Loss of the Veterans

Again, this week in our small community, we lost three veterans that can’t be replaced – Mr. Pete Boatright (USAF), Mr. Otis Smith (USMC), and Mr. Jack Sutton (US Army). These men supplied the freedom the rest of us have enjoyed. They served and protected many, not as a job, but as a commitment to a country they loved. While all veterans are trained to serve and protect the constitution, these quiet men served a country and then came into their community and made it a much better place to live. Every day we continue to lose the very framework that the United States enjoys – a framework built on the strength and might of the Veteran. Yes, there are corporate champions, politicians, billionaires and others who take all the credit for our country’s successes. Every veteran knows that this country is built on Freedom. Without freedom, there is no success.

As an air force veteran, I traveled most of the world. I then found out how many resources/funds we provide all over the globe. I saw how other countries operated and “survived”. I always told my peers, “If the US drew all our military and assets back into the borders for one year, the rest of the world would starve to death”. The world is more global today and the US depends on others as well. But the military veteran provides the support required for stability that others operate well. What worries me the most is that many young men and women are not interested in serving or they are unable to serve. Military service is not a joyride; however, it does take a person and grounds them with a commitment not found in everyday life.

As we continue to lose the Veterans among us that are not replaceable, encourage the young, best, and brightest to seek a calling that only a veteran will understand. Freedom looks so easy on paper, but it requires an understanding of all US citizens but requires a commitment of the veteran. There is not a veteran today that would not serve again if called upon to provide freedom’s defense. It would be on the geriatric bus, but we would perform to the rockets’ red glare.

A veteran will hold the American flag high while his blood drips from his body to the very soil he stands on, while he allows an American to burn that flag in protest, THAT’S FREEDOM. If an old Marine (my dad) taught me that American right, it’s good enough for everyone.