“My family is with me today. They wanted to come with me. To be honest with you, I wasn’t sure how I’d feel coming back here. Every day I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge. And I’ve tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes, I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.” James Patrick Ryan from the movie “Saving Private Ryan”
I have only seen “Saving Private Ryan” once. It was a movie that brought out so many emotions for me. It impacted me because I had no idea the sacrifices made for me to have the freedoms I have today. We can debate or talk about where this country has been since WW II but that is not the point of my post today. It is the above quote that I will always remember from the movie. It was the older James Ryan with generations of his family asking the men who sacrificed their lives so that he could come home did I live my life in way that honored what you gave up for me. It is a question I ask as I have gotten older have, have I lived a life that honored all those who came before me and paved the way so that I could live a better life.
I have spoken many times in my blog about my mother Phyllis Redd King and the sacrifices she made for my brothers and me. Our hope is that we have made and are making her proud of the men we have become. It was a long road filled with triumphs and disappointments, but we continue to live the legacy set forth by our mother who we fondly call “The Queen”. We continue to work hard to earn what she has done for us.
I am reading the book “Remember the Ramrods” by the only living Medal of Honor Recipient David Bellavia. If you do not know his story I encourge you to read the book. When he talks about the loss and the sacrifices made, I wonder to myself whether I have earned what they have done for me. I think about my children’s great-grandparents William “Popi” McCarty and Harold “Grandpa Haly” Hall. They were part of the greatest generation and WW II veterans. As a matter of fact, Harold Hall was part of the navy frogmen who are now the Navy Seals. As I built a relationship with them that was not without its challenges, I ask myself have I honored their sacrifice by living my life in the right way.
I hope that I can be a strong role model for my children. I want to give them what was given to me. I want them to understand that even in these times of struggle they can be the light. I know this to be true because every day in my job I get to meet the most amazing people in my community who are working hard to shine a light on those who are in the darkness. I hope that I can live up to what they have given. I have this fancy title but when I talk about those who have made a difference in this community. It is the amazing leaders who are on the frontlines across this county helping those in need. I do my best to carry their voices so that they can be heard, and I stand side by side with them striving to make a difference.
I ask myself have I been a good man and the person that my mother raised me to be. Time will tell. I will continue to work hard and honor the sacrifices of those who came before me and for those who paved the way for me to have a better life. I hope I have and continue to lead by honoring the dignity of myself and others.
To the people in my life who have given me much, “I’ve tried to live my life the best I could. I hope that was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes, I’ve earned what all of you have done for me.”, James Patrick Ryan
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 