Eduardo Rios Fierro wins College Bound 12th Grade Essay Contest

Americans should never forget the sacrifice and forever honor the accomplishments of our veterans.

America mustn’t forget the noble service of our veterans. They fought for us and protected our rights. They have kept the peace in our small towns; they have maintained the energy in big cities. Veterans give me and my peers the opportunity to be able to live in a safe space–a wartime-free environment. Unfortunately, in many other countries, kids my age can’t even fathom my day-to-day lifestyle: the privilege to drive to school without having to constantly worry about being in the middle of a military shootout. Kids in those conditions only know war and poverty. Veterans gave us this freedom by fighting in wars like the Vietnam War, World War I, and the bloodiest war of all, World War II. All of those brave soldiers went into war, knowing many of them wouldn’t come back alive. We might not know every single one of those soldiers, but we should honor and uphold their sacrifice; thankfully, we already do through parades like those on Veterans Day.

America should forever honor the accomplishments of our veterans. Even if most didn’t receive the prestigious Purple Heart, it doesn’t take away the fact that they consciously bet their life on our country. They gave up their lives for our flag, our people, our rights. Their noble actions have inspired me to look into the Armed Forces. I want to be part of something bigger than myself and protect those in need. That would be my way of honoring our veterans–I would fight the wars they couldn’t. Landmarks like the Field of Honor and Vietnam Veterans Memorial keep the legacy of past veterans alive. They remind us and will continue to remind future generations of the ultimate sacrifice those brave soldiers gave–their lives. We will never forget their selflessness, and we will forever honor the achievements our veterans have made.