Veteran's Day

Freedom Isn't Free
I watched the flag pass by one day.

It fluttered in the breeze

A young soldier saluted it,

and thenHe stood at ease.

I looked at him in uniform

So young, so tall, so proud

With hair cut square and eyes alert

He'd stand out in any crowd.

I thought how many men like him

Had fallen through the years.

How many died on foreign soil?

How many mothers' tears?

How many Pilots' planes shot down?

How many foxholes were soldiers' graves?

No Freedom isn't free

I heard the sound of taps one night,

When everything was still.

I listened to the bugler play

And felt a sudden chill.

I wondered just how many times

That taps had meant "Amen"

When a flag had draped a coffin

of a brother or a friend.

I thought of all the children,

Of the mothers and the wives,

Of fathers, sons and husbands

With interrupted lives.

I thought about a graveyard

at thebottom of the sea

Of unmarked graves in Arlington.....

No -- Freedom isn't free!!...

Cadet Major Kelly StrongAir Force Junior ROTC

I can't think of anywhere I would rather live than here in the USA. We are all so blessed to have people willing to give everything to protect the freedoms that we enjoy. My little community is full of these patriotic individuals who served our country and protected those who could not protect themselves. I truly believe that the WWII vets are part of the greatest generation. That patriotism is what keeps our country moving forward. I haven't lost faith, and I am so grateful that there are soldiers out there protecting all the things that I hold dear. So Thank You to all you have served and are serving to pay for our freedom. And to my dear Grandpa, my favorite Veteran of all.