“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”
– George Patton
Freedom is a rose bush. All along the stem are thorns. Spikes represent all of the soldiers who gave their life to protect our freedom. They willingly put their own lives at stake so that we may live free. Each thorn a penalty paid for what we take for granted every day. At the top of the rose bush is the beautiful rose. The rose is symbolic of our country, its freedom, and the right to say what we want without the fear of being punished for it. The rose is hope that shines through at the darkest time.
On June 6, 1944, 160,000 allied troops landed with along a 50 mile strip of coastline to fight heavily entrenched Nazi Germans on the beaches of Normandy, France. In April and May 1944, the Allied forces lost 12,000 men and over 2,000 aircraft. This has become known as D Day. In Challenger Middle School 8th grade alone there are about 235 people. Imagine all of the students in 8th grade and multiply that number by 52. That’s about all of the total casualties suffered on D Day.
Today, America is fighting two wars. One in Iraq and one in Afghanistan; we continue to lose soldiers every day for our freedom and now the freedom of two other countries. It’s true that 50 years ago people died for our freedom. It’s true that 100 years ago, there were people dying for our freedom and it is true today, there are people, men and women alike, dying for our freedom.
Freedom is not just the pedals of the rose, but the thorns as well. It isn’t just the happy-smiley part of it; it’s the men and women who died protecting our country. So next time you think of freedom, think of thorns and flowers and remember the men and women who gave their own lives for you.
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