I open the packed refrigerator and complain because there’s nothing to eat.  My family’s three cars have a little too much patina. There are 150 channels to choose from, and yet there’s nothing good on TV tonight.  I go to bed and my pillow is a little too lumpy.

I suffer from too much.  A byproduct from a generation that sacrifice was a way of life and by it, allowed us to live in prosperity.  Abundance brings with it a virus called ingratitude, and I have suffered from bouts of this affliction as well.  How can you relate to people and a lifestyle that you have never experienced?  Every time period has had its givers and takers, and I would venture to guess that this generation has more takers than givers.  We are seeing the death of an era.  The WWII generation is in its final days and when they’re gone, we’ll have lost the wisdom that goes with them.

I have not served in the military, nor have I made a sacrifice for my country.  I am a person who has lived in the aura of the blood that was shed so that we’d be able to live in freedom.  The men and women who’ve given up their down pillows and warm beds for sleepless nights, uncertainty, and frazzled nerves are the true heroes that we are to admire.

Today, we have a new group of soldiers that are willing to put their lives on the line to hold back the evil that roams the earth.  We have too many reasons to remain complacent, but they do it.  To voluntarily give up the lap of luxury, to serve is truly remarkable.  I thank God for all of those who have sworn this oath to protect this country:

I, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

I cannot adequately express my gratitude to all those who have sacrificed for this country.   I am awed and envious.  As best as I try to relate, I am not in the family of soldiers.  My perspective is that of an outsider.  But, you have given all of us a gift.  A gift of liberty and freedom.  Some may squander it, and some may relish it.  At times, I live close to both of these truths.

Even though saluting is reserved to those within the “family”, I stand with you and I salute you.  I am grateful beyond words. From one of us to all of you… thank you.