Thanks to Our Veterans   

There are a lot of things wrong in this country in which we live, but I trust you would agree with me that we still live in the greatest country in the world. And one of the biggest reasons we are a great country is because of our veterans, the fine men and women who put on a uniform and dedicate their lives to defending our country and making the world a better place.
War is a terrible thing, and yet it seems that war is inevitable in our world; we continue to see one war after another. A group of academics and historians once determined that, since 3600 B.C., the world has known only 292 years of peace! During this period there have been 14,351 wars, in which 3.64 billion people have been killed.
Probably most folks would argue that WW2 qualifies as the most costly of all wars. It involved 61 countries and 1.7 billion people, three-fourths of the world’s population. In terms of money spent, some estimate the price tag at more than $1 trillion dollars.
But even more costly was the number of lives lost. We’ve all heard about the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust. But add to that number another 25 million soldiers killed in battle, and another 30 million civilians who also died, and you get an estimated total of 60 million lives lost.
War is a terrible thing, but we cannot deny that it has also at times brought about some very honorable things. Someone once wrote:
It is the VETERAN, not the preacher, who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the VETERAN, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the VETERAN, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to assemble.
It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the VETERAN, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote.
Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). To you, veterans, we owe a debt of gratitude because you were willing to go, to serve, and to lay down your life on behalf of the United States of America and its citizens. May God bless you for your service and your sacrifice.

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