What bothers me the most is the fear that many of the younger generation have lost the spirit of patriotism and what it means to be an American. Perhaps this is the price we have paid for "peace in our time". I would hope that the Americans of today would not have to live in a country at war to re-kindle the embers of patriotism. Would I feel as I do about our nation if I had not grown up in the 50's and 60's, in the eras of the Korean and Vietnam wars? I can only hope that I would.

How can we pass on the flame of patriotism and pride many of us feel for our country? I talk to the young people I know and tell them of my experiences and how I feel about our country. I try to explain that our freedom is not a gift, but a legacy left to them by the thousands of veterans who have fought and sacrificed in all the wars our nation has been involved in. We all accept our freedom as a birth right. But doesn't this freedom have a price tag? You bet it does!

When I went to the "wall" last Thanksgiving, I was looking for the name of my adopted MIA. I finally found it on one of the lower lines of the panel. I had to get down on my knees to touch it. When I went to get up, I looked to the left, the right and above me. All I saw were all those names. The enormity of the price we had paid and 30 years of pent up emotions got the best of me.

We could force people to be "patriotic" by reinstituting the draft. I personally think it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Is two years of service to our country too severe a price to pay to live here? But in these days of political correctness and God forbid, "hurting someone's feelings" this is probably not going to happen.

I think the only other solution is education. Educate our kids about our history, why we have Veteran's Day and Memorial Day. Explain why the POW/MIA issue is important. Why we cannot let the government sweep the memory of these patriots under the rug. Only through knowledge will the legacy of those who have gone before us insure the freedom of those to come.