Freedom Isn't Free

When my dad died, he was buried with full military honors, attended by a US Navy Honor Guard and laid to rest in a National Cemetery.

Long before my mother even met my father, she was married to a young man who was deployed to Korea. Twelve days after his arrival "in-country", he was wounded and captured by Chinese troops. He was taken to a POW camp and he died there about a year later. 

For some reason, soldiers like my mother's husband never received their medals. A few months ago, my mother asked me to see if I could get his Purple Heart for her. I started a process that took over six months to complete, and because my mother married later, she is no longer next-of-kin to her first husband. In an amazing week earlier this month, I received notification that the Purple Heart was being awarded in addition to eight other medals. My mother had not been in touch with his family in over 50 years, but her sister occasionally saw the wife of his brother. Mother called her and asked her to have that woman contact her. The very next day, my aunt happened to see that woman. She got her phone number and my mother called her that afternoon. In a little while, she was also in touch with her former sister-in-law. I have forwarded her address to the US Army so that she may receive the medals.

In the meantime, however, I ordered the medals from a retail site and had them framed for my mother. I picked them up two days before my mother arrived here to go with me to visit my son. She was so grateful.

Today, she left to go back home. I had wrapped the frame in bubble-wrap and put it in a tote bag for her to carry with her. She put it on the belt to go through the x-ray machine and proceeded through the metal detector herself. When she got through it, the TSA agent working the x-ray machine asked her if those were war medals. When she confirmed that they were, he said, "We appreciate that very much." I wish I could tell that man how much it meant to my mom to hear that. She called me as soon as she reached her gate to tell me about it and we both cried.

Do you know a Veteran or the survivor of a deceased war hero or veteran? If so, please thank them for their service and the sacrifices they have made for our freedom. Pick up the phone and call your father or grandfather who served in the military and tell him you are proud of him for doing so. See a soldier, sailor, Marine, airman or coast guardsman? Thank him (or her) for his service. 

Tomorrow, we have the opportunity to honor those who died in service to our Nation. Years ago, that's what we did on Memorial Day - before retailers turned the day into a "sale" day. Please don't shop tomorrow. Please remember that we are not perfect in this country, and our country isn't perfect, but it is still the GREATEST NATION ON EARTH, and those who have made sure of that deserve our honor and respect far more than the retailers who have taken over every holiday as an opportunity to make more money. And fly the flag tomorrow.

God bless America and her military. I thank God for those who gave their lives so I could live here and enjoy the freedoms we have in this land.

Lessons Learned from a Campaign

Lesson One - Politics is a dirty business. 

My husband just completed his first political campaign. We live in a tiny rural town, a "bedroom community" if you will. Our Mayor and City Council are elected without consideration to allegiance to any political party. Dirty politics abounds, however. We were quite naive, and endured some shocks along the way.

He pledged to run a "positive" campaign, focusing on changes he wants to bring to the city's government methodology and improvement to fiscal responsibility. Imagine his surprise when we received an advertisement in the mail from his opponent that claimed "others" were filling the voters' heads with "lies and innuendos". We're still trying to figure out who he was running against. Everything that my husband pointed out came from records obtained through the Open Records Act and still in our possession. We can prove everything he said. He never started a sentence with "My opponent". Instead, he told the voters what he intends to do while in office.

Lesson Two - There's no such thing as a non-partisan campaign.

Battle lines were clearly drawn as long-time incumbents were matched against a relative new-comer and two completely new-to-politics neophytes. Early on, it became evident that this would be an all or nothing election. So distinct were the lines yesterday that the three incumbents had constructed signs with all three of their campaign signs attached. On the north side of City Hall, they lined up waving to passers-by. On the south side of City Hall, my husband and his two cohorts lined up to wave. At one point, a developer who is involved in a long legal dispute with the city stopped to talk to the southerners and the northerners took photos of that exchange. We are all scratching our heads about that. Can't wait to see where the photos show up.

Lesson Three - It's not over till it's over.

I never wanted to get my hopes up. My husband is an unknown. Few people knew him, but it was time for change. When the first reports came in, he was ahead, and I still didn't want to celebrate. Finally, over three hours after the polls closed, I looked over and saw the candidate for mayor was on his phone and writing notes and said, "Look! He's taking notes." We waited with baited breath until he put down the phone and gave my husband's results first - 374 to 307. My husband had won his first public office. The other two also won and we have a new government.

Lesson Four - When the election ends, the real work begins.

We have a couple of weeks until my husband really takes office, and already we have heard from several that the hard part is just starting. Now he has to live up to what he has pledged. Now our every move will be scrutinized. Now he is no longer a regular citizen but represents every resident in this city.