Four years ago...

It was four years ago today that I (along with 130 others) returned from serving in Iraq. I know there is a lot of controversy around Iraq, but I am glad I had the opportunity to serve. I know a lot of good was done over there while I was there and a lot of good has since been done. I am extremely grateful that Heavenly Father blessed me and I was able to return home safely.

Barbara Bush said “Some people give time, some money, some their skills and connections, some literally give their life’s blood…but everyone has something to give.” Over in Iraq, it was painfully clear just how short life can be. There have been too many servicemen and women who have given “literally their life’s blood” over there. Elder Russell C. Taylor of the First Quorum of the Seventy said “There comes a time in the life of all people when they must certify with their actions what they believe.” Those men and women, who have given so much, willingly served the people of this nation and a people of a nation who desperately needed their help.

I am grateful I have had the opportunity to serve in the United States Army and serve under the colors of this great country. I am grateful for my country because I have seen on a small scale how terrible other countries can truly be. Growing up, I thought that people everywhere had the same freedoms that I took for granted; now I know that is far from true. I am thankful for the people who had the inspiration to do what they were supposed to to make the United States what it is. I am grateful that I am an American.