freedom

Last Friday, I was set to board my flight home to Atlanta.

I had spent all last week in St. Louis for training for work.

I was standing in line waiting for the people at Delta to check my bags for my flight.

One of the things that I like to do when I'm in any airport...is to people watch. I began to look around. I couldn't help but notice that there were at least a 100 soldiers in the airport. I looked closer at all of them and there was a common theme...they were young. Each soldier looked very young. Black, White, Hispanic, and more. Some were dressed in fatigues...others were dressed in street clothes. Young men and women. My eyes and ears became locked on two young men. One Black dude from New York...the other was White dude from Texas. They were talking about where they were going to be stationed next. Based on what I heard, they had been in some type of training together. They were both going to different places. Their conversation ended with a laugh and a big hug.

Maybe they realized that they weren't going to see each other in a long time. Maybe never again. Both of these dudes couldn't have been no older than 19 yrs. It made me think about where I was in my life at the age of 19. I was in college having the time of my life. I couldn't imagine doing what they are doing. They have decided to put their life on their line to defend this country and our freedom. Far to often, we waste time complaining about petty things in life. How would you like it if your only worry would be on how to survive each day. Avoiding roadside bombs and bullets in a third world country. You're in the middle of a war that you have NOTHING to do with. A civil unrest that began when you were in the first grade.

Before I got on my flight, I walked up to both of these young men...who are old enough to be my sons...and I said

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY AND OUR FREEDOM."