Sooo, It has been a while since I’ve posted something, due to the fact that my summer and first quarter of school were very busy. And to throw in yet another twist, this post is NOT so much a devotional, but actually an essay I had to write for my AP English class and I’ve decided to share it because I’m excited about the way the techniques of the paper turned out. I have started writing again, so the 2-5 parts of “Lifeguard” will be coming soon. I hope this following read gets you thinking about how blessed we are to live here, in the United States of America.
Fear comes when there is no protection, a safety net, or security from danger. “I attack when I see no plans of defense have been arranged” says Fear. Fear approaches as a threat of horror and panic. Fear proclaims, “I am a distressing emotion aroused by impending evil, danger, and pain.”
“I can see the cloud of smoke as though it was yesterday”, Bravery explains. “But I didn’t even hesitate, I couldn’t let the smell get to me, I knew exactly what I had to do.” Bravery behaves in a spirit of courage, there is no place for Fear, yet Fear comes without asking. “I was terrified when they told me to go, I couldn’t leave them behind. We all lay on the ground still as could be, no one dared to move.” Bravery is bound to make hard decisions in the midst of terror and tribulation. Knowing what is right, Bravery stands firm in the choices made and does not even give a thought to back down. With tears Bravery says, “I saw him get shot, I knew this only meant one thing. I was next. But, the bullet hit his arm as we lay side by side. I saw his whole body jerk but he was already dead from a previous wound.” Bravery has the courage to love the people with whom long months of training take place knowing that this all is a risk to create a bond that could easily be broken due to death. Yet Bravery stands tall and proclaims with everything within that no matter what comes, bold we shall stand for the United States now and the generations to come.
Loyalty says, “Just as Bravery, I too, have made a decision that I love my country and am willing to serve it with all that I am. I choose to leave my family and friends behind, many times not being able to even tell them where I am being sent off.” Loyalty is faithful to commitment and obligations. Loyalty explains, “I remember it all so clearly. That one early morning they woke me up and told me to pack my bags because I would be moving somewhere. But where, I wanted to know. All they told me was that I was needed. And so I left my station, the bunk bed which I had gotten used to and the fellows with whom I had trained for hours on end with.” Loyalty displays devotion to country in word and in deed. Loyalty says, “If ever again there came a need to serve, and I was once again in my twenty’s, I would go in a heartbeat, for the love of my country and the generations that will follow me.”
The freedom which my generation now experiences is due to the service of the men and women before us, veterans, who gave up their lives for the sake of this country. They left footsteps in the history that my generation can now follow in order to bring prosperity to our nation. Veterans are important to our nation’s history and future because without their examples we would be bound to repeat history all the more. In all honesty, many of our veterans have been forgotten. Their service is what has given us freedom and liberty, yet we do not always appreciate the sacrifice they had to go through for us. Most veterans come back with wounds that cut deeper than through skin or bone, they cut through the heart. Veterans are for the most part scarred for life due to the honorable dedication they lived out in the battlefield. It is from these past veterans that my generation sees true pride and love for the land. Veterans are important to our nation’s history and future because without them we would not be where we are today and we would not be able to say, we are one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
runtheroadway 