The Price of Freedom

  • Published
  • By Nancy Amy Caldwell
DOBBINS AIR RESERVE BASE, Ga., --  Freedom comes at a cost. It always has, and always will. As Benjamin Franklin said: "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." America has held true to this philosophy more than any other country in the history of mankind! Our men have battled and failed, bled and conquered. Perhaps some of the most talented and honored men to sacrifice for the liberty of our nation have been the meritorious men and women of the United States Air Force. The awe-inspiring heritage of the Air force has forever changed the world by advancing technology, extending liberty, and rallying the rising generations to stand for what is right; this virtuous cause is something for which my family has also stood for, much to my benefit.

Beginning with the invention of the plane by the Wright brothers in 1903, the airplane was speedily adapted to function in World War I. Planes such as the Sopwith Pup, SE5a, and the SP AD S.XIII helped the Allies recover from Bloody April and assisted in the Allies' eventual victory. The plane, of course, became more fully developed in World War II with planes such as the Devastator, the B-17, and many other innovative aircrafts.

These aircrafts bolstered the Allie's victories tremendously in manifold events, including the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the bombing of Dresden, and the multiple bombings of Tokyo. Of course, the most eminent of the bombings is that of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, which prevented the foreboding invasion of Japan and led to the victory in the Pacific Theater. In more recent wars, such as the war in Vietnam and Iraq, aircraft continues to benefit the military with supply drops, reconnaissance missions, bombing of enemy forces, and their numerous other capabilities. Most importantly of all, the Air Force has, with its constantly advancing technology and great moral fiber, saved hundreds and thousands of lives, both American and foreign, and set at liberty the nations of the world.

My family has a similar legacy of courage and bravery. My grandfather on my mother's side left Germany as a mere teenager, and came to the United States so that his family might attain their dream of fruition and autonomy after the ruin of World War 1. In sometime during the eighteenth century, my father's ancestors sailed over from Scotland and Ireland to dwell in America. These ancestors fought in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, one notably in the Swamp Fox Militia under Francis Marion. Others were preachers who fought bravely Against slavery in the South before and during the Civil War, teaching African children to read and write.

My father himself was a chemical engineer and Scout Master, with a great love for the outdoors and all things good and praiseworthy. My mother mainly remained at home to raise the eight children in our family, teaching us the piano, how to read, and to appreciate the truly valuable things in life. Recently, however, after the passing of my father, my mother has been teaching the fourth grade at a neighboring elementary school, where she does her utmost to instill in her pupils the same values she has taught to my siblings and me. With examples such as this, I have learned to be diligent in everything I do and to put all my mind, might, and strength into realizing my dreams.
The history of the Air Force abounds in growth, improvement, and sacrifice. By definition, the word 'sacrifice' means "to make sacred". That is what the men and women of the Air force have done for this country. They have made sacred our freedoms and liberties with the yielding of their very lives, and have shown the world that freedom is always something worth fighting for. Myancestors have also "made sacred" my life, by forfeiting all they have so that I might be educated, free, and happy. They have shown me by example that anything is possible, through faith and toil. Abraham Lincoln once said:

"It is for us the living... to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. . . that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain- that his nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." This country lives because of the great heritage of its ancestors, and exists to stand as a title of liberty to all the nations of the earth. I live because of the great heritage of my ancestors, and live that I might stand for all things good, just, and true.