We may not have it all together, but together we have it all.

On Freestyle Fridays, we talk about whatever happens to pop into my head—or any suggestion you may have made for a topic.

When I was a child, we celebrated Armistice Day on the 11th of November. It paid tribute to the Allied victory and end of World War I. We had parades all over the country to honor those who served our nation in that war.

When I was eleven years old, Congress changed the name from Armistice Day to Veterans’ Day. A World War II soldier suggested the change to Gen. Eisenhower, and one of the first things he did as President was to get the change adopted. The idea was to honor ALL veterans of our armed forces, not just those who served in the fi8rst world war.

It was a big deal to me, to my family, to my hometown, my state and my nation. We realized back in those days that our freedom wasn’t given to us by the politicians in Washington, but by those soldiers who risked life and limb to keep aggressor nations and tyrants from taking it from us.

Back then, patriotism didn’t just mean you supported the Tea Party. It meant you supported this nation and the freedoms it was formed to protect. It wasn’t a nasty word used to belittle those who believed in it and paint them as right-wing extremists. It was a word proudly worn by Republican and Democrat alike.

It was a sacred trust passed down from those bold men who drafted and signed our Declaration of Independence and who created our Constitution to the future generations whose duty it was to uphold and protect what these forefathers left us. In today’s world, we’re so busy playing our video games, making multi-millionaires of men who happen to be able to handle some sort of ball and billionaires of the owners of the teams they play for, and idolizing people who appear on our TV screens and in our movies but are largely out of touch with mainstream America that we have little time or attention left to think about and honor those who make all of this possible.

This Sunday, we have an opportunity to honor veterans once more. Please don’t ignore these men and women who so richly deserve our thanks. Pray for them. If you see someone in uniform or someone wearing a funny hat that says “Veteran” on it or come across someone you know has served in our armed forces, thank that person. Tell him or her how much you appreciate the service. Pick up the meal check. Do something to let that person(s) know you remember.

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For more information about David N. Walker, click the “About” tab above.

For more information about his books, click on “Books” above.

Contact him at dnwalkertx (at) gmail (dot) com or tweet him at @davidnwalkertx.