Pride

I'm sitting here tonight, with a great sense of pride within me. Today is the Marine Corps Birthday- a pretty important day in our house. James actually just left, all dressed up in his dress blues, to go meet up with some fellow Marines for some birthday drinks downtown (an annual tradition). It's also the 37th anniversary of my dad joining the United States Navy back in 1971. Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, 11-11. We will pick back up with our annual tradition of going to the downtown Fort Worth parade in the morning. We missed it last year...it was just too hard to go with James in Iraq. I'm even taking Kennedie out of school for the day. It's that important to me. I want her to see her Daddy and her Poppa, both Veterans, together. I want her to see the looks in the people's faces. The sense of pride. I want her to get goosebumps the way that I do everytime a band passes by, playing the National Anthem, God Bless America, the Marine Corps Hymn or Anchors Away. I want her to see the little old men wearing their Vietnam hats with pride. I want her to see the people stopping her Daddy because he'll be wearing a shirt that says "Marines" on it, and judging by his hair cut, they'll know he is one, just to shake his hand and say "thank you."
Tomorrow is a very important day in our house. I want my children to grow up with that sense of pride...for their Daddy, their Poppa, their Grandpa, their great Grandfathers...ALL who proudly served this great nation. It is because of these brave heroes that we have the freedoms we do today and that we are allowed to voice our opinions so freely. No matter what your feelings may be on this recent election, there is a reason you are allowed to expression the opinions you possess. That reason is the Veteran's of the United States of America. Have you EVER thanked one?