American Heroes: A Salute to Veterans

This fall I was invited to be the guest speaker for a Veterans Day gathering in our area. The speech needed to be around 25 minutes and I honestly didn’t know where to begin. Trust me, I have so much to say in regards to our veterans, their commitment to our nation and to us and the struggles that they faced after the war ended. I knew there would be many veterans in attendance from many different conflicts and I wanted to do each of them justice so of course I was nervous about how to do that.

I would have loved to have been able to share each and every veteran’s story that braved the rain that morning, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible. I am lucky enough to know a few of our nations heroes, of course one being my husband. I was able to share a little of Justin’s story as well as the story of another great man I happen to know, the story of Mr. C.B. Perdue. C.B. is a World War II Purple Heart recipient. You can read a small snippet of his story here and watch a video of his first time back in a B-17, 67 years after he was shot down over Germany.

I was so honored and lucky to have not only my husband in attendance at the speaking engagement, but also Mr. Perdue. He Turns 91 this year and ya’ll honestly he could run circles around me. After the ceremony was over, I was brought to tears when he presented me with a Purple Heart challenge coin. It is a true honor to have received such a token from an honorable hero.

Being able to share stories like C.B.’s, Justin’s and other veterans is something that I hold near and dear to my heart. Telling the stories of the sacrifices these great men and women have made is a true American classic.

Until the Mission is Complete,

Farabe’