Veterans Day

After watching "Saving Private Ryan" the other day I felt compelled to write this article. I am not sure how accurate the movie is on every detail. But it really doesn't matter. I live in a generation that didn't have to fight for what we have. We've been very lucky in that sense. We're in some sort of bitch fight now, but that's more of a propaganda issue than an actual Wars war. But think about it for a second. Think about storming the beaches of Normandy. There was high percentage that you would die before leaving the water, and you KNEW that. But they did it anyway.
What is it like to do something where there is a high percentage you will die. What is it like to defend our country from actual threats. These are things that I'm having a hard time understanding. I don't think my generation could do it.
Basically if you were born anywhere from 1930 to 1955 you served in either, WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. So these generations had to fight, had to be tough. They lost friends, the lost family members they lost their innocence. I had a friend move away in second grade and I cried for days. What would happen if I was in a boat with 35 friends and coworkers, and when we pulled up to the beach, 12 of us walked off, only 4 of us made it to the beach, and only 2 of us made it home?
Our country was built off wars. First we fought a war with our parents to be free. Then we fought a war with our brothers to set them straight. Then we fought in a succession of world wars to defend ourselves, and our friends. What do we do know? We've had essentially 2 attacks on American soil. Pearl Harbor was a cheap shot, the japs sneaking up on us and attacking a military base. What did we do? We dropped 2 atomic bombs on the Japs, wiping out two entire cities. Flying planes in to the World Trade Towers was a sucker punch. They took our planes with our people, and flew them in to our buildings. What did we do? We attacked a different country and killed their leader, who yes was a bad guy, but no didn't have anything to do with it.
It makes me think if 9/11 would have happened in 1960 what would have happened. Something tells me Bin Laden wouldn't be alive still.
My point is that in honor of veterans day remember how lucky all of us are. I don't know if our generation has the mentality to do what was done before us. I think we've taken a lot of things for granted. We don't know what's it like to fight for what's right. Maybe we're lucky we don't have to. Maybe it's because there aren't the same conflict there was, because our past generations solved them. I'm not quite sure. I don't have a grandpa or parent who fought in the war. But for those of you who do. Thank them. We have been able to bunker up and play "Men of Honor" instead of walking through France trying to find private Ryan.