Admittedly, I never thought much about this holiday until just a few years ago, when I first attended the annual Friends of Danang Veteran’s Day Breakfast right here in Pittsburgh. I’ve attended every year since and, never having served myself, it humbles me each time. Irrespective of thoughts on war and peace, conflict is and has been a necessary reality of modern life and American history, and the sacrifices and successes of those who have nobly served us should not pass without--at the least--this one day of unified appreciation.
It was pointed out at this morning’s breakfast that (unlike this sentence) the Preamble to the United States Constitution uses only active verbs--eight of them if you're counting:
Perhaps by virtue of my personal background, I was first struck by the final two. I noted while hearing that single sentence read aloud that the Constitution was not, by its own terms, ‘written’ or ‘set forth’ or any such thing; it was ordained and established. That’s intense.We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Later, while perusing the news and reading of the recent beating of a Cuban blogger who publicly criticized the Castro regime, I was struck by the use of “secure” in the Preamble. By the establishment of that document, it was intended that the Blessings of Liberty be secured. Dissect each of those three words, meaningful enough one by one, and really take a moment to think about how they become profound when combined as above.
Consider the other verbs, and what each means in the context of America.
Then, reflect again on our veterans.
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