This one's for you Dad...

My dad was in Vietnam and was almost killed.  wait.  He was killed, but luckily God wasn't finished with him (and of course, I hadn't blessed this earth yet) so he was revived and medically discharged from the military.  He received the purple heart to which his entire family is proud.  When growing up I heard this story many times and with each time my heart swelled with pride for my dad and my country.  Wow, this must be some country that I live in where my dad would VOLUNTARILY  sign up for the army knowing good and well what could happen.  America was already in a war with Vietnam and my Dad, like many others, chose to go and serve their country.  Now, as upsetting to my dad as this will be, I don't know much about that war.  I have been told many times but I can't remember much.  I do know what that sacrifice that he made means to me.  It doesn't matter why we were in the war, but it matters that strangers cared enough for me to go across the world and enter in a dangerous zone so I didn't have to grow up in one.  My grandpa Spires, my Uncle, and papaw Bennett were all in the military as well and I'm proud that I grew up in such a family where my country was respected, fought for, and loved.  

When my Dad came home from Vietnam he was spat on, called names, turned against, etc.  I can't imagine the pain that that would cause someone.  Here you are trying to do a good thing for your country, and when you get back, THE SAME COUNTRY that you were defending treats you terrible.  Americans say that that will never happen again.  Now the cool thing is to say "I support the troops" but how many ACTUALLY support the troops?  Let's hear from the troops and see what they want to do about pulling out in Iraq and Afghanistan.  If we pull out now, it will be admitting defeat.  Who wants to make a bully furious and then invite them to your house to punch on you over there in front of your spouse and kids?  If we don't get rid of the "bully" that's exactly what will happen; our spouses, friends, and children will see the "bully" attacking us.  You don't tell your enemy what time you will be home so they can come and terrorize you, so why would you tell an ENTIRE country when we are leaving and going home so they can come on our turf and hurt us at home??  Common sense people.

Honestly, depending on how this election turns out, I don't know if I will still be proud of my country.  Where did it go wrong?  Let me share some of my ideas since this post isn't long enough.. haha.  Our  country was founded on Christian principles.  We took the Christian principles out because they weren't "politically correct".  We ignored immorality because it wasn't "politically correct" to state the obvious.  We no longer let Christians speak about God because it isn't "politically correct"  but yet we yell about "freedom of speech" when we want to talk about certain "rights".  The nation is becoming backwards and twisted and not something I can say I am proud of.  I'm scared of this election for my family.  I don't want my kids to grow up in a scary place where there isn't medicine at our beck and call.  I don't want to go to the grocery store and be scared that a suicide bomber is around the corner.  I don't want all the military's work to be done in vain and backfire because we DIDN'T FINISH the job.  I don't want my Dad or any other military person to feel like they have been spat upon again because our freedom has been revoked.  I want all of their efforts to be recognized and I want my children to benefit from those sacrifices others have made.  How sad will it be if all those people made sacrifices only to lose our freedom in the long run?

Anyways, I don't know if any of this is making sense, but I felt like rambling.  This election is a MAJOR election.  Don't make others sacrifices be in vain just because you want "change".  You just might get "change" ....  but it might not be the "change" you wanted...