Before You Go  

Posted by Stan Harrington

There are many things in our daily lives that we take for granted. Besides our own families, perhaps the the thing that most of us take for granted is the freedom that we enjoy in the United States of America. Unless you have seen the alternative, freedom and our life in the United States can easily be considered normal. Unless you have seen a starving child walking the sidewalks in Sicily, picking up cigarette butts which they will then salvage the tobacco and sell it to a tobacco shop for a few cents. Unless you have seen a young boy working the streets in Naples, Italy by "pimping out" his younger sister or mother in order that their family can buy food, it is easy for us as Americans to complain about the price of milk. Unless you have seen children of all ages in Alongapo City, Philippines diving from dug out boats into a river filled with human waste to retrieve a peso that is tossed into the river by passer by. The few pesos they can retrieve will buy food for thier families, in America we will not stoop to pick up a coin.

Some Americans feel that they have the freedom to desecrate our flag, protest our military servicemen and women, demonstrating to the world everything that is wrong with America, at least in their eyes. Their voices, regardless of how many Americans it may hurt, are heard because that is the freedom that we enjoy.

To my own grandchildren and great grandchildren, love your America and stand up for it, even if it is against your "cool" friends or even teachers. America will protect you in the same manner as your loving parents protect you. Do not take your freedoms for granted, you enjoy the same freedoms as every American. Additional freedoms come with age, protect them because they are priceless and they have been paid for in blood. Although, they are unknown by you, many men and women have went to war to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today. Each of you have an expanded family, however, just on the Harrington side of the family you have had relatives involved in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Koren War, Vietnam War, and currently in Iraq. They have fought for your freedoms, don't take them for granted and protect them. They are gifts to you from your ancestors.

Today, the President of the United States met with a gentleman by the name of Buckles. He is one of those unknown hero's that protected your freedoms. He enlisted into the United States Army in 1917 and defended the United States in World War I. He was not a General or a war hero, he was a survivor, following the war he was discharged as a Corporal. Today, he met with the President to celebrate his 107 birthday, he is the last of the known World War I veterans. Today, an average of 2,000 World War II veterans are dying on a daily basis. In my family, I had several uncles and great uncles that went to war in World War II and the Korean War, unfortunately I only met two of them and I regret for not telling them "Thank You".

Although you may have relatives on the other sides of your family which I do not know their history, you still have the opportunity to say "Thank You". Your Great Grandfather Jack Epperson was a fighter pilot in the Pacific Theatre in World War II. Perhaps, after you have watched the following video, you will see the importance of saying "Thank You" and in your own way continue to stand up for America, with time it will be your inheritance.

Mom's and Dad's I would ask that you gather my grandchildren around the computer, read my words to them and watch the video. It is a story they should know. I was not able to download it directly, but if you go to the site, scroll down and on the right side click on "Veterans of WWII and Korean War", you may also want to have a box of tissues handy.

This entry was posted on March 6, 2008 at Thursday, March 06, 2008 . You can follow any responses to this entry through the comments feed .

13 comments

In one clip, you will see a General pinning a medal on the blouse of a black soldier. That is the General George Patton, most likely one of the greatest military minds and Generals in the history of the world. He died in Germany followng the war under mysterious conditions which have never been resolved. He was in constant trouble with U.S. Congress and Genral Eseinhower, Allied Commander in WWII and later President. General Patton, after taking his troops into Berlin, wanted to turn west and take on our allies, the Russian's. He told Ike, "we are going to have to fight the s.o.b's eventually, we might as well do it while we are already here". He was right in one respect, he knew what Russia would do if they had any say so in the Peace Treaty, they would gain control of Berlin and have access to the open sea. Instead, they only got half of Berlin and it was the inland half which they eventually lost when President Reagan forced them to "tear down that wall". General Patton is always easy to identify, because of his Ivory Handled Revolver on his hip which was not government issue. He also designed a lot of his own uniforms. Until our troops made the march into Baghdad, General Patton held the record for the time to disengage from the enemy and push his forces in the middle of the winter to rescue a U.S. Army Regiment that was pinned down and flanked on all sides by the Germans. The burning question is, why arn't our children taught in school just a little of this type of history and the sacrafices that have been made for their freedoms. Perhaps, if it was part of the curriculum, we would see our youngsters take an interst in their government, respect the flag and ask not what their country can do for them, but what they can do their country. O.K., I will get off the soap box!

3/7/08, 1:05 AM

Good morning, Prattler. I decided not to wake up the kids for this (later), but, good heart-felt touch of history and present.

3/7/08, 5:44 AM

I too decided to wait and wake the kids...I will be sure Britt and Anna both watch this...Melissa will ask way to many questions I am already having trouble answering some of the things she asks...and I am trained with a 30,000 dollar training course!! They did not teach us how to deal with a smart four year old with siblings that are mostly grown!! I find myself using the "We will talk about this when your 10"...something I swore never to say to my kids!
Anyway...working in the Seattle Veterans Hospital...and the Sand Lake Psychiatric facility for Active and Inactive military personal I had the privilege to meet and work with many different men who have fought for our country....A Korean POW...touched my heart forever...A WWII Navy officer reminded me of you...these men came from all over many nationalities fought for the rights of this country. The only thing that bothered me and to this day still does is the majority of them made a statement, not using the same words but the gist of it was...."They are not fighting for the same reasons we fought the wars that made our country."

These statements were made during the Persian Gulf issues back in the 90's....none of them would embellish on their thoughts or give reasoning for feeling that way...

I have often wondered why they said this...and have been watching our country trying to understand this statement...

I take pride in being an American...I do not take pride in the fact that many Americans now have appointed the government as their parent and have forgotten consequences for our actions...or to take responsibility for them.

I am honored to have had the opportunity to spend many hours listening to first hand stories of the wars you have mentioned here...okay maybe not all of them the civil war was a very long time ago...lol
I am VERY honored that my oldest son has chosen to dedicate his life to maintaining the freedoms my father fought for and my grandfathers before him. I am also honored to be the daughter of a man who gave 20 years of his life for the freedoms our country has...if only we could realize which ones are actually the important ones....

3/7/08, 6:44 AM

Thank You!

3/7/08, 6:59 AM

This is your oldest grandchild, Josh...first off very well written blog entry. Too many Americans DO take what we have here for granted. They say there is no more freedom of speech, they are wrong, or else we would not be able to write/or read this. Grandpa I thank you for doing what you did for our country and I will be damn proud to follow suit in the Iraqi War when my time comes, and it is inevitable because chances are I will be sent with my M.O.S. in the ARMY. I know and understand what I will be fighting for. I am damn proud of any family and any man/woman that has fought to preserve our wonderful country, the United States of America. Every time a see a man or women in uniform, or with a veterans cap or shirt/vest/jacket in a store I thank them for what they are doing for us. My children thank them with me. I will be a proud soldier, a damn proud soldier. I will do my part for this wonderful country we call our homeland, I will stand by our country and the men and women who fought and lived or fought and gave their lives for us. This is a war of our freedom, just like the ones before, times have changed, but the purpose is still the same. I'm proud of you Grandpa. Thank You. HOOAH -Josh

3/7/08, 8:53 AM

THANK YOU111

3/7/08, 9:06 AM

Grandpa, I started a blog site so I could keep in touch with my family that does this instead of "myspace.com"
Although I don't quite understand this site yet, I will hopefully before I leave to basic.
But i do have some good clips on my "myspace" I would like you to see grandpa, they are tribute to the troops from all the wars, my friends who have fallen in the Iraqi war, and to my best friend who is currently over there fighting for us. Anyone who reads this can go to my "myspace" in fact if you are an American and proud to be one, go to this site and watch these videos, each video is set to a song, each song is different and so are the videos. They mean alot to me and they should to you. Thank you again for your service to our country grandpa. HOOAH.
This is my "myspace" site location...

http://www.myspace.com/josh021986

there is a song that will automatically come on, just pause it and load the videos, all the videos on my "myspace" are for the troops. Thank You. Have a nice day.

3/7/08, 9:48 AM

Shana, your quote, "they are not fighting for the same reasons we fought the wars that made our country" is a quote that Ihave heard often. It will be the subject of a forth coming posting. Thanks for the suggestion.

3/7/08, 11:27 AM

Lady Buff, to answer your last sentence, each of those years was as important as the other. None of them were in vain nor regretted.

3/7/08, 7:03 PM

that last sentence did not pertain to your military career...it was meant toward the "freedoms" that our constitution gives us...yet the wants for more and more of something yet most do not even know what it is they want more of....

3/7/08, 8:23 PM

Lady Buff, the quote, "they (todays military) are not fighting for the same reasons we fought the wars that made our country" is answered on my other site, politcalprattle.blogspot.com
Thanks for the idea, it made an intersting project.

3/8/08, 1:05 AM

Thought you might like this grandpa...

~It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of press.

~It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

~It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

~It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag that allows the protesters to burn the flag.

3/8/08, 5:38 PM

Josh...it's the American people that raised and support those soldiers...they alone are NOT responsible for those things...there is NOT one soldier fighting that war that does not have a mother at home that carried his preciouses body in hers for nine months...nor were any of those soldiers raised over night...mothers and family are just as responsible...as they raised those soldiers...it takes everyone to make this world go around...not just a soldier. and yours loves you dearly....

3/8/08, 11:49 PM

Post a Comment