All Gave Some...

At the ripe old age of 19, I stood with a bunch of other similarly mature guys in a room with an American flag in the corner. An Army officer came into the room, told us to raise our right hands, and repeat after him...words to the effect that we would defend the country, the Constitution, and the President of the United Sates.

At that time in history, we were preparing for war in Iran, who held 52 of our US diplomats hostage for 444 days, eventually releasing them just after Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency.

During my short 4 years in the US Air Force, we were involved in a few conflicts. Most notably was Operation Urgent Fury; the rescue of students on the Caribbean island of Grenada in 1983.
The closest your correspondent ever got to live combat was M-16 training in San Antonio during basic training.

However, I am a patriot. I have before and would again answer my county's call. My chest swells and my throat tightens when the flag passes, and the national anthem plays. Words fail to convey the mix of feelings that arose when I was at Arlington with my girls witnessing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns....

Members of the US military past and present hold a special place of honor in my heart, and I hold it as a sacred honor that I am counted among them.

Today as we look forward to the celebration of our nation's independence from the British crown,
I thought it especially timely that I discovered a ministry called Operation Worship, who has the goal of putting 100,000 Bibles into the hands of the men and women of our military.

You can participate if you feel led, by stopping in at your local Family Christian Bookstore, or visiting the Operation Worship website at http://www.operationworship.com/. For just under $5 you can put a Bible into a service person's hands, and you get to inscribe a message to them in the front of the Bible.

So skip the Starbucks, or put 1 gallon of gas less in your tank this week, and use that dough to put the real words of freedom in the hands of those who put it all on the line to preserve your freedoms. No matter your political leanings, these folks deserve no less.

Long may she wave....