I remember walking to school after church that morning when I first heard the news. We sat in our first period class as our teacher listened in along with us, trying to understand through the chaos if this news was confirmed while praying it was just a hoax. Unfortunately, I must admit that I didn't even know what the Twin Towers were used for, but the sight of them crumbling and Americans running for their lives sent a chill down my spine like I had never experienced. I remember deciding that day in 7th grade that I wanted to serve my country someday, somehow, some way and do whatever I could do help honor those who had fallen that morning, to help stop the bully.
There have been many instances in our history when Americans have been knocked down to the ground, where it would have been perfectly understandable to throw in the towel. However, quitting just isn't in our blood. We rally, we unite, and we come back swinging.
In honor of those innocent men and women who lost their lives and of the men and women who have lost their lives protecting us against further terrorism, let us truly remember these individuals. Let us strive to show our love for our country and the lives we have lost EVERY DAY, united as ONE nation. Because as sad as it is to say, for a large majority of our nation patriotism has lost its "splendor" and the minority that choose to defend it know this all too well. We all will like Facebook statuses and tweets by our favorite celebrities, but few will give this day much more thought than that.
It seems as though our society is not as proud of the men and women who join our military ranks and first responders as previous generations were, often times crediting it to them not being able to land a job or being “too dumb for college". Parents tell their children to not speak to recruiters assuming only the worst will happen if their babies join up. We feel as though becoming a cop, a fire fighter, an EMT is simply a fall back job when your dreams don’t end up working out in this bad economy. Some choose to support those overseas by sticking a yellow ribbon magnet on the back of their cars... but now that I think about it, I haven't seen those in quite some time… I guess they were just a fad. However, we proudly celebrate our country every Memorial Day by getting drunk, grilling out and relaxing on a boat.
I'm not here to say that we shouldn't enjoy holidays, nor am I claiming that people have no regard for our troops/first responders anymore. But what I am saying is that anybody can buy an American flag shirt for the 4th of July. We should strive to remember these individuals throughout the year, every day, until the day we die. There's hundreds if not thousands of ways to help our warriors, those both here and abroad. Whether it's visiting our elderly veterans and spending time with them in nursing homes or deciding to take the money you'd spend on a Friday night at the bars and donating it to help our wounded warriors. Whether it’s buying a meal for a fire fighter when you’re out to lunch or running a 5k to raise money for a fallen police officer's family. The age of war bonds may be over and we may not be asked to ration our goods anymore, but we can and should all still be willing to sacrifice a little of ourselves for those who are willing to sacrifice so much.
A friend of mine once told me that an even greater minority than those who serve to protect are those who support them, a very sad realization when you think about it. Military service is not for everyone, and in no way does it need to be. Some people choose to become volunteer fire fighters, but with jobs and raising families, it’s not for everyone. Others are uncomfortable being around guns and the thought of blood alone can make them faint… being an EMT or cop is clearly not a job for them. But even if you aren't defending our country, you can still be a vital source to help making it great. And it is the least bit we should all be willing to do… because at night, when we lay down in peace, there are men and women we don’t even know, who we will probably never even meet, who are ready at a moment’s notice to have their lives cut short so that we may live out our years pursuing our dreams in peace.
So in closing, let us not take a single freedom for granted, let us never forget those whose lives were cut too short, and let us never forget those currently in harm's way. There is truly no better way to honor them.
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