freedom is not free

 

In the courtyard of Tucson High School, just north of the main gym, is an area where numerous red bricks have been set into the concrete.

 There is one section that pays homage to the championships of the various sports teams, and another section that pays homage to the Tucson High grads who died in service to their country.

The earliest brick for veterans honors a guy who died in 1949, and the most recent honors someone who died in 2012. The majority of the former students who died in Vietnam were just a year or two out of high school.

Last year, the librarian and his wife put together a display in the library that honored the graduates who died in WWII. Amazingly, they were able to get uniforms and personal stories on a number of vets, but since over 400,000 vets died during the war, they really only scratched the surface.

I served during the Vietnam era, but my obligations as a member of the National Guard meant that I never had to leave the country. However, my training as a helicopter repairman enabled me to qualify for the military discount at both Lowe’s and Home Depot, and it also saved me $500 on the car that I purchased in the spring of 2017.

Outside the gym is a flag that needs replacing. Although I don’t think that kneeling during the national anthem is a sacrilege, I’m of the opinion that the flag does need to be treated with respect, even though children in schools (due to a 1943 Supreme Court decision) are no longer REQUIRED to salute the flag, However, virtually all schools broadcast the pledge every morning.

 

In less than two months, we’ll be celebrating Veterans Day. By all means, enjoy your day off – but never forget the sacrifices that our troops made for us.

 

Amen.