Schools

Essay Winner: 'Is There Pride in Serving Our Military?'

Amy Deardeuff, a Fort Zumwalt West student, shares her Voice of Democracy themed winning essay with O'Fallon Patch.

Amy Deardeuff, a senior at won a VFW essay contest this year with her piece titled, "Is There Pride in Serving Our Military?"

Blogger Mike Nunnery praised Amy, after she read her essay at the April 12 O'Fallon City Council meeting. In his blog post, he said that her "voice, her presentation style and the content of her essay all spoke of a young woman well beyond her years."

After O'Fallon Patch received emails asking that we share this essay on the site, we reached out to Amy, who gave us permission to post.

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“Is There Pride in Serving in Our Military?” By Amy Deardeuff 

It is December 1945. A soldier in the United States Army packs his bags. He has spent the last two years in the Rhineland and is relieved to be coming home to his wife and children. He dreams of the savory smells wafting from the kitchen, the comfort of his mattress, and his children’s joyful laughter.

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Now it is July 5th, 2011. The hearse leads the procession through Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. The procession passes row upon row of headstones decorated with brightly colored flowers and the stars and stripes that represent this country. The procession arrives at a pavilion where soldiers remove the casket which is adorned with an American flag.

There are soldiers down the hill, standing with rifles at their sides, to execute the three rifle volleys. Another soldier in uniform performs “Taps” on his trumpet. As the trumpeter plays the melancholy tune, two soldiers approach the casket and gently lift the flag.

In perfect harmony, they fold the flag flawlessly, thirteen times. One of the soldiers kneels before the widow of the late soldier, and presents the flag to her “on behalf of a grateful nation as a token of appreciation” for the veteran’s “honorable and faithful service”. The gesture brings tears to the spectators’ eyes. Americans take pride in our military.

Even the teenagers of America take pride in our military. From the day I met my best friend Jordan, when we were only in seventh grade, it has been her dream to join the military. She exercises each day to prepare herself for the Candidate Fitness Assessment which she will be required to pass, pushing her workouts farther each time and not stopping until she can taste the trail of sweat running down her face. Jordan is an accomplished high school student.

At the mere age of seventeen, she is senior class president, on the varsity volleyball team, and secretary of the National Honor Society. But her proudest accomplishment: her acceptance to West Point military academy. When it was announced on Facebook that she got accepted to West Point, dozens of people posted congratulations on her wall. The most commonly used word in these posts, was “proud”. Teenagers, even thirteen year old girls, take pride in our military.

In my hometown, there is a memorial walk where citizens can honor our veterans. The memorial consists of sixty four pairs of bronze boots, marching in formation, representing all past and present veterans of the United States military. The sixty fifth pair of boots is separate from the rest, under the POW flag, to represent those who have never found their way home.

Five marble monoliths, which stand for each branch of the United States military, are located in a reflecting pool behind the boots. Beside the monoliths, is a steel brazier, housing an eternal flame to symbolize a passion that will never end, die, or be extinguished.

My father is the landscape manager for the city; therefore, I visit the memorial often. I had never given it much thought before. The memorial was appealing to the eye, but it was always just boots.

While writing this essay, I took the opportunity to revisit the memorial. As I walked among the rows of boots, I was overwhelmed with a sense of pride this country has in our military. Resting at the base of the reflecting pool was a withered Hallmark card beside the remains of a bouquet of flowers.

There was a message written inside the card that read, “To the heroes at the Battle of Peleliu (September 15, 1944). To those who never made it home. To those who returned but now have gone. To those who remain. You are not forgotten. Thank you and god bless you.” The memorial walk is a place where people from my community including my neighbors, my teachers, and the woman at the grocery store, show their pride in our military.

In the scorching heat on July 5th, 2011, a veteran was honored for serving in our military. He gave everything he had to protect this country and fight for what he believed in. I am proud to call that man my great-grandfather.

I recall the strenuous efforts of a young girl striving to serve this country. I am proud to call her my best friend. I witnessed the myriad of people gathering together for Veteran’s Day ceremonies at the memorial walk. I am proud to call those people my fellow citizens.

I have pride in all who are serving, have served, and will serve in our military. From those who dream of a militaristic future, to those veterans who risked their lives, the United States is, and forever will be, proud of our military.


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