From A Grateful American

Wars are ugly, but they are often necessary.  The purposed action of violence against opposing forces and ideals weave a common thread throughout our history, from Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, leading the first recorded conflict in Scripture (Genesis 14) to the continuing war against terror today, war has always been.  We can be confident that, on this earth, war will always be.  And, out of necessity, war requires a great sacrifice; however, that sacrifice seldom comes from those who so adamantly oppose such conflict; the sacrifice is firmly planted on the shoulders of those who, through extraordinary bravery, step boldly into the path of harm to perform the bidding of others, so often for the well-being and freedom of a nation that may remain ignorant of the true cost.

English philosopher, John Stuart Mill, wrote in 1862: 

“War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feelings which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.  When a people are used as mere human instruments for firing cannon or thrusting bayonets, in the service for the selfish purposes of a master, such war degrades a people.  A war to protect other human beings against tyrannical injustice; a war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice, is often the means of their regeneration.  A man who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.  As long as justice and injustice have not terminate their ever-renewing fight for ascendancy in the affairs of mankind, human beings must be willing, when need is, to do battle for the one against the other.” – John Stuart Mill

As an American, I can look out upon the vast expanse of a great nation that has remained free, not because of those who stand in opposition to war, but because of those who chose to do what was necessary for the sake of a people, a nation, and a freedom that has too often required the blood of the brave.  I am certainly not advocating that war is good, but it has often been required.  And, where it has been required, the American solider has stepped forward, leaving being their families, to serve in defense of a cause that they identified to be greater than themselves.  

Politicians and tyrannical ideologies are the true instigators of most conflict; consequently, it is not their blood that will carry them through to victory; it is the blood of the solider.  I believe that most soldiers engage in warfare with a profound hesitancy to carry out the brutal acts of violence they have been trained to perform, but they carry on all the same.  We are graced to be in the presence of men and women who are willing to engage their very life in the defense of our own, and the memories of those who have died performing this service for us should stand out as a stark reminder that our freedom is not free; it never has been, and it never will be. 

On this Veterans Day, let me express my eternal gratitude to those who choose to live a life in the service and defense of the United States of America.  Politicians have not made us great, nor have they made us free.  That honor lies solely with the American solider.  No medal, pinned to their chest, is worthy to denote their sacrifice.  No monument to the fallen adequately portraits the true cost paid by those whose names are inscribed.  Americans owe a debt to the U.S. solider that we cannot repay.  Thankfully, soldiers continue to serve, not because of the monetary rewards or the medals and ribbons awarded, but because they are driven to defend the distinct call to freedom contained within our founding documents…a call that is constantly challenged, often from within the borders of the very nation they are impassioned to defend.  

Let us take time to remember the American solider, their families, and those who have died in defense of our great nation, fighting wars they did not start, defending the honor of a nation that may not always be appreciative, and preserving a freedom that has proven to endure only at the great cost of the few who have had the courage and integrity to defend it.  With immense gratitude, I salute our veterans.  I thank God for you.  We should all thank God for you.                ​