Who's Your Hero?

I spent this weekend with two heroes. Both are in their twenties and are active Marines. One has been to Iraq; both are heading to Afghanistan in November. Both are part of the growing number of our youth who feel compelled to serve their country - and in doing so, to serve you. They are idealists, certainly. But they also obviously believe strongly in the Marine tradition that preceded them - adapt and overcome - so that freedom can continue to flourish around the world. Ironic, isn't it, that they would be fighting for freedom thousands of miles away, when we are losing ours right here in America, more and more each day? I was particularly awed by how genuinely kind and respectful they were. These were two good, decent people - fine representatives of the thousands of the members of the armed forces, and specifically the Marines, who literally put their lives on the line for us each and every day that they are deployed over seas, and who serve this country selflessly. We talked some about military life, and some about mundane topics - movies, books, their personal lives "back home". They are just young adults - not much different than you or I, or our kids. They have the same desires, the same dreams, and the same goals as we all have at that age. Perhaps their patriotic spirit is a little keener than ours. I want everyone who reads this to know that these two men specifically, and all the men and women like them, are my heroes. I am proud to know them. I am proud to stand beside them, or any member of any branch of the armed service. I am proud that they are one of the few people, out of all the billions in the world, who will willingly fight for freedom around the globe. Maybe we need more of that type of thinking right here in America. Before you close down this page, please send out a prayer to them asking God to protect them, to send them home safely to their families, and to protect the ideals and principles for which they stand. And then ask yourself, who's your hero?