tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8470102849308387801.post-5163382370087021232008-07-02T09:31:00.000-07:002008-07-02T18:40:06.670-07:00Last Sunday evening we held our church's 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span> Star Spangled Spectacular. This is our version of an old-fashioned patriotic picnic. We had good food, lots of great conversation, activities for kids to do, great summer weather, patriotic music and we capped it all off with a wonderful fireworks display. The fireworks were set off in a field right behind our church property. Right in the middle of the fireworks display I had a wave of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">thankfulness</span> go over me. Thankfulness for the opportunity to be happy, safe, and to celebrate our freedom in a manner that we had chose. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Thankfulness</span> for the people who make our freedom possible. In our highly <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">politicized</span> society, we are emotionally shoved back and forth as the merits of the wars in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Afghanistan</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Iraq</span> are debated, and the military is either praised or demonized. But something that cannot be debated are the heroes, throughout our history, who have placed their lives on the line for this country and have given us the privilege of celebrating our freedom just like I described earlier. Consider one hero, Marine Lance Corporal Jake <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Knospler</span>. On November 12, 2004, Jake was leading his fire team during the fight to liberate <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Fallujah</span> from terrorists. An enemy grenade hit Jake in the face, blowing away his jaw and part of his skull. he miraculously survived his terrible wounds and more than a dozen surgeries. Even with these terrible injuries, when Jake was asked about his future, he said, "I have to get better. My country, my Corps, and my family are counting on me."<br /><br /><br />Thanks to Jake and thousands like him, we can count on them for the protection of our freedom. As we celebrate the 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> of July this year, we have a lot to be thankful for. There are countless heroes who have given their lives so that we can choose to do whatever we want on Friday. Let's stop for a few moments and thank God for these heroes, and their families.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script src="http://www.google-analytics.com/urchin.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript"> _uacct = "UA-3763502-1"; urchinTracker(); </script></div>Louie Salazarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18311748316910180131noreply@blogger.com