Hopefully, we are also
not forgetting that today is a time to remember those who sacrificed for our
very freedom to have vacations! We owe our sincere Thank You to all the men
and women of every single war who fought and sacrificed their lives in one way
or another. Some of us remember firsthand the stories that have been told
because we personally know friends and family members who have our deepest gratitude.
Who Is Counting?
"There are approximately only 496,777 American veterans remaining of the
16 million who served our nation in World War II and the oldest of these living
today is 112 years old and he smokes 12 cigars per day!" [Dept of
Veteran's Affairs].
"9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the Vietnam Era (Aug. 5, 1964 - May 7, 1975)." [Veterans Affairs]
"2.7 million service members have been to the war zones of Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 and over half of them have deployed more than once. Many times, that number of Americans have borne the costs of war as spouses, parents, children, and friends cope with their loved ones’ absence, mourn their deaths, or greet the changed person who often returns." [Watson-Brown University]
These are only three of the most recent in our memories. In 243 years on our own U.S. soil, veterans have fought over 25 wars for our freedom [Our Country published by Silver Burdett Ginn, Inc.; and Wikipedia].
The Daily Unknown
Please
understand, no one likes war. No one. Obviously, we wouldn't be enjoying
American freedom if it were not for our military. And military spouses and
children should not be forgotten either. It takes great courage to "hang
in" when the unknown must be faced every single day. Never knowing where
or when they will need to pack up and go live somewhere else. Spending years
waiting while their spouse is overseas. Children who never learn to make
permanent friends because it takes time and time is elusive in the military.
Today, stop and thank a military family you know or see. Just do it. They
deserve respect and honor!
Living in the military sometimes takes its toll on women with devastating results. "Military workers of all ranks were most likely to be divorced by age 30, at a rate of 15%.” [Marketwatch.com]
Where is
the Good News?
In a world filled with evil people, sometimes war is
necessary to prevent an even greater evil. If Hitler had not been defeated by
World War II, how many more millions would have been killed? If the American
Civil War [1861-1865] had not been fought, how much longer would African
Americans have had to suffer as slaves? (Before the Civil War even ended,
President Lincoln, on January 1, 1863, formally issued the Emancipation Proclamation
to liberate all slaves.)
"It is an error to say that God never supports a war.
Jesus is not a pacifist. The most important thing we can be doing in a time of
war is to be praying for Godly wisdom for our leaders, praying for the safety
of our military, praying for a quick resolution to conflicts, and praying for a
minimum of casualties among civilians on both sides." [gotquestions.org]
For a further study, click on this Link from GotQs.com:
“For
everything there is a season. . . A time to love and a time to hate. A time for
war and a time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 8
NLT).
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