Page 105 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2023 - Online Magazine

Evelyn Fisher is a freshman homeschool student. She enjoys piano, dancing
Before the founding of our nation,
the colonies were crying out for
freedom under British rule. Their
cry was not one of fear but one
of defiance. They recognized the
need for a new and independent
government, a government that
would be like no other. The pens of
the patriots formed great ideals of
freedom and liberty. However. the
artful words on paper alone could
not make freedom a reality. It was
the minutemen, the farmers, and
the soldiers who united to answer
that call of freedom. They risked
everything so that one day our
nation would be free.
These soldiers, these veterans, were
the people who made freedom a
reality. These men answered the
call of freedom with one of courage
and defiance. Without the courage
of the patriots, the colonies would
still be subjected to foreign rule,
and freedom would only be a
dream. Because the veterans fought,
the bells of freedom rang out.
Through the following years,
great men and women toiled,
labored, and strove to establish the
foundation of our nation. However,
our nation was young, and our
freedom was not secure. There were
those who would try to silence the
as a member of the Ballet Lubbock company and reading good books.
peals of the Liberty Bell. Soon after freedom rang and still rings today.
its formation, our nation's freedom
was threatened in the War of 1812. Why did they do it? Why did
Britain and the rest of the world these veterans fight and die for my
did not respect these newfangled freedom? In J.R.R. Tolkien's novel
notions of freedom and liberty. The Two Towers, he declared, "Folk
Indeed, the respect of the world had in those stories had lots of chances
to be purchased, as well as liberty, of turning back, only they didn't.
and as before, words were not They kept going because they were
sufficient to bring these ideals into holding on to something. That there
being. America won the battle for is some good in this world, and it's
the respect of the nations, but it was worth fighting for."⁴ I am thankful
our veterans on land and sea who for our veterans because they did
not turn back but kept going. They
paid the price. As long as there are held on to the hope of the good in
men and women willing to answer our world which they were fighting
the cry of freedom, then America for. Long ago, veterans purchased
will truly be the "land of the free my freedom. They believed my
and the home of the brave."² It was future was worth fighting for.
the veterans who made this idea a Because of them, I can hear the
reality yet again. They answered peals of the Liberty Bell. It rings
the call, and freedom rang. for me. I have the chance to dream,
America won respect and learn, and work for my own future.
independence from foreign
countries. Those who were looking Because of these veterans, freedom
for freedom, opportunities, and rang for those who came before me,
a fresh start heard the sound of freedom rings for me, and freedom
the Liberty Bell and flocked to will ring for many generations to
America's welcoming shore. Our come. Yes, veterans are important.
nation grew and flourished, but They answered the call, and
freedom had to be purchased again freedom rings.
and again. Blood was an expensive
currency, but Thomas Jefferson
predicted it would be necessary 1 Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a
when he declared that "The tree Dream," August 28, 1963, Lincoln
of liberty must be refreshed from Memorial, Washington DC.
time to time with the blood of 2 Key, Francis Scott, 1779-1843. "The
patriots... "³ In Abraham Lincoln's Star-Spangled Banner."
famous Gettysburg Address, he 3 From Thomas Jefferson to William
commissioned the world to never Stephens Smith, 13 November
forget the deeds of the soldiers who
gave their lives on the battlefield. 1787. Founders Online, National
He was right in doing so. Yes, Archives, https://founders.archives.
gov/documents/Jefferson/0 I-12-02-
veterans are important, both those 0348.
who lived and those who died. We
have a duty to remember, to respect 4 Tolkien. J. R. R. 2005. The
and to live lives worthy of their Two Towers. London, England:
sacrifice. Because of these veterans, HarperCollins.
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