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Veterans Worthy Of Salute On Their Day

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By LUIS LOPEZ, Special to the Tribune

Published: November 11, 2007

As Veterans Day is upon us, we pause to reflect on and remember those who are serving our country.

We also pause to remember those who never got to come home - those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Though we have been celebrating this holiday since 1954, it still holds true to the heritage of honor that serving your country provides.
President Herbert Hoover once said, "Older men declare war, but it is our youth that must fight and die, and it is our youth who must inherit the tribulation, the sorrow and the triumphs that are the aftermath of war."

These words ring as clearly today as the day our Liberty Bell rang for the first time in a free country. Everything that we hold dear - our families, our friends, our lives - would be nonexistent or greatly altered had the many generations of veterans not risked their lives in the name of freedom.

We must remember that Veterans Day is not just a day that is celebrated to commemorate those who fought valiantly for their country. It also is a day to focus upon what they fought for.

Freedom is a thing that many of us take for granted. We must cherish the gift of freedom. Every day that we are presented with a choice to make, whether or not we make the right one, we should be thankful that we even possess the right to make it.

These rights were paid in full by the blood and tears of our veterans, past and present. We must be thankful to those who risked their lives and those who never came home so we could wake each morning and be free.

Duty, honor and country: These are common terms that any veteran can easily relate to. These three words will evoke many emotions in every veteran. When you see a veteran raise his right arm and present a salute, understand that he is part of a legacy that will live forever - a legacy where each day they awake with only one thought on their mind: to serve this great nation with duty, honor and a pure heart that is ready to give the ultimate sacrifice.

Let us not forget our disabled veterans returning from honorable service in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world, and those in hospital beds with uncertain futures. As you look up and see the American flag waving in the wind, understand that many have sacrificed their lives to defend what it stands for.

Many around the world see our flag and do not understand its significance to this country. We are the only country in the world willing to fight and die for the rights and privileges the American flag stands for. The American flag is an enduring symbol of liberty, democracy and justice for all.

Remember, fellow Americans, since the Revolutionary War eight generations of America's veterans have established an unbroken commitment to freedom. The sacrifices made by all veterans and their willingness to fight in defense of our nation merit our deep respect and praise.

Thank you, honorable veterans, for the sacrifices you and your families are making.

As Americans and patriots, we support all of our soldiers with our thoughts and prayers. God bless our veterans, past and present, and may we always remember them and what they did to ensure our safety and freedom.

May we appreciate their courage and bravery in defending our nation.

May we never forget them, and may we treat all our veterans with the dignity and respect they so rightfully earned and deserve!

The writer, a Zephyrhills City Council member, is retired from the U.S. Air Force.

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