FORT HOOD, Texas -- Two-hundred-thirty-six years ago, this nation declared its hard-fought independence; independence earned from the blood, sweat and sacrifice of American Soldiers.
From the Revolutionary War through today's current conflicts, service members have stepped forward to fight for and defend the freedoms and rights Americans enjoy.
Today's Soldiers represent less than 1 percent of America and shoulder the burden of protecting this nation as an all-volunteer force. They carry on the mission of those who served before them while their Families man the home front.
Ask a Soldier why he or she serves and the answer will vary.
Some join for the educational opportunities or entitlements. Others serve to ensure their Families' livelihood.
Staff Sgt. Vuthy Ham, an infantryman assigned to Troop E, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, joined the Army to pay a debt.
"I joined to payback this country for allowing my Family to get away from poverty and war," he said.
Ham's Family fled to Thailand from their native Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge. Because of his father's assistance with U.S. efforts during that time, Ham's Family was granted permanent residency visas in 1985.
"My Family has always been pro-America and thankful to this country," Ham said.
His parents are proud that the staff sergeant decided to serve their adopted nation, but his mother was apprehensive at first.
"She was hesitant because I was going into the infantry," Ham said. "My mother lost her whole family in the war (in Cambodia)."
He took his oath of citizenship in 2009 while in Baghdad to officially become an American citizen, and so he could continue to serve in the Army.
"Eight years is the limit if you are not an American citizen," Ham said.
He hopes to make the Army a career.
"I feel like there's more justice to do, more people who need help," Ham said.
Helping others is a strong motivator toward military service.
Pfc. Kristopher Bloom, an infantryman also assigned to Trp. E, 2-3 Cav. Regt., enlisted out of an obligation he felt following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"Innocent people were murdered," he said. "So many firemen were killed."
The deaths of the New York City fire fighters were especially tough for Bloom and his Family. On Sept. 11, Bloom's father, a New York City fireman, was working in the twin towers.
Bloom's mother picked him and his younger sibling up early from school and told them about the attacks. All the family knew was that Bloom's father was working in the towers.
"We were sucked in to the TV," Bloom, who was a fourth-grader at the time, said. "It was traumatic."
For two days, he did not know his father's fate.
"Cellphones didn't work, the bridges were shut down," Bloom said. "The city was on lockdown."
The family watched as the towers fell.
Two days later, Bloom's father walked through the front door.
"He was on the 86th floor of the second tower when he heard the 'mayday' call," Bloom said about his father. "He was one block away when the tower fell."
That day led Bloom into the service. He wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself.
"I love everything about the Army," Bloom said. "I love my job -- the structure, the physical demands."
Bloom, who comes from a long line of firefighters, is the first in his Family to serve in the military. He hopes to one day also join the New York Fire Department, but if that does not happen, he said he would make the Army a career.
Doing one's part is a common reason Soldiers serve, but some enter the Army wanting to operate at a higher level. For one Soldier, that strive to perform better led to another reason Soldiers choose to serve -- for their buddies, the ones next to them.
Sgt. Adam Quick, a member of 2nd Battalion, 38th Cavalry Regiment's long-range surveillance team, joined the Army hoping for Special Operations.
"I wanted to serve my country and do my part," Quick said. "I wanted to be at the front line."
Growing up, Quick dreamed of being a Navy SEAL, but his father wanted him to finish college before joining the military.
After completing his bachelor's degree in Nevada, Quick joined the Army with aspirations of completing Ranger school.
"I wanted to come into the Army not just to serve, but to do it at a higher level," Quick said.
When special operations service was not going to happen, Quick was assigned to Fort Hood as part of the LRST under the 504th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade.
Recently returned home from a deployment to Afghanistan, he has enjoyed his time with the LRST, especially because of his fellow Soldiers. Quick, a lifetime sports enthusiast, compared the camaraderie he has found in the Army with that shared by teammates.
"We are a really close-knit group," he said. "We are around each other so much that we really got to know each other. They are some of the greatest guys you'll ever meet."
Quick said he knew when he enlisted that the Army would not be a career for him, but the relationships he's built with his brothers-in-arms will continue.
"That closeness and camaraderie," he said, "I cannot describe it, but the guys you served with get it."
Veterans from previous conflicts can testify to that brotherhood forged in service.
Vietnam veterans Clifford Baldwin and Patrick Hidy came to Fort Hood with their chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America last week to thank the post for last month's welcome home ceremony and present a plaque in appreciation to III Corps and Fort Hood Commanding General Lt. Gen. Don Campbell Jr.
Both men said the May 21-welcome home ceremony for Vietnam veterans was the first either received for their service.
Forty years removed from the Vietnam War, Baldwin and Hidy talked about why they served. Their answers were strikingly similar to today's Soldiers' responses.
Baldwin, who retired from the Army in 1987, came from a family whose line of service to this nation traces back to the Civil War.
"Freedom is not free," Baldwin said. "Serving is just part of being an American. I felt proud to do what I did."
Hidy joined the Navy in 1966 and served one tour in Vietnam. He enlisted because he felt he owed the nation when she called.
"All the wonderful things we have here," he said, "I felt that if the country asks you to serve, you should."
Both men said they are happy today's Soldiers do not return home to the antagonistic society that met them.
"America knows now," Baldwin said.
Now, joined by their spouses and fellow Vietnam veterans, the men do their part to welcome Soldiers when they return home from deployment and wish them well as they leave for down range.
Standing beside those Vietnam veterans are the Families of those Soldiers, who also do their part in service to the nation.
As John Milton said, "They also serve who only stand and wait." Army Family members support their troops by keeping the home fires burning.
Libby Lugo, an Army spouse for five years, embraced military life when she married her husband John, a noncommissioned officer with 4th Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.
"I've been involved since the beginning," Lugo said. "I didn't know anything about the Army at first, but I wanted to be a part of it."
Lugo learned quickly the Army Family is a tight community.
"The Army Family becomes your Family," she said. "They're the ones who understand."
When she married her husband, Lugo jumped head first into the Army community.
She volunteered with the Fort Hood USO and Santa's Workshop, worked as a Family Readiness Support Assistant and was the Family Programs Coordinator for the 1st Cav. Div.
Lugo makes it a point to not only support her Soldier, but all Soldiers.
"It isn't just about my Soldier," she said. "I truly, truly do love all the Soldiers. They're important to me."
July 4, the Lugo Family hosted Soldiers at their home who recently returned from deployment for a barbecue to show their appreciation for what the Soldiers do.
For Lugo, that is what the holiday is about -- showing appreciation for the service and sacrifices made to keep this nation free.
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