To U.S. Military Veterans
And Their Families:
Seal of the United States Army Seal of the United States Navy Seal of the United States Air Force Seal of the United States Marine Corps Seal of the United States Coast Guard
Click on any of the Military Branch Seals above to go to their official websites
Freedom Is Not Free

I watched the flag pass by one day. It fluttered in the breeze.
A young Marine saluted it, and then he stood at ease.
I looked at him in uniform, so young, so tall, so proud.
With hair cut square and eyes alert, he'd stand out in any crowd.
I thought, "How many men like him had fallen through the years?
How many died on foreign soil? How many mother's tears?
How many pilot's planes shot down? How many died at sea?
How many foxholes were soldier's graves? No, Freedom is not free.

I heard the sound of taps one night, when everything was still.
I listened to the bugler play, and felt a sudden chill.
I wondered just how many times that taps had meant "Amen",
when a flag had draped the coffin of a brother or a friend?
I thought of all the children, of the mothers and the wives,
of fathers, sons, and husbands, with interrupted lives.
I thought about a graveyard at the bottom of the sea,
of unmarked graves in Arlington. No, Freedom is not free.

Written by Cadet Major Kelly Strong, Air Force Junior ROTC,
Homestead Senior High School, Homestead, Florida, 1988.

The men and women who have served in our military, both in peacetime and in war, have been sent far from home and hearth, to protect the constitution and it's ideals, render aid when disaster strikes, and to put themselves in harms way to defend our way of life, our freedoms, and our homeland. They have sacrificed the comfort and safety that United States citizens have enjoyed from foreign aggression, and both in "peace time" and in war have shed their blood in every corner of the world. Many have given that ultimate sacrifice, having given their life to protect the lives of others, both loved ones, and those they would never know. These Veterans, (less than 10% of the U.S. population,) have earned their own freedom, but for the other 90% of the people, that freedom was bought for them through toil, blood, and personal sacrifice of every sort imaginable by one of those who has or is serving in our military.


The Families of our Veterans have also sacrificed more than most people who have not had a family member in the military realize. At any time, day or night, there can be that call that takes their loved one away, many times for long periods of time, many times forever. They also endure the hardships of having to move every few years, giving up close contact with friends, their jobs, and what has become the familiar home they have made, and moving to new and strange lands, many times with cultures and languages that are entirely new to them, and begin the process of building new friendships, finding a new job, and trying to settle in and make this new place home, knowing full well that in a few years, the whole process will begin again. Their sacrifices are often overlooked, but not here. They are recognized and appreciated.


I salute ALL those who have served, in ALL branches of our military, Active Duty and Reserves, men and women, and their families, and thank them for their service!


OUR FREEDOM IS OWED TO THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED BEFORE, AND THE FREEDOM OF OUR CHILDREN IS OWED TO THOSE WHO ARE SERVING NOW.
THANK A VET TODAY!

Back to HOME PAGE
Go to WEBSITE MAP

This page hosted by Get your own, Free Homepage
1