Veterans have kept us free

Resslin' Around, by Casey Ressler

Freedom is not free. Ask any veteran and they can show you the wounds -- both physical and emotional -- to attest to the fact.

Sometimes, we take those freedoms for granted, and we need something to remind us of it.

Two recent events reminded me how much freedom really means in my everyday life, freedoms I take for granted as well.

In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, I was asked to talk to a middle school classroom about freedom of the press. A bunch of speakers were coming in on different days, and each was asked to talk about a different freedom. Before going into the class, I outlined in my head what I was going to say, and it was then that I realized how little I respect that freedom.

It is why I have the job that I do. Every single day I show up for work, it is because of that very freedom. If I lived in another country, one without the freedom Americans enjoy, I wouldn't be able to cultivate my own stories or be able to report the truth in a meaningful way. But I never even thought of it until I started talking to that class. Having that freedom was something I had taken for granted, because I know no other way of life.

In the discussion in the class, the freedom of the press turned into a journalism ethics discussion as well. And while we veered off the main topic for a while, we would not have been able to enjoy the conversation had we lived in other parts of the world.

A student was also the person who made me think about freedom again, this time on Nov. 11, on Veterans' Day. At the Veterans' Wall of Honor two Sundays ago, hundreds of veterans and their families showed up to remember those who gave their lives in the line of duty, and who fought to defend freedom.

It was kind of ironic, then, that the person who stole the show was a high school student who was about 7 or 8 years old the last time the U.S. military headed into action. Colony High School's Christina Perkins has a father who is a veteran, and she was asked to speak at the ceremony. Her discussion was about how veterans have protected the freedoms every American enjoys, and how important their military actions were.

It's not because of the reporter that we have freedom of speech and freedom of the press, she said. It's because of veterans.

It's not because of religious leaders that we have the freedom of religion, she said, it's because of veterans. And she's right. We were given those freedoms by early Americans, but they were defended on the battlefield every time a U.S. soldier picked up a weapon. And we all should thank them for it.

Stop and think about every freedom you enjoy, every single day, without ever actually realizing it. You'll be amazed. Sometimes it takes the outlook from people as young as middle school and high-school age to fully comprehend what we take for granted every day.

Casey Ressler (valleylife@frontiersman.com) is the Valley Life editor.