Because of you …

With Veterans Day only a few days away, I find thoughts of my grandfather running through my head.

He has been dead several years, but each year at this time I always take time to stop and remember him. I take the time to drive out to his grave and put out fresh flowers and a small American flag.

You see, my grandfather had a passion in life. That passion was his country. He was a staunch U.S. Navy man, who served during World War II. I remember that he would never talk about the war itself very much -- in fact, he talked about it so little that we didn't discover that he had earned several medals during his service time until after his death -- but he was always ready to defend a fellow serviceman or woman.

He had the right idea. To him, it was your duty as an American citizen to stand behind the soldiers of this great country, whether you agreed with the cause of the fight or not. You stood your ground and showed your support for those who would put their lives on the line because it was the right thing to do.

Although I miss him terribly, I am glad that he was able to instill that dignity in me before he passed. To think, without his guidance I might be one of those people who actually spit on Vietnam War veterans returning home. That leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth.

Because, you see, to me that is the ultimate disgrace a person can make. Not honoring a member of the Armed Forces of the United States -- either active or retired -- pretty much makes you the lowest living life form on the planet, in my eyes.

Because think of the freedoms that we have everyday. We have the freedom of speech and the freedom of press. Women can walk around in whatever they choose to wear and we go to sleep each night without the worry of radicals coming into our homes and destroying our families.

And why do we have those freedoms? Because there are men and women out there who take it upon themselves to put themselves in harm's way in order to ensure that we have those freedoms.

Is it because the salary is outstanding? Hardly. It seems that the true heroes in this life -- like service men and women, firemen, police, paramedics, EMTs and other emergency personnel -- don't get paid what they deserve. Of course, is there an amount that would really be considered enough?

What frightens me is that I look around today and see more and more of the type of people who would have done the spitting on Vietnam veterans. How can these people do that?

One example is the "church" (I use the term loosely in this case) in Topeka, Kan. Here is a group of hate-filled fanatics who are ticked off because several years ago someone blew up their church.

So, they (I am refusing to refer to them by name because they are so despicable) run from funeral to funeral of men and women who have died serving their country in the current war shouting about how the death was deserved and that 9-11 and other bombings and catastrophes were really earned.

As I have said before and will say again, these horrible people are abusing the very freedoms given to them by the fallen soldiers. They are able to spew their hate-filled trash because of men and women who have fought to protect those freedoms.

I trust that those people will pay one day.

Even if you don't believe in the cause behind the war, how can you not support the troops? How can you turn your back on such an honorable group of people?

Another thing that scares me as I look toward the future that my daughter will live in after I am gone, is the growing number of people who join the Armed Forces merely for a free education. Then, when the time for war comes and they are called to perform the duty they volunteered to do, they don't want to do it.

I can't count the number of times that a story has been told where a member of today's Armed Forces has been quoted as saying, "I didn't sign on for this."

Well, what did you sign on for then? For a free ride? I've got news for you, there is no such thing. Maybe you should learn a lesson from those that have served before you.

That lesson would be that you fight for your country because it is your home. Because you believe in the freedoms that we have in this land and you don't want those taken away. Because, by defending your country now, you are ensuring a better future for your children.

That is what my grandfather taught me. And, no, I haven't served in the Armed Forces. But you will never hear anything but support for our troops -- the brave men and women both past and present -- come from my lips. Because it is people like you who allow me to fall asleep every night without fear. It is people like you who ensure that I have freedoms that people in other countries don't.

So, give me just a moment. I haven't been in the Dexter area long and I still live in Poplar Bluff, but I want to send out a heartfelt thank you.

Thank you to veterans like Dr. Bailey (you know who you are), Mayor Joe Weber, Cloyd Walker and William "Bud" Lynxwiler, all of Dexter and Jim Mayo and Jerry Elder of Bloomfield. I know that there are hundreds more veterans in the area whose names I don't know and I extend my heartfelt gratitude to you as well and only wish I had all your names to list beside those few that I do know of.

Because of you, our lives are better. Because of those who follow in your footsteps, the life of my daughter and her children will, hopefully, be better.

Because of you … we are free.

Sacha Champion may be reached via e-mail at schampion@dailystatesman.com