It May Be Time For This Old Warrior To Sign Off

“Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”

General Douglas MacArthur

I will soon turn 64, thus beginning my 65^th year on this earth, and I have come to believe it is time to move aside for the next generation. My wife Debbie and I are enjoying our retirement, and our time together is cherished beyond description. We shall fade away together.

I started this blog in 2006 in anticipation of my third mobilization in the War on Terror. It became my effort to highlight soldiers, police officers, military and law enforcement families, and to provide resources for them. I also couldn’t resist commenting on world affairs or political events.

However, since my retirement from the Army in 2009 and my retirement from the police department in 2010, I can no longer write a blog from the perspective of an active soldier or still-serving cop. Also, there are literally thousands of blogs and websites that do a better job of providing up-to-date information for the communities I have spent my life serving.

This blog will remain active because I still get a lot of visitors who read both recent and older posts. I also receive comments from these readers, and I enjoy responding to them. There are people who find my book via the blog, who visit the book’s website, and who order it from me or via the web, so that will continue to be enjoyable as well.

The world in which we live is changing in many ways. Unfortunately, much of what we will see over the next couple of years will likely alter our way of life dramatically. I fear the loss of many of our liberties, I am concerned about the inability of our elected representatives to save our economy from excess spending, and I wonder if those in charge of our nation really have our best interests at heart.

To my children and grandchildren – and to all of those in the next couple of generations – I beg you to do everything you can to preserve the liberties given to us by God and defined so well by our founding fathers. They and subsequent generations have sacrificed greatly to protect the freedoms enshrined in the Constitution.

A relative of mine once said that the Constitution needed to be “updated.”  Though a well-meaning liberal, this person did not understand that the Constitution and its liberties are timeless. They do not need updating; they need to be protected for all Americans for all the generations to come.

After twenty-three years of military service and twenty years as a law enforcement officer, it is time to let a younger generation (with better backs and knees!) take their positions on the bunker line of liberty. (However, if you need backup, I'll get there as soon as I can.) Keep a steady watch, do not fall asleep, and be ready to defend the perimeter when duty calls.

Because, my young friends, America is in your hands now......

Charles M. Grist

Author of the award-winning book My Last War: A Vietnam Veteran's Tour in Iraq