Serving Proudly As The Voice Of Valley County Since 1913

Service Freely Given

A while ago I wrote about companies that include sexual overtones in their ads. One such ad was for a popular candy. Since then I’ve been asked how to contact a company who uses this type of ad and register an opinion.

You can usually find an 800 number on the product's packaging. There will also be a physical address as well as a website address. So you have three options to send in your opinion: call the company, send them a letter, or submit your message on their website.

Never underestimate the power of one person.

On Sunday, I attended a dinner in honor of veterans. The veterans at the dinner were asked to introduce themselves and share which branch of service they were in. As they did so, I was thinking of the commitment they made to our nation and its people. Of what they sacrificed to protect their country and the freedoms we enjoy.

And I thought of my mother’s brother who served in the Army during World War II and his telling me of helping to liberate Auschwitz. Of how the night before he and his best friend were due to return home and their last assignment was to patrol the perimeter of a United States supply station. About halfway through the night, his lifelong friend stepped on a land mine that had been missed and was killed. Nightmares about what he’d seen during his service haunted him the rest of his life.

My brother served in the Army and was deployed to Vietnam. It was an especially difficult time for my family as my mother was an invalid and very sick. Fortunately he got through his tour without being injured but he, too, suffers from nightmares to this day.

Being in the military is like so many other things -- if you haven’t experienced it you really can’t understand what it’s like.

We are free to go where we want, worship however we please, express our opinions, vote and more. We must not ever forget why we can do these things nor who has made it possible for us to do so.

In reflecting on the service freely given by our veterans, let us always remember to give them honor and respect. It is the very least we can do.

 

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