Field of Stars, WWII Memorial

Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in him. 
Psalms 144:1-2 (NLT)

Several years ago our family had the privilege of being in Washington, D.C. for a brief vacation. We were visiting the World War II Memorial for the first time. I'm a bit of a history nut and I've always been interested in World War II, and being in the Memorial for the first time was strangely emotional. The Memorial honors the 16 million who served and more than 400,000 American soldiers who died during the war. The engraved quotes from the political and military leaders are inspiring, but the Field of Stars representing the lives lost, is overwhelming.

While I was trying to absorb all of the Memorial, I noticed and older gentleman dressed in a military uniform and a younger woman with him taking in the sights of the Memorial. Something within me said, "Tell him 'Thank you.'" So I spoke to him and the woman, who was his daughter, and learned that he served in the Pacific Theatre during the war. I thanked him for his service and for protecting our freedoms. He chuckled a little and said, "Oh, I was just doing my job." He acted like it was no big deal. We talked a little longer and then shook hands and I walked away. A few minutes later his daughter came up to me and said, "I just want to thank you for what you did. You are the first person that has ever told my dad 'Thank You' for his service in the military. It really meant a lot to me for him to hear that." 

I was overcome with emotion but managed to hold back the tears until she walked away. I couldn't imagine all that he had gone through in the war, and then never have anyone to say "thank you." I was heartbroken, and determined to never let an opportunity pass to say thank you to the men and women who have served in our military.

We live in a great country; she's far from perfect and after watching about 5 minutes of national news, I sometimes worry where we are going to end up. But I'm incredibly grateful to live in America and experience the freedoms we have. I am also mindful that this country is great because of those who have given years of their lives to protect and serve through our military. This Veterans Day, I encourage you to make the effort to thank a veteran for their service.