The Way I See It

Here you will find a collection of my columns which originally appeared in The Berkeley Independent (www.berkeleyind.com). I write about family, cutlure, politics, society and gernerally anything else that I find amsuing.

Friday, November 09, 2007

Honoring our veterans

The Way I See It
By Doug Dickerson

Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

-Winston Churchill

Honoring our Veterans

Next week we commemorate Veterans Day and pay honor to all the men and women in uniform who served our country at home and abroad and we especially honor our fallen heroes who paid the ultimate price in protecting our freedom.

The first military funeral I attended was that of my uncle out in Texas many years ago. Jimmy served in the Korean War, and at his graveside service, Taps was played. I can still remember the emotion that swept over me and the sense of pride I felt that his life and service wasn't forgotten.

Sadly, today, some who oppose the current war we are engaged in are demonizing many of our military heroes. One so-called "church" even goes so far as to show up and protest at the funeral services of our fallen heroes, further adding to the heartache and grief inflicted on the families.

Regardless of your position or feelings about the war on terror we are engaged in today, the freedom you have to support it or protest it, come at the hands of the military that preserve your right to speak your mind.

Our veterans have safeguarded our freedoms and preserved our way of life for generations. Freedom is fragile and we must never forget that. "Freedom," said Ronald Reagan, "is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."

Our freedoms have always come, and have been sustained, with a cost. From our founding fathers down to our grandfathers, we've always understood that the price of freedom never comes without sacrifice; sacrifice is one of the bedrocks of our country and our veterans understand that.

Many Veterans Day celebrations will take place around the Lowcountry in the coming days to honor our veterans. I encourage you to attend one if you are able and be sure to thank a veteran for the freedom you enjoy today. We must not forget the sacrifices made by our brave veterans nor what is at stake. "When the past no longer illuminates the future," said de Tocqueville, "the spirit walks in darkness." We must not walk in darkness but always we remember that our veterans carry our freedoms on their backs.

I would like to leave you with a poem that I came across not too long ago and share it with you in closing.

Cindy Sheehan asked President Bush, "Why did my son have to die in Iraq?" Another mother asked President Kennedy, "Why did my son have to die in Vietnam?" Another mother asked President Truman, "Why did my son have to die in Korea?" Another mother asked President F.D. Roosevelt, "Why did my son have to die at Iwo Jima?" Another mother asked President W. Wilson, "Why did my son have to die on the battlefield of France?" Yet another mother asked President Lincoln, "Why did my son have to die at Gettysburg?" Yet another mother asked President G. Washington, "Why did my son have to die near Valley Forge?" Then long, long ago, a mother asked, "Heavenly Father, why did my Son have to die on a cross outside of Jerusalem?" The answers to all these are similar -- "that others may have life and dwell in peace, happiness and freedom."

Doug can be reached at editor@berkeleyind.com or call him at 843-761-6397