Saturday, May 13, 2017
Graniteville • Vaucluse • Warrenville
Vol. 3, No. 3
Proud to be an American by Anne Fulcher
“And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me,” sang Lee Greenwood in his 1984 patriotic hit song “God Bless the U.S.A.” As Memorial Day approaches, we find ourselves reflecting on the men and women who lost their lives serving our country. Most people take our freedom for granted but were it not for these hero’s, who knows what kind of country we would be living in. I remember, as a young child, my neighbors sending
their children off to the Vietnam War. I was too young to really understand what was at stake, but having had a son who was in the Air Force for four years and Air Force Reserve for six, I get it now. I remember the fear I would feel while listening to the news about unrest in other countries. I remember hearing my Mom and Grandma talking
about this neighbor or that neighbor’s child being “gone.” It was every parent’s worse nightmare. According to the National Archives and Records Administration, 58,220 U.S. military members lost their life in the Vietnam War. Please take the time to remember those who died giving us that special gift of freedom. Thank our current military members for their service because one can never know when they may be called to battle. And my favorite Lee Greenwood phrase in the song God Bless the U.S.A., “I’d thank my lucky stars To be living here today cause the flag still stands for freedom and they can’t take that away.”