by Barbara Latta
During this Thanksgiving season in America, we focus on the brave souls who traversed a turbulent ocean voyage to seek a new life of freedom in an unknown land.
The Pilgrims were willing to withstand the adversity of months
at sea and the hardships of building a community from scratch because their
desire to worship God in freedom was worth the price to them.
The people who settled our land laid the groundwork for the benefits we enjoy today. Our military members endure hardships for the sake of protecting those benefits.
A veteran is a person who has or is now serving in the
United States military. As a wife and mother of veterans, I know the sacrifice families
endure through separations and the anxiety of not knowing what the loved one
may be facing in their deployments.
I have had the advantage of visiting military bases across the United States and many in other parts of the world through travel with my husband during his deployments and through his work as a civilian contractor.
At
this time, we are positioned at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. While in this
country we have visited several bases on the peninsula including the
Demilitarized Zone that separates North and South Korea.
Recently, Kim Jong-Un the leader of North Korea, launched missiles toward Japan and South Korea as a message of what he thinks of his own superiority. I say all that to reinforce the need not only for gratitude toward our military, but also to keep them in our prayers.
Servicemembers deploy all
over the world. Some are in places we may never have heard of. Some do jobs we
will never know about. Some die without our knowledge. Thousands have paid the
price in former wars.
We shouldn’t take our liberty for granted. God gave us the
right to defend our nation against evil assaults that threaten our principles.
Blessed be the Lord my rock,
who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle. (Psalm 144:1-2)
Please remember to thank veterans for all they do, and
please do exercise your right to vote. Like the Pilgrims who endured hardships to
establish the fundamentals of our freedoms, these military members have fought
and died to protect that foundation.
Join the conversation and share your thoughts.
Recognizing and Giving Thanks for the Contributions of Military Veterans (click to tweet)
I've been thinking of you and praying for you since the escalation of aggression from North Korea. Thank you and your husband for your service (the spouse serves, too, in any deployment). It's important that we remember the horrors of war so that we can attempt to avoid it, but when bullies try to rule the world, I believe we're called to intervene. I pray we never forget the sacrifices of our veterans.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your prayers, Katherine. They are very much appreciated, not only for me and my husband, but for all our veterans. Prayer does intervene. Blessings!
DeleteI thank God for our veterans and their families! It's been heartening to see more recognition for this special group than I've ever seen before. Let's never forget to than our veterans.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Candyce. We need to always remember their service and sacrifices. Thanks so much for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteI am so thankful for all our military past and present. And I pray for their safety
ReplyDeleteYvonne, I am thankful for our military also. They make tremendous sacrifices to keep us safe and are a God-given blessing. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!
DeleteI hear the passion in your words. That heartfelt commitment to demonstrate our appreciation for those who have willingly sacrificed so much touched my heart and reminded me to offer thanks today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your commitment and appreciation to our military and thanks for sharing, Barb. Blessings!
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