In My Office

In my office there are two American Flags neatly folded and encased.  One commemorates my father’s service in the United States Navy at the end of the Second World War, the other my service in the United States Air Force following my graduation from college until my retirement in the mid-1990s.  Each represents an ideal that America is a nation worth defending.  For some, perhaps too many, the cost of that defense is a terrible price paid with their lives, their limbs, or their emotional strength and well-being.

It saddens me terribly to see we’ve not taught so many of our young the values that have made the nation one worth our trust and allegiance. It saddens me as well to see the pettiness of the politicians, political leaders, and public media we choose to listen to.  We live in a trying time.  History can teach us about the events, but it is next to impossible to fully immerse ourselves into the raw emotions of a time long past, so I wonder what it was like in the days leading up to the succession of the southern states and their decision to fire on Fort Sumter?

Tomorrow the President will honor the memory of Air Force Technical Sergeant John Chapman when he presents his family with our nation’s highest military honor.  For the community I’ve spent most of my adult life in this is a proud moment that comes at a trying time for our nation.  I wish it were otherwise, but then is there ever a good time for a grieving family to be recognized?

I leave you with one simple thought.  For those who loathe our President and would destroy this nation because of him: be careful what you wish for, what comes next will not be better.