Gratitude to Those Who Paid for Our Freedom

Hello Everyone,

I’ve been so touched by the many Facebook posts by friends honoring dads, moms, and family members who gave courageously of their time, their health and many…their lives…to protect our freedom and for those in so many nations.

I’d like to bring a truly worthy non-profit to your attention if you’d like to donate today to help our wounded troops, Fisher House.

Fisher House has a 4-Star 99.68% rating with Charity Navigator, and their mission is to help wounded and sick members of our military have their family come to their sides as they fight for their lives or struggle back from devastating injuries.

Please consider donating something today. You can also donate airline miles (Hero Miles) or hotel points to bring their families to them — which is such a vital part of their recovery:
https://www.fisherhouse.org/about/

As my own parents battled their own illnesses and ultimately passed away in the last few years, I know on the deepest level how important the love and physical presence of family is to those contending with serious illnesses. There is a wonderful Fisher House at the Palo Alto VA Hospital, and seeing the families there made me realize how much this younger generation of veterans need our help now.

My Dad was honored to serve in WWII and he was grateful to survive to raise a family…and he remained profoundly moved by the experience. He honored his fallen friends and always had a special way of drawing out the stories, many horrific and traumatizing, from the veterans of all wars, many of whom could never talk before about their experiences.

One of his close friends, Jack Bradley, with whom he enlisted and went to boot camp, became one of the famous flag raisers of Iwo Jima in the famous photo above. Jack didn’t speak of the war, a decorated hero himself, but would only humbly say that “the real heroes died on Iwo Jima.” His son, James Bradley wrote an excellent book, which became a movie, called “Flags of Our Fathers” which is a valuable chronicle of the battle. Another remarkable story is “Unbroken” which is well worth reading before the movie comes out this Christmas.

Many generations of veterans and their families paved the way for the life and freedoms we enjoy today, and many died on foreign soil to give others a chance for freedom. I am profoundly grateful to all of them, and to their families who paid the price, and I join the rest of you in saying a deep THANK YOU.