28 October 2014

This past Sunday evening my church held our annual “Trunk or Treat” for the church kids and it is open to the community as well.  We had a great turn out.  I went through around 500 pieces of candy that night!  As usual, I also had my camera in hand and shot over 200 photos during the course of the evening for the church.  Being a photographer makes one a people watcher and Halloween always brings out the interesting folks even to a church sponsored event.

Watching the kids in their costumes is always a treat in itself.  And there were some parents who really got into the sprint as well.  Overall I think it was a good night for everyone!

Yesterday, while editing my photos, it dawned on me that there were a lot of super heroes in the mix this year.  Captain America and The Flash, were the top two among the boys.  The girls were represented by Princess Leia of Star Wars fame.  (Yes there were far more girls dressed as Princess Elsa from “Frozen” then Princess Leia.  And Elsa is the heroine in that tale as well.  But Elsa is not the warrior princess that Leia is in Star Wars)  So, over all it was definitely a night for the good guys and gals to win it and save their world.

This morning while thinking about Trunk or Treat and the kid’s costumes I got to wondering, “is it all Hollywood marketing and hype, or is there a deeper underlying reason for the reassurance of Super Hero’s today”?  Because, if you look into the history of the comic book super hero many of them were born, so to speak, during our country’s times of need.  Captain America and Sgt. Rock were two such super heroes of World War II.  Superman and Batman both have served our country since the depression, and through World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Viet Nam, and they are still fighting crime today.  So you have to wonder, “is the renewed popularity in super heroes really deep down, more about our country needing saved from today’s evil villains (or as they are called to today Terrorists)”?

If you stop and think about it, the sad truth is that every child in American today under the age of 13 has lived their whole life in a country at war!  Granted, at first glance, the good old U.S.A. does not appear to suffer much here on the home front from the war.  But I don’t think there is a town or community in this country today that has not felt the sting of this war in one way or another.  We have been sending our young men and women off to fight the “War on Terror” for over a decade already, with no end in sight.  Tens of thousands have bravely answered the call.  So, in fact, we are surrounded by heroes every day and don’t even know it!  We don’t recognize them because they don’t wear a super hero costume.  But, instead, they proudly wear the uniforms of our Country’s finest: the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and the Coast Guard.  Or, there are those who have hung up their uniforms and just quietly bear the scars of war.  Just going about their normal lives with very few people really knowing what they have done and sacrificed for their country.  We must also pay to tribute to all those who gave their lives for us here at home.

So, after this week’s Halloween fun and festivities, please remember the next holiday is Veteran’s Day on November 11^th.  Take time that day to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served our country so that we can enjoy the little things in life. . .  like Halloween.

To use one of my old favorite bumper sticker phases “If you are reading this thank a Teacher, if you are reading this in English Thank a Veteran.”

To the brave men and women warriors of today, and the Veterans of the Global War on Terror, this old Army Paratrooper salutes you.

God Bless American

S3