Ron Scogin

By Ron Scogin
Guest columnist

Many things have been written about the wars which Americans have faced since our country first arose. Freedom has been proclaimed from every valley to mountain top across the United States. Most people, though they have heard this, take to understanding this profound freedom should be the basic rights of all people. As I say all people, I’m talking about every shoe-wearing or barefooted human who walks the earth.

As we grow older, we tend to think about when we were younger, even when we gathered as men or women around the food table or tea table. Our past events are sure to be served there also.
This is where many of my thoughts grow from. Today, I want to elaborate on something that is embedded within my mind that probably will never go away.
As I take you, for those readers who personally know, back to the days of Vietnam, I want to give thought to something familiar--war. That conflict began from mid-1950 and ended with the U.S. withdrawal of troops in 1975.

Many times, in life, I have asked myself this question, on the quest of life, why would you be willing to die for what you believe in?  With tens of thousands of people who purpose themselves to serve others, in their life, with thousands giving their lives up in a chosen pursuit, “Why would they do it?”
Well, let me say this--most of their intentions are not to die for others.  They do not intentionally walk into dangerous situations with the idea of, “Here I am, kill me. I want to be a martyr.” However, most do enter those places knowing it could happen.

With all the news circulating the world today--the many different news outlets and informational avenues--we, many times, find it hard to believe them all. As the world started changing over the last several years, most all of us have found that news has been hard to swallow.