We should stand

They stand by the flag when it is hated and trampled on, and they stand by the flag when it flies high and proud. 
 
Veteran Daniel Pullen of Upton stated something similar to this in the closing of his speech during the veterans program in the Crouch Auditorium at Newcastle High School on Monday. 
His statement resonated with me as I listened to the songs of men being away from their families, making the ultimate sacrifice and returning home to a country that doesn’t 100 percent support the mission they just completed. 
Pullen shared his story with the gathered veterans, supporters and students. Out of 10 years of his life in the service, he said, he spent nearly half of it away from his family, traveling port to port and supporting our country. While he never saw bullets and combat, he sacrificed and served for the greater good of the people living in the country we call home. 
Today, despite the number of people who think this country is a not-so-great place, there are still men and women every day who make the decision to fight and possibly die to defend all of us, and we as a country should do everything in our power to support them through their journey. 
I am proud to say I live in a town that still takes the time to make a community effort to express support for these individuals that most definitely deserve more respect than they are given. 
From the concert at the school, featuring performances from every age level, grade school to high school, to the reports prepared by our second-graders sharing the story of veterans, our students and youth are taught to respect the flag, our veterans and the sacrifices they make. 
As I read the stories, hear the songs and see the men and women who wear their veterans hats with pride, I can’t help but think that I could never muster up the guts to do what they have done. To sign their life away to defend me, the ones I love and our country takes guts and courage that I myself have never possessed — and for that we should stand. 
We should stand by them every day, all day, not just on the days designated to paying respect to these individuals. We should stand by them and not be the people who hate and trample the flag that has given us so much. We should stand and show as much respect and love for our country as they have shown. We should say thank you more than just once a year. 
So thank you, veterans, for your service. Thank you for sacrificing your life to serve not only in times of war but in times of peace. Thank you for ensuring that I live in a country that provides me with every opportunity to better myself and provide for my family. 
Thank you!