Today, May 16, 2009 is Armed Forces Day – The one day of the year set aside to honor those brave men and women serving currently in the armed forces.  Tony’s Rants would like to take this time to ask everyone to take a moment today and contemplate the sacrifices our servicemen and women make on a daily basis to keep us safe. 

Whether they are patrolling the streets of Baghdad, standing watch on a ship in the Pacific or stationed here in the U.S. protecting us from domestic threats, they serve as a shining example of all that is right with our nation.  They are the guardians of peace and the defenders of freedom and it is they that are the embodiment of the words duty, honor, courage, commitment and bravery. 

The Soldiers, Marines, Sailors, Airmen, and Coastguardsmen of our armed forces are our brothers, our sisters, our children and our parents and the least we can do is set aside some part of our day to thank them for their service.  As one who has served, I can tell you that two simple words mean more to these people than all of the medals and commendations they could ever receive.

THANK YOU! 

… Our Servicemen and women are serving throughout the world as guardians of peace–many of them away from their homes, their friends and their families. They are visible evidence of our determination to meet any threat to the peace with measured strength and high resolve. They are also evidence of a harsh but inescapable truth–that the survival of freedom requires great cost and commitment, and great personal sacrifice.
~ President John F. Kennedy, 1963