Nope, this is not a post about Tolstoy.

But it is Veteran’s Day, and my title is what I imagine every American veteran’s belief about their role in this life to be.

They chose to risk everything in war so that we could realize everything in peace.

So that we could remain free to live out whatever dreams we choose.

So our children and grandchildren could grow to understand what an immeasurable gift it is to live in these United States.

And that right there? It is no small thing.

One of my favorite quotes of all time came from my favorite president of all time, Ronald Reagan. It goes like this:

Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.

Fought for.

Protected.

Handed down.

Generations before us have done this so well.

But, I have to ask…are we?

Are we becoming so comfortable, so entitled, so kicked back on our own laurels, that we are no longer realizing the perilously loose grip we have on the America handed down to us?

I’ll leave you with another quote from that same great president…

I have seen the rise and fall of Nazi tyranny, the subsequent cold war and the nuclear nightmare that for fifty years haunted the dreams of children everywhere. During that time my generation defeated totalitarianism. As a result, your world is poised for better tomorrows. What will you do on your journey?

What will we do?

I say we need to stand up, dust off our sedentary backsides, and fight to protect what we’re handing down, because it’s not a given.

Just ask a veteran.

Oh, and thank them while you’re at it.