Thought for Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008

Golden Oldie plus New Message

It is the soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
Who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

Father Dennis Edward O'Brian, USMC

**************

On Veterans Day we pay tribute to those
who have fought for our country from its
earliest days to the present. This day
reminds us of how important it is that the
men and women who wear this country.s
uniform know how grateful their fellow
Americans are for that service.

The holiday's birthplace is my
home state of Kansas. Over half a
century ago, a shoe store owner in
Emporia named Al King promoted the
idea of changing what had been
Armistice Day - honoring veterans of
the First World War - into a celebration
of veterans of every conflict, and every era.

What started in Emporia went national
in 1954, when Congress passed and
President Eisenhower signed a bill
making the November 11 holiday the
one we know today.

As important as it is to publicly recognize
the service of our troops returned from the
battlefield, it is more important - indeed a
sacred obligation - that we make sure
they receive the care, benefits, and
compensation they've so courageously
earned. This is one of the preeminent
challenges facing our nation. Aside from
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I have
had no higher leadership priority.

-Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
Excerpt from his
2008 Veterans Day message
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=51846