VETERANS CREED by Oldwarrior - Disabled Veteran We must dedicate our efforts to the fulfillment of a dream. On the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the decisive Battle of Gettysburg, president Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech at the Soldiers National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lincolns carefully crafted address has come to be regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle, not merely for the Union, but as a new birth of freedom that would bring true equality to all of its citizens, and that would also create a unified nation. I believe the greatest part of the Gettysburg address is that part where Lincoln talked about the American service members who fought and others who gave their lives in defense of freedom. But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate...we can not consecrate...we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. And so it has been since the time of Lincolns address until the modern era that American Veterans have fought and died for the freedom and liberties we hold so dear - in the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Bosnia, Afghanistan and many conflicts around the world. The most important thing we can learn from the sacrifices of our Veterans is to remember another paragraph in Lincolns address: It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. Lincoln was referring to the fact that we must come together as a nation, settle our differences, embrace our future and build upon the sacrifices our Veterans have made. These are not mere words to inspire a nation into recovery from the wounds inflicted in a deadly Civil War, they are prophetic words by which American Veterans live and die each day. Without the citizen willing to put on the uniform of the Armed Forces and dedicating their lives and liberties towards the great task of securing the freedom of the American people, this nation would not have endured and become a shining beacon of hope to the rest of the world. American Veterans have answered the call to duty and to the fulfillment of Lincolns vision in this his final part of the address: It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion dead shall not have died in vain new birth of freedom the people, shall not perish from the earth. On this Veterans Day please pay tribute to those who gave their last full measure of devotion to this nation and give honor to those who have sacrificed to defend our nation, our liberties and our way of live. Warriors in the Sky I stood upon the hill one day looking down below, I felt a presence standing near my thoughts begin to flow. I know you’re standing near me Lord your spirit I can feel, a warm and gentle peace of mind that tells me not to kneel. Look up in the sky above I heard God softly say, and as I did I saw a sight that took my breath away. Smiling down from far above were thirty men or more, these were friends and gentle souls who lost their lives in war. Tears of joy and happy smiles were spread across each face, these were men of many creeds and every single race. As I looked in rapturous joy my heart was filled with pride, for each and every one of them I would myself have died. I will keep them close to me the Lord then softly said, for in the house that God has built they were never dead. I watched in tranquil peace of mind as the sky returned to blue, I knew what God had shown to me was wonderful and true.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Nov 2013 17:54:02 +0000
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