Don Brunell

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with family and friends and give thanks for the blessings we enjoy. For others, it’s a time to volunteer at soup kitchens to help the less fortunate. For still others, it’s simply a chance to eat a huge meal and watch football.

In reality, most Americans have no idea how fortunate we are. With the exception of military families, too few of us have fought to protect the freedoms we have. Few people alive today experienced the depravation of the Great Depression. A full one-third of our population was born after the Vietnam War. Because of that, we don’t realize...