The nation which forgets its defenders will itself be forgotten.”
–Calvin Coolidge
“Let the LORD judge the peoples. Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High.”
–Psalm 7:8 (NIV)
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I am going to deviate somewhat from the Psalm this one Monday seeing that it is Veterans’ Day. First, my annual remembrance of this day, a day that all too often is taken for granted. I will say that it is indeed, a holy-day.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
–John McCrae
Friends, I read where some are afraid that President Trump is going to change the heads of the military–the chiefs of staff. Well, something must be done! Wokeism has overtaken many in the military. They have broken faith with those who have died and gone before. They have made a mockery of the American fighting man. I remember the words of General George S. Brown, from when I served: “[we need] to turn America back from a course of permissiveness and moral decay to a pursuit of excellence, a pursuit of high standards of integrity. We need this badly.”
What has happened to the high standards? Oh, “they” say it is progress. We are going forward, they say, but when that day of need comes, we will find that we have neither the fortitude nor the strength, and possibly courage might be a failure as well to withstand the onslaught of an enemy. Duty–Honor–Country is no longer the ideal. Forgotten are the words of General Douglas MacArthur, “Duty, Honor, Country are the rallying points that can help build courage, regain faith, and create hope.”
Have we broken faith with the dead, those who have given time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears in the service of this country? Has the torch been dropped? If so, help us, Lord. Help us to regain our obligation to You, and to those who live in this great land. Let us raise the bar, the high standards of excellence of which we were so proud. Let us more vigorously pursue that watered-down virtue of integrity. For without integrity, we are nothing.
This day, I would say to you–do your part. Thank a Vet!