Fading into the past...

This is a little something I submitted as an Op-Ed piece to the Washington Post. I'm sure nothing will come of it, but I felt burdened to try!

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It has been 70 years since the start of the Second World War. As such those who so valiantly served not just our country, but the World in which we live are beginning to fade into the pages of history. My Great Grandpa and Great Grandpa Wilson had four sons, all of whom served in the U.S. Navy for various lengths of time. Each joining as he came of age during WWII. I have never been able to hear more than snipets of their stories as my grandfather was killed in a tragic construction accident while my father and his brother were still young boys.

I am now a 30 something wife and mother of 5 children. My husband is a nurse and history buff and has had the great privaledge of sitting at the bedside of some of America’s true heros listening to their tales of bravery and sacrifice. He has passed on to our children a hunger to learn about America’s past, delving into who we really are and where we really came from. We tour different museums and my children listen spellbound as Veterans tell them details of past wars and educate them with first hand knowledge of stories taught sketchily in our public schools. Details fill my children’s senses, making our past relevant and vital to who they are.

The days of hearing these first hand accounts are slipping away before our eyes. America is losing it’s greatest treasures to an era gone by. Our Veterans are slipping into the after life, their lives a mere vapor fading into the mist hovering over the oceans which they traveled so many years ago. These are the last of a generation of Honor. They had much to teach us, and we failed to listen. Perhaps if we had walked in their footsteps instead of paving our own way America wouldn’t be facing each day with fear and trepidation.

America has no great leaders because we have forgotten the core values that made these men heros. Instead we search for instant gratification. We have forgotten what it means to be our brother’s keeper and instead only care about number one. We don’t ask what we can do for our country, but seek to find out what is in it for ourselves. We refuse sacrifice and indulge only in that which will bring us pleasure. We are not true to anyone – not ourselves, our marriages, our children and certainly not our God and Country.

It is time for America’s parents to wake up. We need to return to the ideals which made these Veteran’s lives great and worthy of celebration. We need to listen to this generation before it is too late and we need to proudly stand against that which is wrong even when it feels right. If we do not return to America’s core values she will be lost. As each freedom these men gave their lives for is stripped away, their blood will be on our hands. America has certainly forgotten the whys and the hows of how our country is meant to be run. We’ve perilously lost site of why we fight to defend our freedoms.

Reach out connect with our aging Veteran’s. The median age of WWII veterans when the last census was taken was 76.7 years old. Time is running out and we have much to learn.

For information on volunteering, adopting a veteran, or finding a veteran pen pal please visit: http://www.afrh.gov/afrh/team/vol/volunteer.htm

C. Melodie C. Miller