Thank you veterans!!!!!!

Freedom is a God-given right that every man, woman and child should have a chance to experience throughout the world. However, such an assertion is not the reality that we wish for. Around the world, there are many places that are longing, struggling, and fighting to gain their freedom. Our country, the USA, is a country built on the foundation of freedom, and such freedoms are what make our country so great.

In exchange for such freedom, brave men and women have sacrificed their time, family and friends, and even their lives for us to be able to do some of the things that naturally we do not think twice about on a daily basis. The leisure walks in the park, the ability to worship, sun-tanning on the beach, protesting on Capitol Hill, obtaining higher education, etc. are a few of the many benefits that we experience daily that can be (and are) easily taken for granted.

My advisor, a US Marine, was deployed to Afghanistan for a full year to serve his country. The reality of the matter is that he had to leave is wife and five children behind. It was very hard for him because of how much he loved his family. When my older brother was born, my dad was stationed in Germany. He missed the birth of his first son. There are many stories like this across the country, and we should be truly thankful and feel blessed for those who are unselfishly sacrificing themselves for us.

Though this weekend celebrates those that made the ultimate sacrifice, I would like to express a most grateful thanks to all of those who put their lives on the line each and every day for the security and peace of our nation. I would also like to give thanks and send prayers to the families of those who have sons and daughters who are serving stateside or abroad and hope that soon you will be able to reunite with your loved ones. Prayers goes out to those who lost loved ones in the call of duty; may God provide you comfort and strength.

God Bless, God Bless America