Thank our service people year 'round
Why is it that on Nov. 11, we stop to remember and to thank the men and women in the U.S. armed forces for what they have done and what they continue to do every day? Why is it we do the same at Thanksgiving and Christmas and other significant days throughout the year?
Do they work to protect our liberty and freedom only on those days? So why do we not thank them and remember them daily and appreciate the sacrifices that they and their families make on a daily basis.
It is because of their courage and strength that all of us are able to go about our lives the way we choose to. We have been given the freedom to choose where we live, to choose where we attend school, to choose our profession, to choose who we marry, to choose if we want and how many children we want. We come and go as we please, more so in this great country than any other. This again is from the sacrifices that our men and women, sons and daughters do on a daily basis.
While I walk the streets of my neighborhood with my family, and we see the great red, white and blue flying high, I am reminded daily to explain to my children the sacrifices that others make for them every day. That freedom is not something to take for granted and that we should cherish and be grateful for those who are willing to fight courageously for our country.
So, this Christmas holiday season or any of the other 365 days a year, give a thank you to a soldier or a soldiers family and remember they are working to protect you and your family all year around - not just during the Holidays.
Joe Mangold
Bloomingdale