1) Went off to war, saw and did terrible things and came back home.
2) Went off to war, saw and did terrible things and didn't come back home.
3) Saw their brother, father, cousin go off to war, see and do terrible things and come back home.
4) Saw their brother, father, cousin go off to war, see and do terrible things and not come back home.
When you deploy, whether it be to war or just routine, you see alot of things that makes you appreciate your country in ways that other citizens do not. You come home and are greeted by the sights of those things you have learned to appreciate and when you see that flag flying high and proud, you want to get on your knees and kiss the dirt.
The majority of Americans today have not had any contact with the kind of sacrifice that is required to maintain the freedoms that are embodied in the flag so many of them dismiss.
If that flag is 'no big deal', why was it that, when the guy going ahead of our armies carrying that flag fell, another soldier would sling his weapon and pick up that flag and continue carrying it before them? Why, if that flag is 'no big deal', does a soldier make himself a defenseless target to keep that flag where it could be seen by all? Why, if that flag is 'no big deal' was there traditionally one pistol cartridge with the matches in the truck of the flagpole to use on yourself when your duty to that flag was done?
This flag was planted on Guam less than 10 minutes after hitting the beach 20 July 1944.
Cpl. Christopher J. Boyd died Thursday, Aug. 19, 2010 in Helmand Province after an improvised explosive device exploded while he was on foot patrol, according to the Department of Defense.
He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
A 2006 graduate of Palatine High School in Palatine, Ill., Boyd was the second Camp Pendleton marine from suburban Chicago to die in combat this week.
Lance Cpl. Kevin E. Oratowski of Wheaton, Ill., died in Helmand Province on Wednesday, according to the Department of Defense.
Boyd is survived by his parents, his wife and twin boys, according to The Advertisement
After joining the Marine Corps in 2006, Boyd won a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal, according to The Daily Herald.
Boyd played for the football, wrestling and lacrosse teams at Palatine High School, The Daily Herald reported. His football coach, Tyler Donnelly, told the newspaper that Boyd was a role model.
"For years his name has been passed down in our program," Donnelly said. "We talk about him all the time. I really can't think of a better kid to give an example of what we're trying to get across: selflessness, sacrifice and hard work.
Explain to me how it is 'no big deal'...