JWHargisSr's Blog

This weekend we honor our veterans who died in service of our country. Many Americans have the weekend off, go on picnics or visit family and friends, then there are those families that must endure the remembrance of loved one's lost in defense of freedom and the American way of life.

The patriotic call for men to fight from the first Continental Congress and those knowing designers of our first national laws ring true in our hearts, that we live in a free country, and a country that is frequently called upon to ally those country's less able to defend themselves against aggressors.

The succession of wars and battles sense then have made America a fearsome thought in the minds of warlords and dictators throughout history and the world and it has become a point for those who would take from others to find loopholes in resolutions that force other democratic countries to take sides or remain neutral in battles fought due to genocide or oil, that we become in the minds of the world, what we strive to fight against and the fight for freedom and democracy is but an excuse to benefit big business.

There is no easy answer and the complications of government and human nature continue to walk a thin gray line in such a way that military service and the men and woman in that service sacrifice life and limb in the professed defense of our country, and when the job is done, society feels that our warriors need be put away until the next war or taken out for this coming day of honor to walk in parade.

Those military service personnel that do survive and are released from active duty often find that the job's and home's they once knew are not the same, some cannot mentally handle the horrors of war, the loss of friends that served with them, or to shake the recurring visions of what a land mine or bomb has done to someone they knew. many family members are reluctant to talk to their son's and daughter's about those horrors on the chance that it would bring back bad memories, or that they feel that they themselves could not handle what a son or daughter lived.

It takes a strong American indeed to walk away from a life, a carrier and a family to serve in our military and sacrifice a certain freedom to defend a freedom, a country and the freedom of others and i can think of few greater sacrifices.

Some of our veterans are left homeless, some are dependant on our VA hospitals, some start new carriers and some are able to go back to life as they knew it, but what is a greatfull nations obligatation to to these men and women, to those who gave their lives, to those missing in action and to those who became prisoners of war.

Our Nation has had a military before it was a nation and we still have no viable plan to repay a debt owed, our veteran benefits are limited, some cannot even be used due to credit problems. Our dependants benefits are subject to the whims of Congress and the President, the winds of change and budget cuts are always a concern and a stress on veteran families, the disabled suffer a dual hardships of loss of limb, sight, sound or mental facilities and the financial constraints that prevent them from enjoying a life that was left behind before military service, the fishing, hunting and vacations once enjoyed.

Memorial day should not be just a day of remembrance, but a day of resolve also. Congress and the sitting President should find that resolve, and commit laws that enable a greatfull nation to give fair gratitude to those who died in service of our country, those still missing in action and those veterans whom must live in wars aftermath.

Memorial day is a day of remembrance, but what do the families of the Americans who died in service to our country actually think about when they visit the graves and the walls of honor built by charitable donations, do they ask why, and what the sacrifice of loved one's actually accomplished? do they think of gas prices, food costs and if their sons and daughters actually died in defense of freedom, or do they shake their heads and know deep down that a commodity was the actual reason for their loss.

God bless our military service personnel, and those whom died in service to our country.