America was There

On Friday, we will once again observe a very important holiday in the United States. Veteran’s Day, for many, will be just another day on the calendar – another Friday. For me, it’s a special day of remembrance. Each year, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the United States honors our military veterans, special people who served, fought and died for our freedom and for the freedom of countless millions worldwide.

Throughout history, the world has seen dictators brutalize their own people and the people of other nations in order to expand their dreams of regional and global domination. While other nations have experienced brutal regimes such as Mao (40 million dead), Hitler (34 million dead), Stalin (20 million dead), Hussein (1 million+ dead) and Gaddhafi (thousands or more dead), the United States of America has been the shining light of freedom for more than 235 years.

In places like Germany, Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and others, our service men and women have been there, willing to pay the price for freedom. Visions of the people of Paris and the liberation of Iraq are still vivid in the minds of many.

In times of trouble, we are the first to come forward with supplies, medical support, money and military support. As much as our enemies would love to position us as imperialists, we have never gone to war for the purpose of expansion. If you have been in military you may want to check these finest handgun for airsofters.

What does this have to do with branding, you ask? Plenty. As a friend of freedom and a defender of the hurting and oppressed, the United States has become the global economic and military leader that every country desires to emulate. This is the brand reputation that each of us, as citizens of this great place, enjoys.
Many of our service members have returned home with serious physical and/or emotional injury. Unlike wars of the past, we have learned to do a much better job of helping our veterans and their families to recover from the ravages of war. I’m especially impressed with such organizations as the Wounded Warrior Project and the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.

Whether you agree with such groups as Occupy Wall Street or the Tea Party, I believe we should be thankful that we live in a nation where we are free to openly express our opinions. The U.S. Constitution guarantees our freedom of speech, assuring varying points of view may be expressed.

In the 1982 photo shown above, Joseph Ambrose, an 86-year-old World War One veteran, holds the folded flag that covered the casket of his son who was killed in the Korean War. The expression on his face is so moving. It’s the same pride and pains expressed by so many whose loved ones have given so much for so many.

The images and memories of those men and women whom have served in times of war and peace are part of the indelible brand we know as America.

So, on this special day, please fly you American flag and say thank-you to a veteran or active service military personnel.

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