I never really thought about the sacrifices and the horror some of our veterans have endured until I saw this movie.
If you have not seen "Saving Private Ryan", then (without giving away any spoilers) I will say the opening scene, depicting the landing and slaughter at Omaha Beach, is unbelievably grim.
As kids, we would run around with our toy guns and pretend to storm imaginary beaches, run through the woods shooting imaginary SS troopers, and raid imaginary nazi bunkers. Just wade in, kick ass, take names. "Wow, I wanna be an army guy when I grow up!" we said, as innocent kids who didn't really know better.
Real war isn't like those stupid GI Joe cartoons, or like those cheesy glory-filled action hero movies. It's violent, scary, and grim. It's like "Saving Private Ryan," where not just the catastrophic death toll, but the fear, the suffering, and loss is unimaginable for anyone who wasn't actually there.
So, today, I just want to take the time to say, for all those who suffered, endured, survived, and laid their lives on the line to fight for and protect what we have, even saying "Thank you" probably isn't even enough.
I think there are some people, today, who take what we have in the US for granted, or perhaps do not even understand, nor appreciate, what our veterans have fought for. But for those who do, and again, for those who made those sacrifices, thank you so much. Happy Veterans Day.
