Honoring Our Veterans
It's the story of a Tennessean, a man who was in his thirties with a wife and two children when World War II brought him a draft notice.
He didn't have to go. There were deferments for which he qualified, and he was well connected. But he knew if he didn't go, someone else - a neighbor or a friend - would have to take his place.
So in 1944, not long after D-Day, he was on a landing craft approaching Normandy. Soon they hit the beach. And soon they were under fire.
He was wounded more than once, but still he and his unit fought across France and into Belgium. That was when a mortar shell landed near him and killed two of his friends. His backpack, his shovel, and the grace of God saved his life.
In a hospital in England, doctors struggled to keep him alive. Weeks stretched into months, and he wasted down to 89 pounds. The doctors wanted to amputate his legs, but he wouldn't let them. So they operated again and again to remove the shrapnel. After five months, he was shipped to a hospital in Virginia for more operations. The doctors still wanted to amputate his legs. He still refused.
Finally, ten months after he was wounded, he returned home to Tennessee. When he got to the house where his wife, son and daughter were, he slowly climbed the steps, dropped his crutches, and let himself fall forward. Then he kissed the ground.
That man was my father, and despite all he had been through, and even with the often unbearable pain that was still to come, our family was fortunate. For so many families, their loved ones never returned.
Since then, there have been other wars. Korea and Vietnam were the largest, with enormous losses of life and so many more wounded. But in this decade, over 5,200 Americans have died fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. One hundred and seven were Tennesseans, including the children and loved ones of dear friends. Their ultimate sacrifice will stand forever as part of the thankful legacy of this, the Volunteer State.
Today, only days after the tragic events at Ft. Hood in Texas, where a Tennessean, Spc. Frederick Greene, was among those who lost their lives serving our country, may we all remember and honor those men and women and so many more who have died and suffered defending us and our freedom.
And let us renew our commitment to help those who have returned and struggle with their families to rebuild their lives after their service.
May God bless you and your loved ones on this sacred day, and may God bless America.
Your friend,
Roy
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