It's Veteran's Day, and I wanted to salute our Armed Forces in a personal way. Here are several generations in my own family who have served their Country in the Civil War, WWI and WWII. Since then all four of my male cousins were enlisted, and one nephew recently served in the Marines. They and all our brave sons and daughters have given so much, and in fact everything we have we owe to them.
It is true that God provides our needs, and takes care of his children, and one way He does is to provide armies that protect our homelands. God quit directing us in warfare a long time ago. Since then we have fought our enemies many times and even each other. But I thank these that have served so that we are not victims or slaves of the German Facists, Japanese Imperialists, or even the Northern aggressors...
We owe them several things. We owe them our best citizenship, to vote responsibly and pay attention to preserve the health and vitality of the freedoms they have risked and sometimes given all to protect. We owe them the best medical care that we can provide for them, especially those who have come home wounded, physically or mentally. We owe them our thanks every day, for putting their lives on the line for things we usually take for granted. And we owe them a decent country, one as noble and excellent as their service, to return home to, after enduring so much, in the prime of their youth.
Pictured are Major G. W. Durant, CSA, (my great-great grandfather), a handful of Staff Sgts including my grandfather R. B.Cushman Sr., in occupied France, WWI,(on the far right) and my father Ralph B. Cushman Jr., training to fly during WWII in the Army Air Corp at the Cardwell Flight School (Allen Academy)at Mustang Field in Bryan.
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