HOW MANY HAVE GIVEN THEIR LIVES TO DEFEND IT?
by OPOVV, ©2013
(Dec. 7, 2013) — Our National Anthem is a victory cry, a song born upon a successful military engagement. It didn’t come cheap, our flag: pain, suffering, hardship, death. The American revolutionists had a choice, just as we do today: do you fight for the Constitution, and Freedom, or do you “play it safe,” sit back while others take the chance of getting arrested or, more likely, killed?
After the battle, after the expenditure of thousands of bombs, rockets and bullets, after the troops were exhausted, our flag was still there, flying proudly. Though tattered and torn, shot with holes, dirty, Old Glory still stood for all to see: Freedom rings. The war continued. The National Anthem is a battle song, after all.
Wars are not fought. Skirmishes, firefights and, when a majority of an army or navy is committed, battles are fought. War is the cumulative, or intended, result of collecting intelligence at first, and the planning of troop disbursement, second. War is the result of action, not the action.
But no matter how large the battle may be, it all breaks down to the lowest denominator: the individual and how he or she reacts under extreme stress, because, face it: when you think your chances of surviving don’t look good, that’s when people’s true nature is exposed. Many a time when the chips were down did some (about whom we never gave a second thought) emerge from mediocrity to a vaulted status.
Which is why our military hands out Campaign Ribbons, because without a reliable supply line, the front-line troops are just left out to dry, which has happened. So it is fitting that all who contributed to a campaign be recognized as having done so. I personally saw multiple Medal of Honor acts that went unrewarded, and I have seen Purple Hearts given out for a paper cut, so my take on medals is just the military handing out Hershey bars, until it comes to the medics risking life and limb to help the helpless.
Every time our National Anthem is played, it’s a tribute to those who have fallen in past battles, for it’s the dead who allowed the others to go on living. When going into a combat situation, one has to expect a casualty or two, and of course you never wish it to happen to someone else; all you think about is doing your best and not letting anyone down.
When we stand during the playing of our anthem, our Victory Song, our Rights to Brag, we do so with the understanding that, if our number is called to come to its defense, we will do so, just as those in the past have done before us. We pay tribute when we sing our song of praise. Yes, our soldiers and sailors went to the top of the mountain, and they stayed there. They were the King of the Hill, be it Fort McHenry or Mt. Suribachi. And we can be so again, but only if we remember the past and pay deserving tribute to those who have fallen for our Freedoms.
We do see our flag still there, and we are a proud people who will not be hoodwinked by a bunch of lies. So the next time you stand up and pay tribute to our Victory Song, hush those who disrespect Our Banner that we proudly wave in the faces of our foes, and if they don’t like it, let them eat crow, or have a Veteran explain the Facts of Life to them.
OPOVV