Service Is...
Here it is. After weeks, and weeks of searching I finally found it. The essay that won me first place in my VFW district and the essay that beat one of my best friend's (I read and edited for him, so he 'believes' I sabotaged him).
If I remember, we had like two week notice. The essay was due to Halajian, English, by whatever Thursday. I wrote this the night before, had to cut stuff out because the word limit was 400. I had like close to 600.
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Service to the United States is no more than simply putting a flag out in your front yard or watching the news once in a while. Giving to our country is even more than a privilege. It's more than a right as well. Being able to do something for the place you live in when you already live in such a wonderful place is almost a blessing. A phenomenal thing.
For many reasons, joining the military will always be the highest service to the U.S. Those men and women who go to fight for our country deserve the utmost respect from everyone. Because of those people that give up basically their entire life, citizens of our country can sleep at night knowing they're safe. Without those people to fight for us, who knows what the United States would be like. I know I would never want to become anything other than an American because of what the U.S. military does to keep us safe.
But those people who have fought for our country and no longer do should be acknowledged as well. Though veterans did not personally save my life, they saved generations of my family. If they had not been there so many years ago, the possibly of me being here today might not have been likely. To those women and men, they're part of my past as well as anyone else's. That's a service to everyone.
Then there are those who do not or cannot become a member of the military. But even if you're an average citizen at home with three children, the power to serve the U.S. is still available. A single Mom with five kids can still vote for her leader in her country. Her political status is just as important as being out on those battlefields or sitting in the White House.
Although children have a somewhat harder time trying to give back to American, just by watching and reading the news on our country can create some type of service. By giving support to those in Iraq and those who have fought for our country shows respect for those fighting, those electing and those who have fought.
Service to the United States can mean being something large like being the military or something small like electing your leaders. Anyone can give service to our country, even me.
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A Picture of the Award Given from the VFW
A Picture of the Plaque Given from my Schol
