National Freedom Day, observed on February 1st, celebrates freedom from slavery. It also recognizes that America is a symbol of liberty. It honors the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865. It was not ratified by the states, however, until later on December 18, 1865. Continue reading “Slavery Outlawed”
Too sad to write!
RIP victims of Las Vegas
Hate the fact this is going to be blamed on gun control. A man who wants to do something like this will get a gun, or more, regardless.
May the survivors and families heal from the brain trauma.
Thank you to the Vets and off duty police officers at concert who aided the injured.
I belong to a Veteran’s Writing Group in my local area. The group welcomes veterans plus their family and friends. I go as an ex-wife of an Air Force member and a staunch supporter of all veterans. There are nine of us that attend regularly. The effects of war, and the rationale of it, or lack-thereof, are common threads in our memoir writing. Continue reading “A War with a Beginning and an End”
On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation deeming June 14 as Flag Day. President Wilson stated, “It is the anniversary of the day upon which the flag of the United States was adopted by the Congress as the emblem of the Union.” He also wrote, “On that day rededicate ourselves to the nation, ‘one and inseparable’ from which every thought that is not worthy of our fathers’ first vows in independence, liberty, and right shall be excluded and in which we shall stand with united hearts.” [courtesy-National Day of Calendar]
I was going to add, nothing more needs to be said, but then I remembered a couple of times in my life that just seeing our flag brought tears to my eyes. One occasion was when I pulled into a funeral home parking lot to pay respects to a very dear friend. The Patriot Guard was standing at attention in two lines I had to pass through to enter the building. I almost couldn’t do it. One has to have an understanding of being a veteran, have a high degree of patriotism, and respect for the men behind the grizzled faces to grasp the emotion that sight filled me with.
The other memory had to do with when I attended Rolling Thunder in Washington D.C. It is held on Memorial Day weekend. 500,000 motorcycles, lots of American Flags, more veterans and a feeling of reverence and peace. Yes, motorcycles and reverence go together in this situation. I recommend it to anyone to experience at least once.
I hope you will fly the flag of this great country today and forget it has a few problems.
Currently there is a national push to thank our military personnel, past and present, for their service. That’s a wonderful thing, because freedom isn’t free. Sometimes it’s hard to understand why we have “boots on the ground” in some places we know little about. Our government makes the decision where our troops go. We don’t have to agree with that decision, but I ask that you support the troops regardless.
Have you ever noticed a small rectangular white flag in the window of a house in your neighborhood? If that flag has a blue star in the middle it means an active duty military person calls that address home; one of the parents hung that flag with a feeling of pride. If the flag has a gold star, it means the military member made the ultimate sacrifice with his or her life for the United States of America.
Think about that a minute and relate it to your own life. Can you call, skype, text, or visit your child at will? Some parents can’t. They go to the cemetery and cry, shake their head with disbelief, and imagine the next holiday without their child in attendance. Does the hurt of losing a child ever go away? No. It becomes tolerable over time because you learn to deal with it, but it never goes away. (We buried a daughter, 13 years ago, when she was 27, after an auto accident; that’s how I know.)
We have many freedoms in this country that other countries do not enjoy. Are we perfect? Far from it. Probably never will be, but at least we don’t have a civil war tearing at us night and day like Syria does. Be thankful for that. Be thankful for the relative peace we do have. Be even more thankful for the military that keeps us safe in ways we will never know about. And the next time you see a little white rectangular flag in someone’s window say a silent prayer the blue star never gets replaced by a gold one; if it is already a gold one, remember, freedom isn’t free and that family has paid the price.
There are Gold Star Mother groups in many cities all over the country. Visit http://www.goldstarmoms.com to find one near you. They can help a parent deal with loss.
I wrote this from a parent’s point of view because that is what I am. It can also be turned around that it is the child going to visit their parent in the cemetery. Again. Freedom isn’t free.
Sue Spitulnik 