FREEDOM IS NOT FREE

God Bless America!

Ft Walton Beach, Florida … A Military Town

Eglin Joint Base Command located near Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, encompasses a large contingent of Air Force units, Naval Warfare units, and the 7th Army Special Forces, and 6th Army Rangers.

Most folks in the USA don't live in a Military Town, with lots of guys in uniform walking the streets and jets overhead daily. They go on with their lives unaware of what a Military Town is all about. And that's OK... but I want to share with you what it's like to live in a Military Town. We see guys in uniform all the time, we have state of the art, high performance aircraft in the air nearby all day long. We hear the SOUND OF FREEDOM when an F-22, or F-35 streaks over the house..... and we read in the local paper, sometimes weekly, of the loss of one of our own in combat or training.  And that is what brings me to this story.

Staff Sergeant Mark DeAlencar was killed on April 8th. He was an Army Special Forces soldier stationed in the Fort Walton area.  He had a family.  In January he deployed, again, to Afghanistan.  He promised His adopted daughter Octavia that he would be home for her High School Graduation.  He didn't make it.  But she went to graduation yesterday anyway.  And in the audience, were eighty (80) US Army Special Forces soldiers from her dad's unit in full Parade Dress Uniform.

Additionally, they brought THEIR FAMILIES to be with them as well.  And as Octavia ascended the steps to the stage to receive her diploma THEY ALL SILENTLY STOOD UP.  And when she was presented her diploma they ALL CHEERED, CLAPPED, WHISTLED ... and YES CRIED. Everyone in attendance then stood up and cried and cheered.  Octavia had graduated and yes, she had lost her Dad... but she had 80 other DADS to stand  there with her and take his place.

I just wanted to share this.... and remind you that this is what it’s like to live in a military town. This is what America is, the America we love. God bless our men and women in uniform and their families who give so much.

Our Flag and our National Anthem are to be respected. Yes, there are buffoons who occupy space in America, and there are things to be protested and corrected.  It is still a free country, but showing disrespect to the symbols that represent freedom and liberty, even the right to protest, is not the way to correct society’s ills.  Isn’t it interesting that television crews focus their cameras on the disrespectful few rather than the overwhelming majority standing with their hats off and singing with their hand over their heart.