This Veterans Day reminds us of military veterans who took an oath to defend the people of the United States of America and its Constitution from enemies, foreign and domestic. We have never been relieved from that oath. And in fulfilling that oath, we have the following hopes for our protected citizens:
We hope you never have to stand on distant shores fighting to defend your own shores from oppression or evil.
We hope you never have to feel the fear and shock of bullets whizzing around you or sense the adrenalin flow as you grab your weapon and move toward the fight.
We hope you never have to smell the breath of a man who’s trying to kill you as you kill him.
We hope you never have to hear that cry for help as you grab a wounded brother-in-arms or experience your own cry for help and rely on the courage of others to save your life.
We hope you never have to taste the salt of your own tears as you stand at that flag-draped coffin containing the remains of a brother-in-arms whom you were humbled and honored to call your friend.
And we hope you will remember that men and women you never met, and you never knew fought, bled, and, in the words of Abraham Lincoln,
“…gave their last full measure of devotion to you.”
Those individuals who died for you were the best this country had to offer, and they died for your freedoms and your right to live in the greatest country on this planet.
And we hope you never forget the two defining forces in our history who have offered to die for you:
Jesus Christ died for your salvation.
