Today we get a chance to reflect on the sacrifice of the men and women who have served our country and have payed the ultimate price for doing so and to be thankful for their service in protecting our freedom. This nation would not be what it is today if men and women had not fought for our right to rule ourselves and to do so without slaves and to protect us and the world from fascism and Islamic tyranny.
I’m especially thankful to the military for protecting my freedom to worship God. We are a nation blessed with the freedom to worship or not worship God without having to convert or submit to restrictions. We are blessed to freely assemble with other Christians without worrying that the government will find out. We can assemble in the open and build churches and if they are attacked the government will support us and find and punish those responsible. We can share our belief with others and will not be put to death or jailed for doing so.

We are so blessed to have been granted this freedom by God and have so many men and women who were ready to sacrifice their lives to protect it. So, I’m thankful to everyone who put on a uniform to fight for our freedom. Their sacrifice isn’t forgotten by me and I don’t exercise my freedom lightly and try to remember the cost when I begin to take it for granted.
It takes a special kind of person to be willing to put their life at risk to protect the way of life for others. So many times they are denigrated as having no other place to go but the military and I’m sure there are some who look at service as a job, something to pay the bills. But I know that there are many more who look at it as a way to give back to their country what has been given to them and as a way to protect the freedom that they have enjoyed all their life or as an immigrant, plan to enjoy in the future . Regardless of motives, I’m thankful that they all put on the uniform because it was a sacrifice to do so.
Many times throughout the life of this blog, Icommenters, who think they’re so clever, leave comments ridiculing me for supporting the war but not supporting it with my life. I’m a chickenhawk even though I’m a middle-aged woman well pass the age that I can even join the military. I laugh when I read their comments because I picture the commander who got me (‘What? Are we scrapping the bottom of the barrel now?”) and know that I would be given desk duty. I think the comments demonstrate the brilliance of the anti-war crowd 🙂 as well as their rhetorical skill. I think it also demonstrates their ignorance of vocation. A society is made up of a complex interlocking of workers. Each person has a place in society, we can’t all be soldiers just as we can’t all be doctors. Each vocation is need and is as important to all the other interlocking vocations. It’s surprising that such a simple concept would escape them.
But they will never force me to cease supporting the war and our troops no matter what tactic they use. I’m just as free to exercise my right to speak as they are and I’m thankful to those who have fought and died for that freedom and will support the mission of those who are called today to continue to do so. Support the war or not but I’m not going to stop until our men and women have accomplished their goals or are removed before they can do so.