Thanksgiving countdown #10...

Today's thankful post is a no brainer! In the words of the amazing Maya Angelou - "How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!" Today, and every day, I am forever thankful, forever grateful, forever awe inspired, by the American soldiers...past, present and future.

I have run across many great quotes about Veterans and Veterans day. But first a little history lesson. Many people get Memorial Day and Veterans Day confused. To make it clear, Veterans day celebrates ALL soldiers, living and dead. They recognize all service done honorably by the men and women of the US military.

There are 5 branches of the US military. The Air Force, the Marines, the Navy, the Army, and the Coast Guard. I have been privileged enough to have friends and family serve in all of them! And I am even luckier now to be a proud Air Force wife!!! I get to see the amazing-ness every day and to bear witness to the unselfish acts these people perform.

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."
— John Stuart Mill (1868)

I understand that not everybody supports the war. Make love, not war, right? But it is these soldiers that give those people the right to have that opinion. These soldiers who protect their country in God-forsaken land in the middle of the night while others are home, in their beds, fast asleep - who give people their freedoms. It hurts me to the core to think there are people out there that think soldiers are nothing but the most amazing gift we have in our country.

"There are some who've forgotten why we have a military. It's not to promote war, it's to be prepared for peace."
President Ronald Reagan

Sure, protesters have every right to burn the American flag, to yell obscenities at heroes coming home from war, to carry signs that are meant for the soldiers to feel shame. But ya know what?!?! It was those exact people that they are yelling about that gives them the opportunity to express themselves in that way. Another awesome quote I saw was this:

“When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she is dating a p*ssy.” General Tommy Franks
(and anyone that knows me knows that I absolutely HATE that "p" word - but I still love the sentiment).

SO to end my post with yet another quote..."As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy. I vow to make every effort on this day (and always) to make sure all the veterans I know (or even don't know) understand how grateful I am for everything they (and their families) have done for me, my family and my country.