Jul 04 2007
Home of the Brave!
Flickr picture from jcolman
O say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight’s last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight
O’er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
As you celebrate this Independence Day holiday, take a moment to remember the service men and women who have defended this freedom – both those from war times and peace times in the past and those serving today.
I’m proud to come from a military family! The service of my dad and grandpa are part of who I am.
My grandpa was a Navy Seabee in the Pacific during World War II.
Artisan Dad was in the Air Force and was a part of the missile crews “underground” during Vietnam and the Cold War. As I’ve mentioned before, while on crew underground he would needlepoint to pass the time.
Wishing you a safe and happy July 4th!
Happy 4th of July!
What a great tribute! Happy 4th!
What a lovely post. Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July holiday!!
One of my most fondly remembered 4th of July celebrations was 1976, when you were just a toddler. We were sealed behind two-ton blast doors, some 50 feet underground in a missile control center about 60 miles from Wichita, KS. I was commander of a combat crew and we were on alert for 24 hours. In the afternoon you and Mom drove down and brought a picnic for us to share. I will never forget looking over at you sitting so straight and proud and eating so carefully. I looked past your pigtails and saw the lock on the console where I might have to insert a key and by turning it I’d release the missile and its warheads against those committed to our destruction. It all came together in that moment — we were celebrating the birth of our country and the virtues that had endured for 200 years; these tedious 24-hour alert tours were my part in helping to deter the enemies from attacking and destroying us; it was my gift to you and your generation so that you could continue to live in freedom too. I don’t think anyone noticed the tears in my eyes then.
A really nice post. Thanks for using my flag photo, Amy!
Artisan Dad – thank you.
And also to my grandfathers, WWII veterans – one, a sniper in the Marines and the other, a guerilla fighter in the Army. It sounds cliche, but freedom is not free – we all owe a debt of gratitude, to be certain.
This is really great! Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier. Hope all is well