Dear Wisconsin Veteran,

The way I see it, America’s freedom can be described in three short words: red, white, and blue. Red, white, and blue are the colors that remind us of your service. Red, white, and blue are the colors that hang from our front porches. Red, white, and blue are the colors that represent our unity as a country.

Hi, my name is Mikayla and I am a senior in high school. This school year, I turned 18, probably the same age you were when you entered into the military. While you didn’t have a choice and most likely got drafted into the military, I do have the choice and I’m going on to nursing school at the University of Minnesota in the fall. I got to choose my own path in life and I can’t thank you enough for fighting for our country, because without you, I would not freely be given that choice.

In a world full of locked doors, the American flag represents a wide open space of opportunities. I see the flag in three parts: the stars, the stripes, and the entirety of the flag. The stars represent each individual state, but to me, they represent each person, each race, each religion, or each social group. The stripes represent the thirteen original colonies, but to me, they represent the mile long paths we can take in life. The entirety of the flag represents that we are all one country, no matter any minor differences, and to me, it’s the same.

In my opinion, freedom is the ability to make your own decisions, display your love for America, and remember those who fought for you. We may be from different cities and states, but we’re all united under that one red, white, and blue flag. When you fought for our freedom, you weren’t shown the proper gratitude and welcome home. So, I would like to say a belated thank you, to you especially.

Thank you for the ability to make my own choices. Thank you for the education I can receive in school. Thank you for the safety I feel everyday. Thank you to the thought of knowing I live in such a wonderful country. Not every country can say that they have the rights to freedom, education, protection, and peace. But Americans can—and they can because of the service of our veterans.

I hope you enjoyed your day at the War Memorial, you deserve all the honor (and more) than you received today.

Sincerely,

Mikayla