Nov 4, 2017

A Veterans' Tribute By My "Chosin Battle" Comrade, Louis Holmes

Louis has also spent the rest of his life in the Gospel Ministry...

A TRIBUTE TO VETERANS 
by Louis E. Holmes, Korean War Veteran:
     
    Throughout our nation's history, brave Americans have clothed themselves in the uniform of America's military to defend our freedom, fight for our democracy, uphold our values and protect the American way of life. We have learned that freedom comes with a price.
     On this Veterans' Day, old Veterans and family members will gather at various memorials and National cemeteries across America and Washington D.C. to stand in quite vigil at the grave of a fallen buddy or a family member who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Special services will be held at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.
     As a Veteran, you served in your time for your generation and today stand watch over the memories of great events from your past. Not every Veteran knows the full fury of battle, but most have defining experiences during their military service.
     Veterans do not take life or duty for granted. They know that duty and sacrifice are more than words; they also know the military draws out the best in them, installing high standards, discipline, and loyalty. Whether drafted or enlisted, Commissioned or non-commissioned, each took an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, live by a code of military conduct and stand ready to fight and die for their country. Many Veterans have endured the worst war can offer; the greatest fears, massive causalities, merciless enemy and brutal captivity.
     No matter how "high-tech" war may become, it all comes down to the men and women who fly the planes, man the ships, drive the tanks and carry the rifle. It is those people who wear the uniform we hold in high esteem for their dedication and devotion to duty.
     What manner of men are these who lay down their lives on the altar of our country's needs; these citizen soldiers, these comrades in arms; men who know the call of the bugle at reveille and TAPS at the end of day; men who go into battle and hear the whine of the bullet, the ceaseless rattle of the machine gun and the distant cry of a fallen buddy.
     What manner of men are these, these common men with uncommon valor? Men who force march by day and dig a hole in the ground at night. On they go till they stop and die. They burn out in minutes all that life owes then in tranquil years. They grow old in their youth, they die in the prime of life.
     What manner of men are these who march to unknown fame where today a white cross or a government marker marks the place of their memory?
Let us not forget these families who carry a burden of grief that time will lighten but never lift. As we celebrate this Veterans Day, we may not know the dignity of their birth, the joys or sorrows of their life, but we should always remember their years of service and the sacrifice of their death.
     On this Veterans Day, let us remember and pay tribute to the POW/MIA and their families.

TO OUR VETERANS - THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

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