Dear GI,
You don’t know me, and I will never know you. Yet, you paid the ultimate price so that I could sit behind this keyboard and freely express my thoughts.
Well, my thoughts today are about you. You and I may not have known each other, but we have a lot in common.
It’s about standing up for what you believe. I believe in that too. But you did more.
It’s about how important it is to have someone else’s back. I believe in that too. But you did more.
It’s about summoning the courage to face your fears. I believe in that too. But you did more.
It’s about doing something wonderful for a total stranger. I believe in that too. But you did more.
It’s about sacrificing the present to make a better future. I believe in that too. But you did more.
It’s about challenging our sense of what we are capable of accomplishing. I believe in that too. But you did more.
It’s about not caring that others don’t comprehend your passion. I believe in that too. But you did more.
It’s about a passionate belief so deep that you are willing to risk everything you spent your life achieving, your family, your friends, and your own freedom, so that others wouldn’t lose theirs.
Ummm…
I sit here on my screened in porch, listening to the birds sing and hearing the raindrops on the leaves thinking that I would do the same, but that would be a lie. I don’t have what you do. We are not alike.
If I were called to serve, I would somehow find a way to muster up the courage to serve with all of my heart, but you did so of your own free will. You gave up an opportunity to become an engineer, a teacher, or a journalist because of your belief. I am part of the 92% of the US population that didn’t make that choice. We are not alike.
I never liked the term GI because it stood for general issue. There is nothing general about you. You are incredibly special. So is your family that constantly thinks about you, not just today, but everyday. You were called to duty with boots on the ground, always ready, always faithful, demonstrating honor, courage, and commitment, while putting integrity first, .
You weren’t a brave soldier, you are a brave soldier – a gift that will influence generations to come. When the next challenge to our freedom comes, we will all look to you, to your headstone, for the answer to “how shall we now live?”
I couldn’t possibly thank you, or your family enough for what you gave to me and my family. I pray freedom will come to all, someday, in your name.
God bless you, soldier.
Humbled and grateful,
Joe
