Letter to the Editor: Says thank a soldier during Veteran’s Day activities

This Veteran’s Day remember to thank a soldier. The price they paid for our freedom is high and we owe them our eternal gratitude.

I was attending an outside event several months ago. As different speakers took the podium, the wind blew the American flag to the ground. A man in his late twenties set the flag up several times and on the fourth try he simply took the flag to the backside of the stage and laid it up against the wall.

Several minutes passed and a veteran quietly made his way through the crowd and walked up to the side of the stage. He gently picked up the flag pole as if it were a rare treasure and proceeded to the front of the stage and placed the flag in its original position. The speaker stopped his speech and spontaneously the crowd cheered. That veteran continued to stand and uphold the American flag for the remainder on the event. Earlier in his life that man had defended that flag with his life and he could not bear to see it tossed to the side as if it meant nothing. He taught everyone in attendance that day a lesson without ever saying a word. The price of freedom isn’t free and once you have taken the oath to defend freedom and the United States of America, nothing is ever taken for granted.

This week, if you see a soldier on the street, remember the price of freedom and go up to him or her and shake their hand and thank them for their service. If you see a soldier dining at a restaurant, pick up his or her tab. The price of freedom isn’t free and we owe a great deal to our veterans and active military personnel. God bless our soldiers.

Tammy Stiers
Providence Forge