Definition of a Veteran

A veteran - whether active duty, retired, national guard or reserve - is someone who, at one point in their life, wrote a blank check made payable to "The United States of America,"
for an amount of "up to and including their life."
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
Author Unknown

In Honor of Those

In honor of those left behind
In a strange and foreign land,
We close our eyes and contemplate
On the sacrifice at hand.

In honor of those who gave their life
We salute with tear-stained eyes.
We reap the rewards of your suffering-
Freedom remains through your compromise.

In honor of those who made it home
We say a prayer for you,
For you have to live your every day
With memories of what you had to do.

In honor of those who serve today
We thank you for heeding your call.
May the Lord our God lead this land
And may we never let freedom fall!
©Lucy A. Cain
Excerpt from Secure the Fort (And Remain Under God), A Military Mother's Message to America

Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day today. I felt honored today to take part in our church's recognition of those who serve, and those who gave their lives for freedom. Our church music director included two poems out of this book in his FYI insert in the bulletin. He gave the history of our songs we sang, and provided information on Secure the Fort's release in June.

I gave a short testimony of my journey in writing this book, and sang 'For Freedom' by Avalon. Our church's administrative assistant put slides to the song (which I dared not look at before I had both services under my belt). It is a very moving song, and one I recommend listening to.
Here are the words. I hope they bless you the way they did me.

FOR FREEDOM
(Avalon, 2006)
Somewhere a trumpet sounds in the night
A soldier is standing there
It's calling him out to the stars and stripes
It's calling him God knows where
He kisses the ones he loves goodbye and
Leaves in the dead of night
For freedom he'll heed the call
Leave all he knows
And for freedom he'll stand and fight

Somewhere a man and wife can't believe
They're waving their girl goodbye
For gone are the days of pigtails and curls
And candlelit lullabies
If they had their way she'd stay young forever
And never go far from home
But freedom has drawn her heart
To danger's shores
And for freedom they'll let her go

Somewhere a thundrous crash in the night
It echoes all through the hills
Though many escape its wrath and its rage
A soldier lies wounded still
Remembering the land he loves he cries out
I love you with all my might
For freedom said I 'm her son
Whatever comes
And for freedom I'll say goodbye

Somewhere beneath the stars and the sky
Our flag is still standing there
She bled and she brought one land under God
Her colors still lead us there
She's carried the lives of those before us
She's buried the bold and brave
For freedom she holds our hope and hands up high
And for freedom she'll ever wave

"Enough honour is never paid." Daniel Boone, 1782 after the last KY battle of the Civil War