On this day of the year, it is right that we should thank those men and women who have served our country in military service.  This is a particularly poignant day for me in that my father served in the Army Air Force during World War II and he has now gone to be with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Further, our son retired this summer from his 18 year-long career in the U. S. Marine Corps after serving in a number of combat scenarios. We praise the Lord that He was protected and that he suffered no injuries during that time.  He and his family are now back home in East Tennessee, and we are grateful for their presence.

I also want to recognize this Veteran’s Day the families of all our military men and women. Our daughter-in-love had a bumper sticker that read something like “The hardest job in the Marine Corps is being a Marine wife.”  Now, with so many women in active duty away from home, the same could be said of the “Marine husband”.

It certainly is true that the military spouse has a difficult row to hoe when their soulmate is on deployment, often for more than 9 months to a year at a time. Even state-side appointments keep the military man/woman away from the home fires as they resolutely do their jobs.  Keeping the children focused and keeping the household running while Mom or Dad is gone is a difficult proposition, especially when the overarching thought in the mind of the one at home on a daily basis is the safety of their soldier.

To all the men and women in our military, and to their long-suffering families, I want to say “Thank you for your service.  Your service has preserved the freedoms that our founding fathers desired for their offspring.  You have worked to eradicate those who would defeat freedom so as to enslave others.  Moreover, you daily serve with diligence, skill, compassion and dedication.  We are proud of you, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”