By Lulu

I never had a parent or grandparent in the military. My brother was in the Navy as a corpsman for a few years and I had older friends shipped off to Vietnam due to the draft, somehow, I developed a real love of veterans. They embody the best of what America should be…brave and patriotic. I must admit I am a bit worried about what the current administration is doing to our military, and it seems like they have lost sight of who should be protecting us.

I have attended the Ride to the Wall with Rolling Thunder 3 years and feel every American who has never attended it is missing a moving and emotional event. Eustis’ Salute to Veterans is one of the best events I have witnessed in Florida for showing off our love of those who serve this great nation. The parade, the lakefront park decked out with military vehicles, with a backdrop of veteran paratroopers from Phantom Airborne Brigade jumping from planes into the lake all morning, and the Iraq and Afghanistan National Memorial walls, made the trip to Eustis worthwhile. The Phantom Airborne Brigade and The Ranger Group hosted the morning jumps. The Sons of Mosby MCA, The Long-Range Reconnaissance Surveillance, and the Paratroopers for the 82nd Airborne Division all participated. Even veterans in wheelchairs were able to participate jumping from the plane to the lake below where boaters scooped them up and brought them to shore. An amazing sight!!

Thank you to all who served in the military, the cost of just being away from your families for an extended time is a great sacrifice. For those of you who served during wars, knowing that your time there kept us safe and helped keep us free, I am in awe of any who can be so self-sacrificing for others.