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A
Veteran's Day
An
Editorial
By:
Ann Crabtree
The Message Tree Staff
Once again Veterans Day is upon us, that
annual event when we pay tribute to all
those great men and women that have served
our country, and once again over in nearby
Branson there are numerous events designed
to salute all our veterans of foreign
wars. Events that have become more than a
tradition, a reunion, sort of a big family
get together for all our service people
that return to Branson yearly. Although
most of the shows in Branson, at least the
ones that I have attended, have always,
all throughout the year featured a segment
in their show to honor our veterans. But
let me tell you what I observed during one
of those shows about a year ago at this
same time of year.
The
performers were concluding the
presentation with our National Anthem. I
rose from my seat as well as many others
in the audience, as the flag of these
United States was being displayed, but as
I looked around the theater, this was my
observation; many men women and young
adults were standing with their hats still
on their heads, western hats plummeted
high , base ball hats on backwards and
some folks were not even standing at all!
Suddenly my mind began to race with anger,
how totally disrespectful of our flag and
the people that sacrificed so much for
that red white and blue banner! Then I
heard the words from that timeless anthem,
"Oh say can you see?"
Visions
flowed through my mind transporting me out
of that dark theater to another time and
another place, and oh yes, what I could
see! In my mind I could see the scene of
bombs bursting in air, American men and
women, soldiers fighting in the various
wars, being blown to pieces, limb from
limb, fire, blood ,tears, terrified. Then
in the fore front of this vision I hear a
pounding as if some one is hammering
nails, blood splattering, screams of a man
-- a voice crying out as in the agony of
great pain. And then the vision becomes
much more clear to me, oh yes, there they
are nailing our savior Jesus Christ on the
cross and as they raise him, in my vision
I am looking up at him on that old rugged
cross, and a single tear begins to fall
softly from his eye and trickles down his
face, then that single tear landing ever
so softly on the ground below and I hear
as he began to speak, "forgive them for
they know not what they do." My eyes are
now filled with tears as my heart softens.
Because as I see where his single tear had
landed, a flower is now blooming, a sign
of new hope! Then suddenly I'm aware of a
verse from the fourth stanza of Francis
Scott Key's poem that we have adopted as
our national anthem "In God is our trust
---- And the star-spangled banner forever
shall wave O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave!"
Wow!
What an experience. All in just the time
it took the performers to sing our
National Anthem. I carried the scenes of
that vision with me for several months not
sharing it with anyone until one-day
editor Ed and I were on location shooting
pictures as illustrations for another
article that appeared in this e-zine, and
as I shared it with him his eyes filled
with tears and he said I should share it
with you.
My
Paternal Grandpa, served in WWI in South
France. It was in the Argonne Forrest that
he was gassed (mustard gas) three time in
two days. As I grew up, I watched him
suffer the effects from that war, not only
did his damaged lungs and body suffer, but
so did his mind as he would on occasion
mentally return to that war! My Dad then
served in the Korean war and while
undergoing chemical warfare training his
mask failed and this landed him in the
hospital where he would spend the next 30
days trying to recover, where the Doctors
gave him penicillin shots every 30 minutes
until he had taken a total of 72 shots,
while his fever ran well over 100 degrees.
Luckily just as the Dr. was about to pack
him in ice, his fever broke. Dad recalls
that of the men in his unit that developed
the same symptoms that he did, eleven of
them died. But as he recalls, "God's grace
brought me home."
So
after a lifetime of hearing of their
experiences from two very important men in
my life, you can imagine how strongly I
feel for our veterans. I think we should
remember to treat our Veterans with the
respect they so deserve, not just at these
yearly gatherings, but everyday! Remember
they are now fighting or have fought so we
can be free.
I
often remember the hysteria during those
post 9-11 days, the actions of some of us
ladies giving in to searches of our
handbags before entering public events,
our purses were not really being searched
but rather given a brief and cursory
examination with a flash light. How bogus!
And for what, so a few people could "feel"
safe in what was in reality a false sense
of security? These searches would not have
stopped a terrorist bent on mayhem. Many
of us objected to these searches, mind
you, not that anyone of us had anything to
hide but, just the principal of it, giving
up our freedoms so that we can "FEEL"
safe. I wondered what happened to "THEY
FOUGHT FOR OUR "FREEDOM? " I for one DID
NOT give up that right that of freedom for
a few hours of "FUN," that "RIGHT" of
"FREEDOM" and security that was PAID FOR
with the "BLOOD" sweat, tears, and fears
of our men and women that "FOUGHT" and are
at this very moment fighting for that
"RIGHT" to be safe and secure not just
from the tyranny of foreign oppressors,
terrorists both foreign and domestic, but
also to be secure from the tyranny of
those that seek to destroy and undermine
the principles that our founding Fathers
fought and died for. I want to HUMBLY
STAND UP and say THANK YOU to our Veterans
for fighting, for taking my place and
being there, going through all that horror
of war and suffering. Suffering that lasts
a life time, so I can be free!
I
believe that with each "Right" that has
already been paid for with the blood of
each of our veterans that we so carelessly
give up for just a few hours of feeling
safe while having fun in a public place,
we are disrespecting our Veterans! So why
not STOP and think before you act.
Remember that Veteran was NOT having "FUN"
when he or she was laying in that cold
trench in WWI, or hot jungles of Asia,
bullets flying every where, bombs bursting
in air, scared to death, were they having
"fun," I think not. Remember these
thoughts and when you see one of our
brothers or sisters, a disabled veteran,
who might need help getting in or out of a
door, or what ever the situation might be,
stop and take a moment to help them. Why
can't we be more courteous to one another
instead of all this greed, me first, I'm
better than you attitude. I thought we
were all created EQUAL. When I think of
how we treat our Veterans, and how with
each passing day we relinquish those same
freedoms paid for with the price of the
blood of our sons and daughters,
relinquishing them all in the name of
security, I think of those words of Christ
as he hung on the cross, "Forgive them
Father for they know not what they do."
On
this Veterans Day won't you join me in
sincerely thanking our fighting men and
women, those that took our place, in
defense of our country, our liberty, and
our freedoms?
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September
20, 1814
By
Francis Scott Key
Oh,
say can you see,
by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the
twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright
stars,
through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched,
were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare,
the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
that our flag was still
there.
O say, does that star-spangled
banner yet wave O'er the land of
the free and the home of the
brave?
On
the shore, dimly seen through the
mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in
dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze,
o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, now
conceals, now discloses? Now it
catches the gleam of the
morning's first beam, In full
glory reflected now shines on the
stream:
'Tis the star-spangled
banner!
O long may it wave O'er the land
of the free and the home of the
brave.
And
where is that band who so
vauntingly swore That the havoc
of war and the battle's
confusion
A home and a country should leave
us no more? Their blood has wiped
out their foul footstep's
pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling
and slave From the terror of
flight, or the gloom of the
grave:
And the star-spangled banner in
triumph doth wave O'er the land
of the free and the home of the
brave.
Oh!
thus be it ever, when freemen
shall stand Between their loved
homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may
the heaven-rescued land Praise
the Power that hath made and
preserved us a nation. Then
conquer we must, for our cause it
is just, And this be our motto:
"In God is our trust." And the
Star-Spangled Banner forever
shall wave O'er the land of the
free and the home of the brave!
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