A Veteran’s Thoughts

By Ski Ingram

November 2024

In a few day it will be Veterans Day, a day that we set aside to honor the men and women who served this country in a time of war. Just think about it for a moment, these are men and women who were prepared to lay down their life for people they do not know and may never know.

A veteran risks his life for the American people and for the lofty ideal of freedom, liberty, our constitution and in short, our way of life. He does it so the American people are free to pursue happiness as stated in the Declaration of Independence.

Veterans are people who love this county and will defend it at all costs. We veterans are not afraid to do mighty things like risk our lives for our country. Theodore Roosevelt described the American people and especially veterans this way many years ago.

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much, nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

We reject the idea that the government should be in every aspect of our lives. We were trained to care for ourselves and our buddies. We are not afraid to fail, but if we do, we pick ourselves back up and try again and again if necessary. We also look for a leader who can inspire us to be the best we can be, even the best patriot we can be.

How do you repay someone who is willing to die for you? How do we repay the mothers, fathers, siblings, wives’ and children? I do not believe we can. As a combat veteran who served in the Army for 15 years, I know that most people serve because they love this country and all it stands for. The veteran who is fortunate to come home from war is given a free college education and a low-cost home loan. The ones who do not come home, their families receive a $50,000 insurance payment. Is that enough to repay the loss to family and friends? I do not believe it is.

Our government is spending billions on illegal aliens. These people, from who knows where, are rewarded with a place to live and money to pay for whatever they wish. They are being compensated for breaking our immigration laws. Our veterans are being short changed if you compare what they are given as opposed to what illegal aliens are given. But I say again, veterans do not want a handout. All they want is a level playing field, to be treated fairly and given the opportunity to use their training and experience to be the best citizen, in the best country, they can.

Few people today talk about the responsibility they have to our government. They only want what the government will give them. In fact, one presidential candidate this year is running on giving people more government handouts, which means they will have to take it from some to give to others. I have never heard the illegal aliens talk about repaying the country for what they have been given. Many come here to take advantage of our generosity.

Years ago, I read the Parable of the Popcorn. As you read it, please liken the Popcorn to American citizens. “Behold at the time of harvest the ears of corn did bring forth kernels which were dried and prepared for the poppers hand. And then it was that the popper did take the kernels, all of which appeared alike unto him, and did apply the oil and the heat.

And it came to pass that when the heat was on some did explode with promise and did magnify themselves a hundred-fold, and some did burst with whiteness which did both gladden the eye and satisfy the taste of the popper. And likewise, some did pop, but not too much.

But lo, there were some that did just lie there and even though the popper’s heat was alike unto all, they basked in the warmth of the oil and kept everything they had for themselves.

And it came to pass that those which had given of themselves did bring joy and delight to many munchers, but those which kept the warmth and did not burst forth were fit only to be cast out into the pail and were thought of with hardness and disgust.

And thus, we see that in the beginning all appear alike, but when the heat is on, some come forth and give their all, while others fail to pop and become as chaff to be discarded and forgotten.”

It’s the veteran who keeps our country safe from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Veterans, be proud of your service. You have done only what few others were willing to do, risk their life for the American promise, which states, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Ronald Reagan praised veterans a many years ago when he said, “Some people live an entire lifetime wondering if they have ever made a difference in the world. A veteran doesn’t have that problem.’

Ski Ingram is a life member of Lester Keate Post 90 of the American Legion in St. George, Utah. He now lives in Gilbert, Arizona. He is a combat veteran and a life member of five different veteran’s organizations as well as the NRA.                            He can be reached at Ski@Skiingram.com or www.Skiingram.com