Thank You

“Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.”  Romans 13:7

My father died in 1992 at the too young age of 65.  He had retired to Florida four years prior and really enjoyed his brief time here.  For my dad, retirement meant golf and he played as often as he could.  Upon his death, his body was cremated and my mom chose to keep his remains near her in a decorated urn.

This year, as my mom turned 80, she decided to have my dad’s remains laid to rest at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.  My dad was a veteran having served in the Army Air Corps during World War II.  As we prepared for the day we would go to Bushnell, I began to do some research into my dad’s military past.

I don’t remember him speaking much about his time in the service.  It 1945 and as an 18 year old he was facing the draft.  Rather than deal with that uncertainty, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps.  He arrived at the Fort Sheridan (IL) Recruit Reception Center on May 10.  From there he went to radio school at what is now known as Scott Air Force Base in southwest Illinois.

Although the war ended in August of 1945, my dad didn’t end his time in the service until November of 1946, having spent most of that year in Panama as an aircraft radio operator.  My dad’s story is just one of hundreds and thousands of stories of those that have faithfully served our country in the armed forces.

Honoring and thanking our veterans is not a political statement.  It is not a commentary on your feelings about war in general.  It is an important, necessary and proper response to those willing to sacrifice themselves on our behalf.

Perhaps you know someone in their eighties that served in WW II.  Or maybe you know a 25 year old that has just completed their commitment to the military.  Today is a day all veterans should be thanked and honored on behalf of a grateful nation.