It is virtually impossible for anyone to understand what goes into being a Navy SEAL, but if you were like me or the couple million others who rushed to see Lone Survivor this weekend, you now at least have a theatrical glimpse.
As a collective nation, I believe we often take our freedoms for granted. We were born with them, and they have remained – it is hard to fight those feelings of entitlement.
However, this weekend I was reminded why we have this freedom – why we have the ability to wake up and live freely, with liberties that no other nation can fathom.
The reality of the American dream is this: We have a collection of the bravest men and women on the planet who wake up every day and put their lives on the line so that back home we can live in the greatest nation the world has ever known.
Another reality is that I cannot possibly sum up these men and women’s sacrifice with my own words, but Marcus Luttrell can.
For those of you who have not seen Lone Survivor, Marcus Luttrell was an officer in the armed forces and the lone Navy SEAL who escaped with his life after Operation Red Wings went south in 2005.
In his book “Service: A Navy SEAL at War,” Luttrell offers a call to those for whom his comrades sacrificed their lives daily.
“Americans should never forget that the founders of this country, like all who have served her in uniform, were willing to die defending everything its flag represents,” Luttrell wrote. “It’s so easy to get lost in the controversies that divide us. But I believe, no matter what our race, religion or beliefs may be, that Americans should be able to come together to keep our country rooted in what made it great: A land of opportunity, a place where people can make something of themselves, limited only by their imaginations and willingness to work hard; a country where we can all come together, whatever our differences, for the greater good; a country of hands up, not handouts, where we try to live by the meaning of the words ‘Love thy neighbor,’ and put as much effort into helping others as we do helping ourselves. By doing those things, we can continue to live up to the idea of ‘One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’”
When you next chat with God, send up a prayer on behalf of our protectors. If by chance this article has fallen before the eyes of one of those brave men and women – thank you for your sacrifice.
God bless America, and God bless those who protect it.
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