Respect- to hold in esteem or honor. In an institution on par with the United States Army it is not a commodity dexterously procured but one that is acquired through feats of personal courage and valor. It is earned through sweat, blood, tears, and is an attribute undoubtedly most deserved by the men and women who have sacrificed and paid the ultimate price by laying down their lives on the battlefield. It is important to pay tribute and honor the memory of our fallen brothers and sisters at arms so that we may never forget the sacrifices that they have made. It is important to keep their memory alive because they do not get to return home to see their loved ones and friends whom they left, to go fight on foreign soil to protect the freedoms of our nation. All to often in this day and age, the death of a soldier who gave everything for this country, in a conflict that has even been called “The Forgotten War” goes unnoticed to a population whose attention is lost in the over saturation of media. Military service has been thrown to the way-side in the eyes of the general public who have become enthralled over which celebrity did this or which politician said that, instead of feeling a since of pride and standing up to do what needs to be done as their duty to help this keep this country moving forward.
I myself lost a friend during this deployment, Private First Class Jonathan Villanueva, who I went to basic training and airborne school with. When I got the news that my friend, who I essentially joined the army with, had died it tore me up on the inside. It pains me to hear of American citizens who have the audacity to go to the funeral of a fallen soldier and shout obscenities and wave around signs with vulgar phrases. This is not only disrespectful to the memory of the fallen soldier, it is also disrespectful and offensive to the family, friends, and loved ones of the soldier. No body deserves that kind of impudence while dealing with the loss of a loved one....