"The patriots today, feel our country is not lost. There is hope. However, there is also a culture war going on with those who want our country denigrated or maybe even destroyed."
Yesterday, when we were at Menards, we were in line behind an elderly gentleman (I know - hearing "elderly" from me is a scream). He had a "Korean War Vet" hat on. He had brought a younger (not much) friend with him to drive him, and to help with his shopping. When I saw the trouble he had signing his name to his purchase (he was almost blind), my mind wandered back to a time years ago. When my wife and I went to the commissioning of the USS Chosin down in Pascagoula, MS.
The USS Chosin was named after a very famous battle in the Korean Conflict. It was a battle up by the Chosin Reservoir. It was late in 1950, shortly after Thanksgiving. The weather was brutal, and for the first time, the Red Chinese entered the war. The small Marine detachment at the reservoir was heavily outnumbered and outgunned. However, in the middle of a pitched battle, they did manage to break free - and inflicted heavy causalities on the Chinese by doing so. But the Marines also paid a heavy price, with over 1,000 killed and 5,000 missing.
At the commissioning, many of the survivors of the battle were invited to attend. Some spoke of their experiences. It was a solemn and awesome event. The history which was there, live and in color, defied description. I will never forget it.
The Korean War, sometimes known as the "forgotten war", was a very important time in history for us. It was the first time the former allies from the recently concluded World War II went after each other in battle. It was the Cold War going hot.
I am always reminded that our "Old Guard", our World War II and Korean War vets, are starting to leave us. They lived through the worst of times in two brutal wars, and the best of times, in the period of history right after they were over. The "Greatest Generation" spawned the "Baby Boomers". People my age who would grow up in a time unparalleled in history.
As I watched the vet slowly walk out of the Menards store yesterday, I could not help wondering what he thought of our country today. The hate and discord. The mass shootings, the mail bombs. The course language and the immoral culture. It saddened me. For the World War II and Korean War vets to give so much, to want so much for this country to flourish, and now to see what it has become.
However, patriots today feel our country is not lost. There is hope. However, there is also a culture war going on with those who want our country denigrated, or maybe even destroyed. We owe it to the "Old Guard" who is vanishing rapidly, to maintain what they fought and died for. And we owe it to our children and grand children to preserve America's greatness.
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