Not only the blood of the fallen stains the stripes of America’s flag. The tears of the living also bleach her stars. Who is the hero? Is it the valiant soldier who dies for freedom? Or the faithful servant who lives for liberty? Death hallows whoever succumbs to it, eternally engraving the fallen patriot in the hearts of friends, family, and fellow soldiers; but what of the soldier who lives on, the servant who survives the horrors of war and the joys of victory, returning home laden with triumphs and terrors? Those who die plant the seeds of freedom, but those who survive bear the task of cultivating those seeds. Facing death requires great valor, yet accepting life demands great endurance. Veterans who live on after fighting for America return home crowned with laurels, yet bowed down with grief. Death neither frees them of the pains of life, nor enshrines them forever in the halls of memory. Eventually, they may fade into obscurity, forgotten because they survived. However, veterans boast an influence unnoticed by many. Veterans prove the cornerstone of America because they not only defend freedom, but also sustain it.
First, veterans influence Americans by defending their freedom. One example of the selfless bravery with which veterans have defended America is Alvin York, who forsook his home in rural Tennessee to face Germans in distant Paris during the first World War. Almost single handedly, he captured 132 Germans in 1918. Furthermore, he survived to tell his story. . York defended America’s freedom, positively impacting America through the eternal legacy established by his patriotic actions. Doris Miller’s actions also affect America generations later. Although simply an untrained cook, Miller heroically carried the wounded to safety and even manned an anti-aircraft gun during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Those feats of bravery granted him not only medals of honor, but also the love of a nation that mourned his passing in 1943. Despite his death, Miller, like York, lives beyond the war, forever emblazoned upon the hearts of Americans.
Veterans also influence America by sustaining freedom. George Washington served in several wars and countless battles, suffering defeats and gaining victories. However, Washington’s greatest renown derives from his life after war, as he sustained freedom rather than defending it. Washington grew into one of America’s most iconic figures, a token of freedom and an emblem of peace, even after his death. Since he not only supported freedom as a president but also fought for it as a soldier, Washington earned a place in America’s immortal halls of memory, which directs our country to this day. Theodore Roosevelt also demonstrated the importance of promoting freedom by protecting it. Roosevelt earned prestige and victory in the Spanish-American War, yet America remembers him as President. In sustaining freedom in public office, Roosevelt became one of America’s most beloved presidents–not only a seasoned soldier, but also a benevolent leader who preserved America’s freedom and her beauty. Roosevelt recognized the cost of defending freedom. Countless other men and women rank among the immortal hearts who defended freedom as soldiers and sustained it as veterans.
Veterans impact America first by defending freedom and then by sustaining it. Veterans boast an influence sometimes unnoticed. The sun continues to rise on a free America not only because of the sacrifices of the fallen, but also because of the actions of the living. Who is the hero? Is it the valiant soldier who lays down his life on the altar of freedom? Or the faithful servant who picks it up? Both. The dead and living alike breathe life into America. The dead fall that the living may raise the flag of freedom. Not only the blood of the fallen stains the stripes of America’s flag. The tears of the living also bleach her stars.
