flag, Honor, Duty and Country. Today, as we
honor veterans of the past - those ordinary people doing
extraordinary acts of heroism to protect our freedoms -
this is the time to stand up for America. Let’s
start today by turning out for your local parades and as
the colors of our Nation pass by, let’s all be
standing together, so when asked, ”What is wrong
with this picture”, we can cry out in unison
“Nothing is wrong”! *Send your comments to ValleyPatriot@aol.com |
To remember Veterans Day and to
honor America, I am taking the liberty to reprint an
original piece authored by me immediately following the
terrorist attack of 9/11. My opinions and dedication to
the United States of America remain constant and firmly
resolved. “We don’t live in America, America
lives in us.” This profound statement uttered by an
unknown soldier in World War II is easily understood by
present day veterans who live America daily.