Being in the military is a lot like being born again as a believer: Once you sign up, your life is no longer your own. A life in the armed services is a life of service, sacrifice, and obedience. Human beings are hard-wired for self-preservation, so it takes tremendous courage and fortitude to willingly sacrifice your life for someone else’s. It takes dedication to live in a trench, rain-soaked forest, or desert wasteland for weeks, months, or even years, carrying out orders that no one ever asked your opinion about, being separated from everyone you love, watching friends suffer and die, and waiting for everyone to stop fighting so you can just go home already. Most of us will never experience the reality and horror of war because a handful of selfless men and women choose to protect us from it. Chances are you owe your very existence to one or more earthly warriors who saved someone’s life or gave their own. So today let’s pay homage to veterans of every battle, those who came home and those who never did.