[Our guest blogger is Abbey Bishop. Abbey is the Executive Director of Events for Tom but more importantly today, she is the wife of a soldier. Her husband, Keith, is currently deployed in Afghanistan and all of us at tompeters.com deeply appreciate the choice he has made to serve our country and anxiously await his safe return. We invited Abbey to share her thoughts on Veteran’s Day and she graciously agreed. Thank you Abbey!]
Through the generations, how war is fought has changed so drastically. One thing that remains the same is what defines a Veteran. Courage, selflessness, and loyalty are a few very small words that barely begin to describe the incredible individual that offers so much to so many, expecting nothing in return. They believe in the ideal that the United States of America is greater than the individual and they are willing to—ultimately—give everything to uphold that ideal. Separation from family and friends, and to live inside a war zone are commitments they have made and stand by.
Ask yourself before just appreciating yet another federal holiday, would you be willing to do what they have done? Willing to miss the birth of your child, miss the burial of a family member, experience intermittent sleep for days on end, hope for at least one meal today, see a friend die with the fear that it could happen again tomorrow and the possibility of the sacrifice of your own life?
Saying thank you hardly seems good enough, but THANK YOU. Thank you to all the Veterans, past and present, who have protected my rights, my freedoms, those that I love and allow me to live the life of a free man. Never forget that the courage of those brave soldiers that have served in our armed forces allows life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Without our armed forces, these would not be certainties of our everyday life.
Today is a day of gratitude, but it is also a day of mourning. It is the very least we can offer to our countrymen who, without knowing us, stood up to protect us. Remember those that came home and those that couldn’t. Veterans, my sincerest and most humble appreciation is yours. Thank you.