Eddie Lowe
Just A Thought
In the month of July, many Americans begin to think of freedom and celebration, particularly around July 4th or Independence Day, which marks the day the 13 colonies declared themselves independent of Great Britain. We, as Americans, pride ourselves on how much we value freedom. We’re willing to back up our pride with action. I’m sure that many who read this article have family members who served in wartime, my family included. I still remember the pictures of soldiers in uniform proudly displayed with stories shared around the dinner table about Germany, Korea, or Vietnam. I myself never served, but find great joy in studying American history.
Freedom isn’t Free
Here on the farm where I live is a grave marker of a man I never met. My wife’s uncle and an Army Ranger in Vietnam, this man was said to be tormented for the rest of his life from the horrors witnessed as a sniper. He would wake up at night in terror, and was never quite the same after his tour of duty. Later stories revealed he was a LRRP (pronounced “lurp”)– slang for Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol, which meant he’d go far behind enemy lines for missions. The stories he brought back give me chills even now.
Amongst my possessions is a photograph from the late 30’s or early 40’s of family and friends. One of the brothers whose plane disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle in a search and rescue mission during World War II stares out at me from this photo. To this day, looking at the photo gives me chills. Freedom certainly isn’t free– someone has to sacrifice for it.
I recently learned that of the six Marines in the famous photo of raising the flag at Iwo Jima, three of these men were later killed in action. Sadly, two of them died within a week of the picture being taken. Maybe you are like me and assumed the flag was raised and so the battle was over– but that wasn’t so.
Freedom isn’t Forever
Did you know that World War I was called the war to end all wars? Some called it “the Great War.” Today we know that that war ended in 1918, but it certainly wasn’t the war to end all wars– World War II began in 1939.
Freedom isn’t forever because it must be defended in order for it to remain. Even on the local level, we owe much to the law enforcement who keep our streets safe. Once on a visit to a big city, I was told by a policeman, “Don’t be here after dark– we don’t even come here after dark!” So often our local law enforcement are unsung heroes until we need them. I hold them in high regard.
A famous quote says “those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” We learn from past mistakes and must study them to make sure we avoid making them again.
