Our family just had the joy of attending the Fargo Air Show yesterday. My absolute favorite part was the military jets, past & present--but especially present. When the F-16 roared past with deafening speed, over and over and over again, jets firing full blast at many hundreds of miles per hour, it made my heart swell with such pride, I could barely contain myself. The skill and precision is difficult to comprehend. It's no wonder it's difficult to fight us. Good luck shooting one of those down. By the time the enemy, say Iran, would realize an F-16 had entered its airspace, it would be just leaving Turkey. Besides the amazing F-16 pilot, we also had the privilege of watching the Navy Blue Angels perform. I cannot absorb the level of concentration, focus, control and trust each of those pilots must maintain. How can they fly in such a tight formation and make such quick changes to their formation without making a fatal mistake? It's beyond my comprehension. And, yet, their announcer, during their performance, kept referring to them as "your Blue Angels" and saying things like, "Your Blue Angels love performing for you." This is mine??? How can that be? How can a person put into words what free people can accomplish? As I watched, I kept thinking, this military of ours is worth whatever sacrifice we are asked to make, the most important of which is expressing the deepest gratitude and reverence for our all-volunteer military. What a spectacular treasure and source of pride.
The other thing that boggles my mind is I can't think of a time I've thanked a soldier for his service that he hasn't replied with "my pleasure" or "I'm honored" (and always ending with "ma'am.") What does that say about the United States of America? Only freedom can cultivate such deeply rooted love and dedication to the importance of our military. We had the privilege of watching the F-16 fly in formation with a WWII-era fighter jet. What a contrast!! It was so interesting to see that. I don't even know where a person begins to describe the difference between the two. The advances that have been made! Wow. And in less than 70 years. People are brilliant creatures and what's unleashed in them when boundaries are removed is astounding. The reason no other military on this planet even comes close in comparison to ours comes down to one ingredient: FREEDOM. Let's put everything we have into making sure it stays that way.
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