Amor Patriae

He was young and quite small, wearing a striped t-shirt under a pair of overalls ~ and a small cowlick, too.  He sat near the fence, playing in the dirt with a stick at the side of the street. He heard the man's whistle before catching a glimpse of  him, walking along the sidewalk with a purposeful stride.   The stranger wore a soldier's uniform with a garrison cap.  Lord, bid war's trumpet cease; Fold the whole earth in peace." -Oliver Wendell Holmes  Yes, the man was a stranger.  But now, following the curtain's close on the European Theatre, he had left Germany forever...and returned home to the son who could not remember his father's face.  That is the story as it was told to me. 

Valor is stability, not of legs and arms, but of courage and the soul." -Michel de Montaigne

My grandfather carried a beautiful pocketwatch during much of the war.  It once belonged to an enemy soldier.  It's livelihood, however, ended with that of its previous owner.  Nevertheless, it was a beautiful piece and upon removing the guts from the broken mechanism, provided an apt frame for a picture of a little boy...a little boy who could not remember his father's face.  A little boy affectionately called, "Junior."  A little boy who grew up to become my dad.

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free." 

~Ronald Reagan

Today, and I everyday, I vow never to forget my father's face.  Like his father, he was a patriot of deeds.  Let me, then, be a patriot of words.  "When our perils are past, shall our gratitude sleep?" -George Canning 

And one final note...It is with pride that I intereacted with so many veterans at school this morning.  Our Veteran's Day Breakfast and assembly were incredible.  The many military uniforms were ~ as always ~  impressive, and I will forever smile when I remember one student's great-grandmother who, wearing her American Legion hat and scarf, pointed to her husband (a handsome 88 year-old man dressed to the nines) and proudly told me of his service in the European Theatre of World War II. 

I am proud of the fact that our school is working to support Veteran's activities within our community.  Recently we hosted "Hats for Heroes" Day.  Those wishing to wear a hat at school (otherwise forbidden) could donate $1 to the cause.  The goal?  To raise money for Christmas wreaths to be placed on the graves in our city's National Veteran's Cemetry.  During the assembly, our principal was able to present a check in the amount of $244.00 to a committee consisting of a former teacher, a veteran, and a trooper from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.  The veteran was moved to tears.  It is impressive to me that 244 children were excited to participate.  Although I am a bit sentimental today, I think the opinions of Nick Lampson, Congressman from Texas, are worth shouting...

But this Veterans Day, I believe we should do more than sing the praises of the bravery and patriotism that our veterans have embodied in the past. We should take this opportunity to re-evaluate how we are treating our veterans in the present.

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Congress should stop treating veterans like they're asking for a hand out when it comes to the benefits they were promised, and they should realize that, were it not for these veterans, there would be nothing to hand out.

~ Happy Veteran's Day ~