Picnics, parades and fireworks, the things that Independence Day brings to mind as we approach July 4th. We really have no connection to the battle for independence that went on so long ago. Because although our independence was declared on July 4th (really it was July 2nd) 1776, there was a great deal that went in to achieving independence following the declaration.
And do we give much thought to the battles that have been fought since then so that we might continue to live in independence? Probably not.
I am in a great position to acknowledge the heros of the long ago battles as through my job with Seniors Helping Seniors of New Hampshire I am blessed to hear the stories of service in the name of independence. Sometimes they come from the service man himself and sometimes from a surviving wife or child.
I have met a widow and son who shared the story of the father serving in the Navy during WWII. He was in charge of locating and detonating mines before the ship ran them over and was blown up. At one time during this process something did not work right and the missile that would detonate the mine was jammed. Realizing just in time he acted quickly to stop the ship from moving further forward. Consequently the ship’s captain fell and broke his nose. The story goes that the serviceman was court-martialed however reason prevailed and it was acknowledged that a captain’s broken nose was better than the deaths that would have occurred had the ship continued forward.
Another gentleman tells of his family’s escape from Germany in 1939 on the last boat to reach Israel safely. In 1948 he served in the Israeli Defense Force in that country’s War of Independence. He was 19 and his sister was 16, both firing machine guns in the name of freedom.
And another senior we serve, so thin now his pants fall when he stands up but rightly proud to have served on the beaches of Normandy.
We visit daily with a woman who cannot recall the names of her children or how long she was married but she gazes at the flag folded and framed and hanging on the wall in the living room with the proud knowledge that the man she loved served his country.
These and others of the generation serving in WWII and Korea are now in another fight for independence. A battle to maintain their dignity and respect as they face old age and all of the complex conditions that come with it. The men and women who served in Vietnam are not far behind them.
As we all begin to face the task of caring for our aging parents, relatives, and neighbors we must remember that they deserve the fireworks, the parade and the special seat at the picnic. They fought for independence and they fight for independence still.