Courage to be yourself.

1 Timothy 4:12 (NKJV) ".... be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity."

Every disabled American veteran is an example or sample of what a veteran really is to someone. For many, veteran exemplifies what a patriot should be. You may not see yourself as an influence or hero to others, but that doesn't change the fact that you are! You didn't ask for the role I know, but in the divine scheme of all things you have been chosen for this role. People judge all veterans now and veterans now of the future based on their experiences with you and me. We are all on the same ship, and we sail or sink together in the minds and hearts of others in our world. Our world needs veterans who are willing to honor God, country, and each other in word and deed. For years our people searched for "real" heroes. After 9/11 they correctly found them in civilian and military uninformed services and American veterans. However, a great responsibility comes along with that distinction. Our greatest asset in this endeavor is to strive to be honorable men and women. Therefore, my prayer for each of us is that we will be true to our core and live up to that task of being true patriots. John Witherspoon, the only clergyman to sign the Declaration of Independence said, "It is in the man of piety and inward principle that we may expect to find the uncorrupted patriot, the useful citizen, and the invincible soldier. God grant that in America true religion and civil liberty may be inseparable, and that the unjust attempts to destroy the one, may in the issue tend to the support and establishment of both."

For God's Glory, Rev. Gerald V. Stump DAV National Chaplain