‘Band of Brothers’ tradition carries on today

I used to be an avid reader. I loved to read suspense, intrigue and murder novels. I read biographies and adventure books. I read motivational and self-improvement books.

These days, it seems like when it’s the end of the day, I’ve read all I want to read.

Sorting through the hundreds of e-mails I get on a daily basis and the pile of mail the editor and publisher gets and the news stories and advertising we create each week, I’ve read all I want to read.

I’ve got where I really look forward to a good movie. The advent of the DVD has been a major advancement for movie buffs such as myself.

I want to share with you one of the finest stories ever told on the small screen.

Last year, I got a new computer with a DVD player. We were making a Christmas trip to visit family in Arkansas and Texas. I bought several DVDs for the trip and one was the 10-part HBO series “Band of Brothers.”

The series, had run on HBO, but I rarely can plan to watch a series on TV. There are too many meetings and events during the week to be able to make a commitment to a specific time and date to catch a series.

After watching the first episode I was consumed. The Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg produced series was so compelling I couldn’t stop watching it. I was captivated. The music was awesome. The actors were incredible. The story was tremendous. The cinematography was fantastic.

As I watched each episode, usually two each night, I would reflect on what I had watched while driving the next day. I thought about the characters and what they went through and I began to think about the real life people who actually lived these stories.

The real life people portrayed in this movie were great Americans who answered a calling. They were men who suffered and sacrificed, some with their lives. I thought about why they would do it. I questioned if I would do it. I thought about if the young men of today make the sacrifices for a greater cause like these soldiers did in a distant time?

I’ve watched the series several times since then and have thought about these questions again and again.

I thank God that these heroes answered the call to stop and destroy a truly evil individual. For everything that is wrong with our world today, it is a much better place today because of these great Americans.

Would I have done what these gallant warriors did? You cannot answer that question without having to actually make the choice. I think I would have. I served honorably in the U.S. Air Force for nine years, eight months and 10 days. I then joined the Alabama Army National Guard and served in Gulf War I. I think I had (have) what it takes. But without facing what these courageous Americans faced, you don’t know for sure.

Will the young people of today stand up and do what it takes to rid the world of an evil entity? The answer to that question is yes. There are many brave men and women who are doing a tremendous service to all mankind. Ridding the world of the evil that exists in Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and their followers, is a noble cause that is being answered by many great Americans.

As we take time on Veteran’s Day Tuesday to reflect and honor the accomplishments and sacrifices of the men and women to whom we owe our freedom and way of life, let’s not forget about those who are continuing the good and noble fight.