Nicole Fagan’s speech focuses on R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Nicole Fagan

The lifeless body lay next to him.

He had rushed toward his battle comrade while dodging the next wave of bullets that were being shot across the landscape.

He had engulfed his companion’s head with his chest.

He lay next to his child, running his dirty, bloody hands through the matted hair of this earlier breathing human. The only person in this vast world who he fought his entirety for was now slowly slipping between his fingers like the warm golden sand he saw his son grow up on.

He could not imagine life without his son, without his light.

“Respect” – It’s a seven-letter word that contains an enormous amount of integrity and valor.

As a society of the 21st century, we tend to overlook what it means to respect something or someone when it or they deserve it the most. My generation has lost the meaning of what war is really about.

It was about honor and courage and doing what was right for your country, even though it may not have been right for the nation’s welfare.

But now it seems that these days, war is all about money and power, and we have been discouraged about our nation’s leader’s decisions. Even so, we should never forget what it means to respect our veterans who laid their lives on the line to keep our country free.

Just think about all of those people you know that were in a war at some point. They always had a story or two to tell about their experiences, and you could see the honor and the pride pouring out of their eyes when they spoke about them.

We often forget that we should pay our respects to those who were so noble and brave. We are so wrapped up in our busy lives that we stop caring about the people who made our lives easier to live. They are the ones who made it possible to walk down the street freely and do what you want without being reprimanded for it.

All it takes is a simple act of respect, whether it be saying “thank you” to someone you know who is a veteran or whether it be showing your support for our troops who are fighting for our country as we speak.

For some veterans, the respect that we show them is the only thing they have to get them through the night. They have nothing left but the reminder of all those nights they spent alone and terrified of being killed while they were sleeping.

They lost so much and sacrificed too much for today’s youth to not care and completely disregard their heroism.

We cannot let our self-indulgence and our selfishness overlook our need to pay respect to those who gave us our freedom.

The American dream is “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness,” and because of our veteran’s bravery and audacity, our dream still rings strong and true.

For some veterans, their story ended at enemy lines, but for others, their story still lives as part of our country’s history and that my fellow Americans is what deserves our respect.

He did not want to let go of the fragile, vulnerable body he was holding in his arms, but he knew what he had to do.

He laid his son down on the cold ground and paid his respects to the only one he loved. He only fed from the courage and strength of this country, but he knew the cost of being respected would be far greater than that of his own strength.

As hard as it is to let go, it’s even harder hanging on.

Total
0
Share