[Vision2020] The Gift of Generations

[Tom Hansen]

>From the Letters section of the December 17, 2007 edition of the Army Times
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THE GIFT OF GENERATIONS

This holiday season is the first my family and I will be celebrating without
my mother. It's the second without my wife's mother. They are dearly missed
this holiday season, just as other families miss their mothers and loved
ones who are no longer here. Our mothers brought us into this world and the
luck of the draw had us born in the U.S.

The miracle of life could just as easily have had us born to impoverished
parents in a Third World country. Instead, at birth, we became Americans.
With a huge price paid for by the blood and sacrifices of our forefathers,
we have enjoyed all the privileges, opportunities and hope being an American
brings.

My father, like so many of our fathers and grandfathers, was part of the
"greatest generation" that fought World War II on the beaches of Normandy,
in the jungles of Burma, on the islands in the Pacific and on every other
blood-soaked battlefield so that the American way of life would be
preserved. 

My father's Combat Infantryman Badge and his Bronze Star Medal now hang on a
wall in my home just above the American flag presented to my mother at his
funeral. He never displayed the badge or the medals he earned , nor did he
talk about how he earned them. 

Every generation of Americans has had an abundance of such unsung war
heroes. During this holiday season, we once again find young, brave U.S.
service members in harm's way. Like millions before them, they and their
loved ones are enduring extreme hardships for us. Thousands have paid the
ultimate sacrifice and thousands more have come home to America maimed for
life.

It seems surreal that while my only concern for a day is whether I'll bowl
well at the lanes, our selfless and devoted service members are on foreign
soil trying to get through the day without being blown up by improvised
explosive devices or hit by snipers' bullets. Their patrols through the
ambush-laden streets of Iraqi cities or mountains of Afghanistan are filled
with hazards and anxiety, making my ride to the lanes - more than 6,000
miles away - safe and carefree.

During this holiday season, we continue to thank them for their dedicated
service to us and our country. They, like all the veterans before them, are
giving Americans the opportunity to live life to the fullest. Hopefully,
through their efforts, all Americans will eventually have the same
opportunity. Hopefully, one day no child's life on earth will be
predetermined at birth by the luck of the draw. 

Sgt. Maj. George S. Kulas (Retired) 
Fond du Lac, Wis.

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil
and steady dedication of a lifetime." 

--Adlai E. Stevenson, Jr.