V Stands for Veterans; V Stands for Valor

The Valor of Veterans

Down through the mists of time they come, marching to a distant drum. Soldiers, sailors, airmen, all, who stood to answer their country’s call.

From the Revolutionary War days, through the War of 1812, The Civil War, World War I and World War II, Korea, Viet Nam, Afghanistan and Iraq, brave men and women have stood between their homes and the horrors of war. They fought for freedom, knowing that without it, safety was nothing. Freedom to a patriot is as essential as the air we breathe.

When World War I ended, people rejoiced, believing that it was the war to end all wars. I stand in awe of those Americans who thought there would be no more separations and maimed bodies, crippled minds, and taps played at the graveside of loved ones. Through the years, that innocence has been lost and now we are on uneasy ground, wondering if the world can withstand much more.

I confess I do not understand those who profess to hate America and refuse to respect our flag. I do believe if I hated the country I lived in, I would quickly leave to find a country I loved. I wish them luck. When I see our flag, I see my nephew Clint who died far from home in an awful place called Viet Nam. I see those young men in World War I who boarded the train in Tahlequah, going to training camps and then to far-off lands to fight an enemy they had never met. Many never returned. I see my mother’s tears as she told three sons good-bye when they joined the Navy and her joy when they returned safely.

During the Civil War, our country was torn apart with neighbor fighting neighbor; sometimes, brother fighting brother. And now, we are again threatened with division; not by an outright war, thank goodness, but by strongly-held political beliefs. May I say that in this great Nation, we are free to believe as we like? I’m sure soldiers never ask their comrades in foxholes about political affiliation. It saddens me that today we use words to hurt and wound others. Arguing never changed anybody’s mind and just sort of adds fuel to the fire. And, let me tell you, one of the strategies of the enemies of freedom is to divide the people.

Valor! It’s an old-fashioned word, I guess. I don’t hear it much any more. However, it means the same as it did in 1776: courage, grit, tenacity. Today, we celebrate those veterans, whose valor won us the free country we love and call home.