...What have I done to show my respect for the men and women who have enabled freedom to exist in this country for so long?...
I wrote a story. That might not seem like that big of a deal; it certainly never seemed that big to me. But, people could really connect to it.
It was a short story about a trip I took to Washington D.C. with my school, a trip that changed me. After seeing all the memorials there and how incredible they were, I wanted to share exactly what I had felt being in that heartrending atmosphere, and so I wrote my story about the Vietnam Wall. It was published in a local newspaper a couple of weeks later, on Memorial Day.
To my surprise, two veterans of the Vietnam War wrote back to the local newspaper saying how my story had made them cry and had given them hope for future generations of kids. I was suddenly so glad to have shared my story with others.
From then on my story spread. It was shocking to me. I didn't understand how a few simple words written by a mere freshmen in high school could have had such a powerful impact on people. I started getting asked, over a year later, to read my article at important ceremonies, including my town's ceremony on Memorial day. Veterans and relatives of veterans approached me afterward to tell me how grateful they were for what I had written. It was so incredible and I could barely believe my story had affected so many.
Truthfully, though, I was more nervous than proud and excited when I was first asked to read at that Memorial Day ceremony. I honestly hated speaking in public. I actually considered backing out a few times, but I went anyway and once I started to read, I barely noticed my nerves at all. In fact, it felt good, giving something back and knowing that what I had to give was being so well received.
The second time I read my story in public, I was only a little less nervous than the first time and was feeling privileged that I had been asked to read again. My heart was still pounding, though, when I stepped up to the podium and heard my voice ringing loudly through the speakers. I was reading my story this time for the Vietnam Moving Wall, which had come to Abington. This meant more to me and to the crowd listening, because my story was about the Vietnam War Memorial.
Afterward, I talked with many of the veterans who were there for the ceremony and each one thanked me and shook my hand. This reminded me why I had come back to read in front of another large crowd and why I would keep coming back if they asked me to. If what I was saying meant so much to these men and women, I knew I would sacrifice being scared for those few moments at the podium to help them. It seemed the least I could do after all they'd done for me and for this country. It made my fear of speaking in front of everybody totally and completely worth it.
So, what is my role in honoring America's veterans? My answer was there all along. I appreciate them. I show them I care. I show them that, to me, veterans aren't just names in a textbook, but people who live today with the memories of battle and death. Even more than that, it is part of my role to spread the word that this country needs to appreciate their servicemen and women of the past, present, and future. In sharing my story, I accomplished this and I will continue to spread my message to others, in hopes that they too will realize just how important the veterans are to this nation.
All those servicemen and women from the number of different wars America has ever fought in create a large number of veterans today. They all deserve this nation's great respect. All anyone has to do is show that they care, even if it's through something as easy as writing a story. It can still mean so much. John F. Kennedy once said, "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them," and he is right. Anybody can say they are going to do something, but the real gratitude is seen in actions...