Have you ever had a stressful day? Was it because someone did something or didn’t do something to you? Was it because of traffic or waiting in line at Starbucks or you had to reboot your phone?
Having a stressful day is subjective and should always be kept in context. In memory of Veterans day yesterday, I pulled out an American flag that was given to me a couple years ago. It was carried into battle and signed by Special Forces ODA 3236. The battle was in Baraki Barak Afghanistan during June 18-26th 2015. It is personally signed by SSG Joshua Goldsmith, SSG William Chandler, SSG Carl Hurt, SSG Cory Latsha, SSAI Beccna, SGT John Presley, CPT Jason Kasper, SSG Steven Witezak and SFC Anthony Koch.
These brave men went into battle to protect our way of life that allows someone like me to sit in a heated office and post a personal blog post in the safety of the United States of America.
Veterans day was originally called Armistice day that commemorated the end of World War 1 on November 11, 1918. The name for the federal holiday was changed to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all the men and women who served in the armed forces of the United States. Each year there is a special ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington DC. Some years ago, I had the privilege of attending a formal military funeral at Arlington for my good friend Sander Mednick’s father. As I was at the graveside, I looked over the thousands of white grave markers and I was literally speechless. It was the most humbling sight I have ever witnessed.
Next time you feel stressed, take a minute and whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessing of living safe in America. KT