As
Veterans Day 2013 slowly fades from our collective memories, I take into somber
consideration the sacrifices made by the men and women throughout the history
of this country that have worn and continue to wear the uniform of our nation’s
armed forces.
I personally can't
think of a better way for the Franklin County community to honor and respect the
sacrifices made by our veterans and current military personnel than by sharing
the use of Tate's Hell State Forest with our soldiers to conduct military training exercises. The terrain in Tate's Hell is said to be similar
to the terrain our soldiers will likely encounter while fighting in campaigns on
foreign soil.
The freedom
that we hold so dear here in Franklin County to hunt, fish, camp and take in
the natural scenic beauty of Tate's Hell was fought for and won by a well-trained
U.S. Military. Training that has been
essential in securing the freedoms that we all enjoy today as a community and
as a nation.
The freedom to
not only enjoy Tate's Hell ourselves, but to also enjoy our safeguarded rights
to stand without fear to say no to the very soldiers who will likely fight without hesitation and
die with honor to preserve our freedom and rights to do so.
All of which saddens
me because my very own father Staff Sergeant Abe Johnson lost the use of his
eyes on a battlefield in Rome, Italy during World War II, fighting to preserve our
very right to say no. Also sadden because
our personal liberties have overshadowed our responsibility as a community and
as a nation to ensure that the men and women fighting to preserve those
liberties are at their very best.
Throughout the
history of this country, if it hadn’t been for the sacrifices of a well-trained
military we would likely be speaking Japanese, German or some other foreign
language and prohibited all together from owning a gun or allowed to enjoy the
simple pleasures of fishing and camping in Tate’s Hell.
Franklin
County played an important historic role during World War II, where over in
Carrabelle soldiers were stationed and trained at Camp Gordon Johnston in
preparation for a global war won by U.S. and Allied Forces.
Should 21st
Century Franklin County do any less than our World War II counterparts? Should we continue with our demands that our
freedom and rights to Tate's Hell take precedent over the country’s needs to maintain
a well-trained military?
If we can’t find a way to share this vast forest with our military personnel, then we better
start now insisting that several foreign languages be taught as mandatory courses in schools all across
what is currently known today as America.
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