November 11 – “Veteran’s Day”

So today is Veteran's Day.  I remembered about 10:30 to put our flag out.  I got to thinking about who I knew that had been in the military.  My Grandad was a cook in the army during World War one.  My Dad joined the Coast Guard in World War Two and helped transport troops to the Pacific.    Chris's Dad fought in the Korean War.  One of the guys who used to live with us went to Iraq.  A son of the friends who we spent time with at a wedding last week was killed there.  A guy I worked with when I was in college who told me his assignment in VietNam had been to guard the chaplain, because the chaplain refused to carry a gun.  A girl who lived with us for awhile joined the Navy and particularly loved her assignment to Japan.  Numerous guys at church have indicated at one time or another that they have been in some branch of the armed forces.  Several of my FaceBook friends post about relatives who are on active duty now, either on ships or in Afghanistan.    I remember the mood of the country back when I was graduating from high school.  The draft had just been discontinued because the war in VietNam was coming to an end.  Shows how old I am.  So many people were politically against that war.  That's OK, but I remember them taking it out on the vets when they came home.  It was hard to get guys to even admit they had been there.  They were treated like they should be ashamed of their service.  Very tough times.    I remember after Desert Storm.  Very different atmosphere.  Service records for the most part were sources of pride – the good kind.  Returning servicemen were given ovations in airports.    I remember after 9 – 11.  Amidst the horror and fear there was a surge of national pride.  Even led to people singing God Bless America at professional baseball games.  And the appreciation for the military expanded to include police and fire fighters.    Honestly, I don't know if I could ever even point a gun at someone else.  I remember struggling with that as a personal spiritual issue when I was facing being drafted back in high school, right after I became a Christian.  I guess I would have been that like that chaplain guy who refused to carry a gun.  I do and always have appreciated the sacrifice made by these guys who now join the military as a calling.  It helped make my Dad the man he was.  And I love him.   Psalms 33:13-19 says, "From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;  from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth —  he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine."   Father, watch over the people serving in the military.  And remember their families as well.  Amen.