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WILKES-BARRE — Where would we all be if it weren’t for veterans?
We sure wouldn’t be living in a free country where we can speak freely, worship freely and always feel safe.
That’s why we should always shake the hand of a veteran and thank them for their service. It’s a big deal, really.
For as long as I can remember, I wondered what happened to my father in World War II. Why he lost his right leg and why he had to go through life wearing a wooden leg that was both difficult to move with and drew attention to him.
Dad never wore his courage on his sleeve. Like all veterans, he was called to serve his country and went into battle willingly. Veterans knew what was at stake. They knew what could lie ahead. They were filled with fear and uncertainty, but they went forward — they met the enemy and they won.
In battle after bloody battle, our guys won. Our freedoms were preserved. So many lives were lost, yet more came to battle.
Veterans are special people, indeed. Patriotism is in their blood, Loyalty to country is part of their DNA. Call it courage, bravery, commitment — they all had it and they accepted the task at hand.
How else can you explain all those GIs on those landing boats on D-Day? Standing there, weapons in hand, waiting for the gate to open to charge the beach and run to meet a waiting enemy. They all knew that many of them would never return to their homes and families and friends and communities. Yet they ran to meet the enemy.
It’s chilling to try to put yourself in their shoes. Young soldiers — 18, 19, 20 years old — charged with the responsibility of fighting for our freedoms. They must win, they must fight, they must, in so many cases, die on those battlefields.
It was the same in every war America has fought in — the stakes were always the same. History reads of bloody battles, thousands of lives lost, freedoms preserved.
Never a doubt. Never a question. Never a disobeyed order. Soldiers fought. Soldiers died. Victories were won. Freedoms preserved.
We can’t ever thank them enough. Those that died in defense of their country hold a special place in our hearts. They gave it all for us. And those who returned, wounded, scarred — we owe them too. We will never know or understand what they went through. We will never feel what they felt on those battlefields. We will never know what it was like to meet the enemy in battle — to kill or be killed.
So to honor veterans with a parade or a handshake and a thank you is the least we can do. To stand along the parade route, holding an American flag is a symbol — a message — to all veterans that we love them, we respect them and we thank them for all they have done for us.
Veterans are proud of their service, as they should be. We should be even more proud that they served in the military for us. They defended their country — our country. They fought for it. They fought for us.
And they would do it again and again — for us.
My dad kept his story inside for most of his life. It was near the end of his life that he decided to tell me what happened on that day. How he ran onto the beach, up a hill, firing his weapon as the enemy fired back. And then he woke up in a MASH unit. He was told his right leg was gone. Dad’s response was, “I guess I’m going home.”
He came home, got fitted for his wooden prosthesis, and got a job. He served his community. He joined every veterans organization he could find. He attended every veterans ceremony held every year.
Dad never forgot. He knew, despite the loss of his right leg, that he was one of the lucky ones to come home alive. He knew thousands never made it back. Dad never forgot that and he always honored veterans.
That’s why I’ll be on the roadside to watch those proud veterans go by. I’ll wave and I will feel proud. And every veteran I encounter, I will thank each and shake their hand. Dad would like that.
Celebrate our veterans every day.
If not for them, we wouldn’t be able to enjoy every moment of freedom that we all have.
