Today is the 74th Anniversary of D-Day. Between 4,000 and 5,000 Allied soldiers died that day in June 1944, no one is really sure. We know that many of them did not even make it onto dry land, and thousands more would die in the days immediately following. Take a minute to remember who answered the call and did their duty in the face of horrific violence. Their bravery and sacrifice should never be forgotten.
So many brave Americans have fought and died for our freedom. What would they think of the country we’ve become? Would they lament what some have done with that freedom? Would they still think it was worth their last breath or drop of blood, or would they shed tears for the liberties we gave away without even a shot having to have been fired to take them? Would they weep at the sight of groups like Antifa rioting and destroying property seeking to deny people their freedom of speech? Would those who died in the American Revolution shudder at how many people would forfeit their rights to keep and bear arms, to be free from unwarranted search and seizure for the illusion of safety and security? Would all those hundreds of thousands of Union soldiers cut down in battle throw their hands up dismay at how racially divided we’ve become? What would those who died on foreign soil in WWII think of a Europe, the continent they freed of one form of malignant socialism opt for a more palatable one? How would those who died in the War of 1812 react to football players not honoring the Star Spangled Banner, a song written about the flag some of them literally died to defend? Remember this Memorial Day, those heroes died for more than a piece of land, they died for an idea, an idea that freedom is worth fighting and dying for. They died so that those they left behind could be safe from tyranny and oppression. Let’s not surrender easily what they paid the ultimate price for, that idea of that “shining city on a hill”, of American Exceptionalism.
We hear all the time in seems about tough jobs that supposedly, American’s won’t do. I don’t believe it, mainly because I’ve worked in several of those jobs myself. Thank God there is one really tough job that for centuries, so far enough Americans have wanted to do. One where the pay and living conditions aren’t always the best, one that calls for huge sacrifices on the part of those who volunteer to do it and their families: Serve in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Americans are supposedly too soft to do some jobs. No American would take a job filling sandbags in 110 degree heat, right? Surely no one living in the greatest nation in world history would slog through a mosquito infested swamp, walk for half a day though the forest, or climb a mountain just to get to the job-site. Who from this country would choose a job that makes you long for things things like warm food, hot water, a bed? Of course no self -respecting, video game playing, social media obsessed American would ever want to stay out in sub-freezing weather for hours watching an empty field or patch of sea right? Yet somehow for generations, by the tens of thousands, Americans have volunteered to for jobs that entail doing all of these things and more– and by the way, sometimes while people are trying hard to kill them.
Thank God for such men and women. For some reason, (rarely the great pay) they have decided to, at least temporarily, forgo many of comforts that come with so many other jobs. For some, it’s the promise of adventure, or having that “hero” switch, or protector gene. Other just want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. It may be that they realize that they live in a country– more that many others, that is worth fighting for. They, in put the ‘exceptionalism’ in American Exceptionalism. Whatever the reason, these men and women have chosen a vocation that routinely requires sacrifice, sometime of the ultimate kind. That is why today is their day, a day for them to be proud, and the rest of America to be proud of them.
Thank you!
-JP Mac
Today is Armed Forces Day in the U.S. We should take the time today to thank those in uniform and remember them in our prayers. These people are living heroes, people who answered and continue to answer the call to serve. These men and woman have asked themselves question: If not me, who? Rather than leave it up to someone else, they took it upon themselves to help bear the burden of our national defense. Often they put things like college, families, and civilian careers on hold. Those persons who wear the uniform today do so knowing of the high probability that their country will call upon them to serve in dangerous places, many already have. They do so knowing they could be separated from their loved ones for weeks, months, and in some circumstances, forever. Few other professions ask this of those who work in them.
We also need to get back to looking at military service as a profession, and an honorable one. After Vietnam, it was trendy to think of people joining the military because they had no other choice. Who would join the military if there were any chance of meaningful employment outside? This was the often unspoken attitude for many years. It angers me when at the height of the Iraq and Afghan wars, college campuses would not let military recruiters or ROTC programs on campus. It apparently never occurred to them that some young people might actually be interested in a career in the military. Yes, Mr./Ms. university dean, believe it or not, some people actually choose to make the military their career, or at least try it. These people are not losers, (they’re attending your school aren’t they?) or without other life options, some people actually want to serve their country, even in wartime if need be. 
Today, set aside some of your thoughts and prayers for those who put on the uniform of the U.S. Armed Forces. They are brave, honorable, and some of the best citizens of this country.
