Personal Veterans Day Salute

Since the American Revolution, nearly 1.2-million members of our fighting forces have died while in service to our country. Not to be forgotten are the 1.4 million who were wounded during that time. The numbers, of course, offer no reckoning of the inestimable value of these Patriots' lives or the sacrifices borne by their families, but we do know that their sacrifices defended a most precious gift -- a gift of liberty that we cherish to this day.

"It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag." USMC Chaplain Dennis Edward O'Brian

A Personal Thank You to Dad, Uncle Floyd, Uncle Bart, Uncle Chuck, Wendy, Alan, Mike, Mark, Jeff C, Jeff M, Jeff F, Joe, Nelson, Carroll, Gerald, Tom, Leslie, Scott, Brian, Tim, Billy, Ralph, Fred, and all those I served with, to many to name. A special thank you in memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice... Gene, Joey, Greg, Stevie, Raymond, and my greatest loss.... Jacob.