Unsung Heroes

I want to take some time today to thank the unsung heroes of our country, the men and women of the United States Armed forces.  I know from personal experience, being a former Marine myself, of the sacrifices, blood, sweat, and tears that theses brave young men and women go through.  They by far have the most dangerous job one could have and yet they do so without question, without complaint, and without regard for themselves.  Why would they do this one might ask.  It isn't for the meager pay they receive.  It's not for the glory of the moment.  It isn't even for the bragging rights.  It's simple, they really don't know.  If you ask me why I was willing to give my life for our country, I wouldn't have an answer....only that it was my job.  A job.  From the outside what these men and women do hardly seems like a job many of us would want to do, working 7 days a week in the worst conditions, dodging bullets daily, and wondering when the last time they would speak to the ones they love would be.  We could say they do it for a word that we hold dearly in this country, freedom.  But freedom is more than a mere word that can be found in the dictionary, it is an ideal, a set of basic values.  It is the whole purpose that we have what could be called the greatest country in the world.  Our forefathers came to this great land solely for the purpose of pursuing freedom.  Freedom from oppression, freedom from the moral police.  Freedom to choose how you want to live your life.  For that one small chance that they might be able to create from nothing the seeds of an extraordinary life not just for them but for their children and their children's children, for all ages to come.  It is these ideals that spur our service members to fight, fight for what they believe, to ensure that we continue to be able to have the opportunity to strive for a better tomorrow.  These young men and women don't think that what they are doing at this very moment will become some great moment in history, they only do it because they want to.  It all boils down to another word:  Hope.  The hope that what they are doing will someday better our world, will give them and their heirs a chance to continue the legacy of our forefathers.  We should be in awe of our service members that in their naivety they are giving their lives for a cause, for hope.  It is for this reason that they are heroes, sacrificing themselves for something that they really can't perceive, nor will they, in most cases, ever see the end result.  We should all find the closest service member and shake their hand, give them a hug, and thank them will all of our hearts for what they have done.  Give them the respect they have earned with blood.  I just thank God everyday we have these heroes among us.