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Picture of the day -
September 23, 2007
A soldier remembered
Photo courtesy of Karen Barefoot.
Countless homes across the American heartland contain precious
mementos of loved ones who selflessly answered the call of duty when
their nation needed them, placing their lives on hold for years at a
time to fight for the freedoms and dreams passed down to them over
the centuries from our founding fathers. Many of those brave
patriots never made it back to the lives they left behind; many
others did, but forever changed. America would not be the bastion of
hope and freedom she is today had they failed to answer that call.
It takes a special kind of person to put on the uniform of the
United States Military and willingly walk into harm's way to do
his/her part to defend our country and the ideals upon which it was
founded. When new recruits sign on the dotted line, they do so with
the full understanding that from that day forward their lives will
never be the same and they just might end up getting killed on some
distant battlefield halfway around the world.
But still they sign up and head off to Basic Training, a
not-so-pleasant place where they will be taught the skills and
discipline required to be a good soldier, sailor, airman or marine.
And if they don't know it already by then, they will also learn that
their ultimate goal on the battlefield must always be to accomplish
the mission, regardless of the "cost". And for all too many of them,
that cost ends up being quite high.
One of the saddest events a mother, father, husband or wife will
ever experience is answering a knock at the door only to find a
military officer standing there, hat in hand, prepared to break the
sad news that their loved one has been killed in the service of
their country. But along with the tremendous feeling of loss and
grief comes the pride of knowing that their loved one died in
defense of liberty and all that we as Americans hold dear.
War is never a good option, but sometimes it is the only
realistic option for a free society that desires to remain free. Let
us always remember with the utmost respect the ones who fought on
our behalf and returned home bearing the scars of war - and those
who returned home draped in the flag they so dearly loved.
About the photo: Photographer Karen Barefoot captured this moving
image of her "Pap's" WWII Army cap, dog tags, and bronze star: all
precious mementos of one man's selfless service to his country.
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