We Can’t All Be Heroes

My mother used to say, “We can’t all be heroes. Some of us have to sit along on the curb and clap and wave as they go by.”

 

I was reminded of that this week as I watched the State of the Union speech. There were many heroes recognized in the audience.  There was the 100 year old Tuskegee airman and his grandson, the young family reunited with the soldier from Fort Bragg and the 13 year old with his Mom whose Dad didn’t come home. My eyes were not dry.

The State of the Union is good. We heard the great things that have been happening in the past three years, record growth in the economy, record low unemployment, record number of jobs created, rising incomes, etc. The list goes on.

 

We are truly blessed to live in this great country. I’m so grateful for the heroes who have preserved our country and the freedoms we enjoy. The very winds of our plains carry freedom everywhere, from sea to shining sea.

 

Our brilliant founders gave us the framework in our founding documents. They acknowledged that our rights came from “Almighty God with certain inalienable rights.” Those rights are worth protecting.

 

You may have heard of Martin Niemoller, a decorated captain in World War 1. He was a high profile opponent of the Nazis as they gained a firm hold on the reins to power in Germany. He said:

 

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out ——

Because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out —-

Because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out —-

Because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out —-

Because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me—-

And there was no one left to speak out for me.

Martin Niemoller, 1946

 

Most of us are guilty of only speaking out when it affects us. We tend not to care as long as someone else’s freedom is at stake. But who will speak up for you when something you care about is in jeopardy. And it will happen if we continue the current path.

 

We have become very comfortable with our way of life. We simply want to be left alone. News Flash. It ain’t happening. Remember, we are not able to maintain that which we are not willing to defend.  It’s up to each of us to remain active in the fight for freedom.

 

Edward Everett Hale said, “I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything; but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

 

Thank God for those heroes who have suited up for battle through the years, stood on that wall and shouted, “Who goes there, friend or foe?”

 

We owe everything to our heroes. Join me on the curb, to clap and wave as they go by. They need to know how much we appreciate the sacrifices they’ve made.