This past Friday, November 8th, I had the opportunity to hike Mount Whitney, California’s tallest peak and the tallest peak in the lower 48 states.
While that was an awesome experience all by itself, summiting this peak wasn’t even the highlight…the highlight was being on this mountain with an inspiring group of Marines!
These guys were taking turns carrying a platoon brother up to the top because he lost his legs in Afghanistan.
I was overwhelmed with emotion as we witnessed this daunting feat. Not only for their willingness to serve our country and to preserve the freedoms we all enjoy, but for what they were now doing for one of their buddies up this challenging mountain.
What a powerful example of sacrifice and service.
The impact of this experience went even deeper for me as a Scoutmaster of 10 years with a troop that puts up flags throughout our neighborhood on special holidays like today.
THIS is who we do that for! THESE are the men [and women] we are honoring for their service and sacrifice on so many levels.
Despite our affiliation with the BSA soon coming to an end, we are all still members of the USA with not a lot a 12-year-old can do to show his duty to our country. That said, my reason for wanting to line our streets with American flags a few times each year is one small way of expressing how much we appreciate those who are willing to put their lives on the line like that for the rest of us.
So not only on this Veteran’s Day, but every day… THANK YOU for your service!
If you want to know more about this story, watch the original NBC News coverage here.
What an incredible testament to patriotism & love of country, fellow men & women. These are the kind of narratives that teachers should be teaching the future leaders of Our Great Nation.