Greg Meyer
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2001
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Once again we are coming up to another Memorial Day. We have suffered terrible losses in the recent past and it seems that with the passing of every day fewer and fewer people remember those losses. On September 11th, 2001, 343 Firemen died trying to save people from an evil cowardly attack. Another 50 sworn Law Enforcement Officers were killed that day. The whole world watched as the planes crashed into the towers and the Pentagon and later the towers collapsed and the Pentagon burned. And, over Pennsylvania the passngers and crew of Flight 93 struck the first retaliatory blow. We finished that day with the knowledge that once again blood would have to be shed protecting our freedom and way of life. Everywhere new heroes were being added to the list of American heroes. Right now, our friends and our friends' children are stepping up to fight for our freedom. More American lives will be lost in the future defending us here at home, more heroes will be addded to the list..
What do we owe these heroes? We owe them our respect and thanks. I just spent a few hours with my one day old new grandson, holding him in my arms. Over thirty years ago I had the greatest personal honor a man could ever have, I was privileged to lead Marines in battle. And,today I thought of all that has happened since September 11th, 2001 to change our wolrd, and also how little has really changed. Thirty years ago the majority of the Marines around me were 19 and 20 year old heroes. Some of those heroes never came home to hold their grandsons in their arms. Today, the majority of the heroes protecting our freedom again are 19 and 20 year old Americans. So little has changed, only the focus of our concern. Thirty years ago the greatest threat to our freedom was a monolithic communist oriented group of nations that vowed to destroy us. Today we directly threatened again by a coalition, albeit a different one, but just as dangerous and just as determined. And, just as it was thirty years ago, our finest and bravest young men and women are defending our freedom. More heroes are being added to the list.
Memorial Day is a great day to have a family picnic. It is also a great day to remember the heroes. Remeber the heroes who birthed our nation with their blood in the 18th Century... The heroes who kept a nation together in the 19th Century. The heroes of the 20th Century who fought two world wars, fought communism to a stalemate in Korea and Vietnam, liberated Kuwait, and fought other battles in the 20th Century. And, now in the dawn of the 21st Century more heroes are still defending us, fighting fires, and coming to our aid when crime strikes.
What do we owe them. We owe them this... our thanks and respect. And, we also owe them this as well; we owe them a place in our memory and hearts. Throughout all the centuries that have passed, our friends, our parents, our children, our grandchildren, our neighbors have become those heroes. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice in our name...
As I held my grandson, I said a prayer of thanks to God asking him to take care of all the heroes it has taken to let me sit on that couch and hold little Aiden in peace and freedom. Sometime on Memorial Day, I hope you will take a moment and reflect on what we owe the heroes and what they have given us with their sacrifice. And, pray that someday just maybe we won't have to make any more new heroes...
What do we owe these heroes? We owe them our respect and thanks. I just spent a few hours with my one day old new grandson, holding him in my arms. Over thirty years ago I had the greatest personal honor a man could ever have, I was privileged to lead Marines in battle. And,today I thought of all that has happened since September 11th, 2001 to change our wolrd, and also how little has really changed. Thirty years ago the majority of the Marines around me were 19 and 20 year old heroes. Some of those heroes never came home to hold their grandsons in their arms. Today, the majority of the heroes protecting our freedom again are 19 and 20 year old Americans. So little has changed, only the focus of our concern. Thirty years ago the greatest threat to our freedom was a monolithic communist oriented group of nations that vowed to destroy us. Today we directly threatened again by a coalition, albeit a different one, but just as dangerous and just as determined. And, just as it was thirty years ago, our finest and bravest young men and women are defending our freedom. More heroes are being added to the list.
Memorial Day is a great day to have a family picnic. It is also a great day to remember the heroes. Remeber the heroes who birthed our nation with their blood in the 18th Century... The heroes who kept a nation together in the 19th Century. The heroes of the 20th Century who fought two world wars, fought communism to a stalemate in Korea and Vietnam, liberated Kuwait, and fought other battles in the 20th Century. And, now in the dawn of the 21st Century more heroes are still defending us, fighting fires, and coming to our aid when crime strikes.
What do we owe them. We owe them this... our thanks and respect. And, we also owe them this as well; we owe them a place in our memory and hearts. Throughout all the centuries that have passed, our friends, our parents, our children, our grandchildren, our neighbors have become those heroes. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice in our name...
As I held my grandson, I said a prayer of thanks to God asking him to take care of all the heroes it has taken to let me sit on that couch and hold little Aiden in peace and freedom. Sometime on Memorial Day, I hope you will take a moment and reflect on what we owe the heroes and what they have given us with their sacrifice. And, pray that someday just maybe we won't have to make any more new heroes...
