2010
Soap Box Archives
Memorial
Day 2010
As I approach my 73rd Memorial Day my mind goes back to a sunny June
morning in 1944 when my mother got me out of bed early to go to the
Methodist church where the good people of Valdosta, Georgia had gathered
to pray for the brave Americans who were storming the beaches of Normandy.
The church was packed to the rafters with patriotic Americans who were
turning to the only help they knew for the brave men so far away.
It was D-Day, and the allies were making an all out effort to deal a
fatal and decisive blow to Hitler and the Nazi war machine.
We didn't have television in those days and the radio news reports were
sparse and spotty.
I was only eight years old, but I was a child of the Second World War
and grasped the gravity of anything the United States military was doing,
I knew America was in a battle for something precious and was paying
a tremendous price to win.
Even now as I think of brave men facing German artillery and being cut
to ribbons by Nazi machine gun fire, I still tend to get choked up even
after all these years.
That day, that moment in history was America in it's finest hour, America
the liberator, America, "the land of the free and the home of the
brave," fighting for freedom on foreign shores and on it's knees
before Almighty God in the homeland.
There is no way, no words I can use to articulate or express the gratitude
I feel in my heart for those who have given their all for this nation.
There are no garlands or bouquets that I could place on the grave of
a hero that could represent the respect and admiration I feel for those
who have fallen in the cause of freedom.
The young men and women who volunteer for the military are not to be
taken for granted, nor should the service they perform be taken lightly,
deployed thoughtlessly nor used as a football in a game of politics.
When someone takes that oath and puts on that uniform they deserve the
respect, admiration and support of every American whether liberal, conservative,
Democrat or Republican, native born or naturalized.
On this Memorial Day I pay my humble and heartfelt respect and gratitude
to those fallen heroes of the past wars and my undying support and admiration
to those who are fighting the present day wars.
I salute you all.
The flag in my yard will be lowered and will remain at half-mast throughout
this weekend to commemorate America's fallen warriors.
Pray for our troops, and for our country
What do you think?
God Bless America
Charlie Daniels
©Copyright The Charlie
Daniels Band