2004 Soap Box Archives

Honorable 11/12/04

On Veteran’s Day I was in Washington DC and paid a visit to the Vietnam Memorial and the World War II Monument.

There was a ceremony going on at the Vietnam Memorial while we were there and as we walked into the crowd it was apparent that there were many Vietnam Veterans who had come to pay tribute to their fallen brothers.

They came in bits and pieces of uniforms or vests with their outfits blazoned across the shoulders. Some had worn a few medals and other accoutrements of past military service.

To stand shoulder to shoulder with these men as they solemnly
listened to the speeches being offered in homage to those who fell in the jungles of Southeast Asia, there was a kinship as far as being Americans was concerned but those of us who didn’t experience Vietnam will forever be outsiders.

If you haven’t been there and done that you can’t imagine the horror these brave eyes have beheld and the memories that only they can share in.

That long black wall seems to mean something really special to these men and only they know what it is.

Then we went down to the World War II Monument, which honors all branches of servicemen and women who fell in all the theaters of World War II.

It too, was a touching scene, aged old gentlemen being photographed by their grandchildren in front of some part of the monument, which was meaningful to them. Elderly couples strolling around the grounds stopping to examine some bit of stone, which represents something special to them.

There were wreaths of flowers and pictures and notes stuck around the monuments left there by some loved one, commemorating and honoring the memory of some husband or son who paid the ultimate price in defense of our country.

All in all it was a touching scene watching two generations of veterans from two totally different kind of wars coming together to remember and honor the hundreds of thousands
of their comrades who gave their lives for freedom.

And Veteran’s Day is not just about World War II and the Vietnam War. It’s about the Korean War, the Revolutionary War, Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and every
act of hostility against the United States of America, which have been defended by those who served.

I’m glad that America takes a day every year to honor our heroes in uniform, but the amount of gratitude we owe them cannot be fulfilled in one day or three hundred and sixty five days for that matter.

When you put your babies to bed tonight say a prayer of thanks and protection for our military, when you drive to work tomorrow morning thank God that this is a free country, we go where we want and do what we want. Thanks to a victorious military.

When you attend church Sunday or go to the high school football game Friday night, or watch your children playing in the back yard, when you go to bed tonight without fear of being rousted out and arrested in the middle of the night.

When you do all these mundane things, remember that they are not mundane to so many in the world.

These are the gifts of a free country, free by the grace of God and protected by a strong and dedicated military.

God bless our sons and daughters who wear the uniform of America. We can never repay you for all you do.

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels