Memorial Day 2012: Take Time to Remember and Give Thanks

Q: If one picture's worth a thousand words, what are the following videos worth?

A: A nation's thanks

Rather than writing about Memorial Day, I thought I'd share some YouTube videos that caused me to take time to remember and give thanks.

Whether you are for or against this or any war, I hope you'll join me in pausing to be thankful to the "all who gave some and the some who gave all" so that people could be free. Neither or I nor my children have served in the military, but they and I enjoy freedom because of it.

Since there are more of us and our children who haven't served in the military than those who now serve and have served, please consider watching any or all of these and if you can, do it with your children who are over the age of 18 so they may appreciate and give thanks to those who have put themselves in harm's way so the rest of us can enjoy freedom. God bless our men and women in uniform. God bless America. God bless you.

It is the soldier
It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.
-- (c) Charles Michael Province, U.S. Army