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« on: November 11, 2011, 03:15:09 PM » |
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The Patriot Post - The Most Noble of American Patriots
From The Federalist Patriot
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The Most Noble of American Patriots
By Mark Alexander · Thursday, November 10, 2011
Veterans Day 2011: A Tale of Two Marches
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things; the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse. A man who has nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance at being free, unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." --John Stuart Mill
Across our nation, there is a sharp division between two groups of Americans marching to very different drummers.
I am not referring to the current politics of disparity1 promoting class warfare between the 35 percent of statists (dependents who label themselves "99 Percenters2"), and the other 65 percent who are hard-working and self-reliant American citizens. The former are busy fomenting socialist protests3 in urban centers across our nation while the latter are busy working and caring for their families and communities.
Rather, the division I note is made plain by the vivid contrast in character between two groups -- those on the frontlines in defense of Liberty versus those who seek to subvert it.
On the right side of Liberty, we have American Patriots in uniform4 who, since the dawn of our great nation, have put their lives, fortunes and sacred honor5 on the line "to Support and Defend6" the Liberty enshrined in our Constitution.
On the wrong side of history, we have Leftist cadres7 loyal to Barack Hussein Obama8, who seek to supplant republican Liberty and its principle expression of free enterprise with socialist democracy9. Although the so-called "99 Percenters" are marching to Obama's beat, their protests are trivial compared to the endemic threat to Liberty posed by the rest of the Leftist hegemony10 in control of our central government.
Could the contrast be any starker?
The threat of Obama's minions notwithstanding, I am greatly encouraged, especially on Veterans Day, by the fact that American Liberty is defended, first and foremost, by the current generation of Patriots within our Armed Services, and the plurality of citizens who support them. It is fitting that we would reverently honor those whom, for generations, have sought to defend Liberty.
Veterans Day began as Armistice Day, when on 11 November 1921, the remains of an unknown World War I American soldier were buried in Arlington National Cemetery, in recognition of WWI veterans and the official cessation of WWI hostilities "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918. President Warren Harding requested that "All ... citizens ... indulge in a period of silent thanks to God for these ... valorous lives, and of supplication for His Divine mercy ... on our beloved country." Inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier11 are the words, "Here lies in honored glory an American soldier known but to God."
In 1954, Congress was determined to additionally recognize the sacrifice of veterans before and since WWI, and those of future generations, and thereby proposed to recognize 11 November as Veterans Day. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII, signed legislation establishing Veterans Day.
Insight into the sacrifice of our veterans and their families can be gained by noting that, since the American Revolution, tens of millions of Americans have served our nation with honor, and almost 1.2 million have died in defense of it. Another 1.4 million have been wounded, many gravely. The numbers, of course, offer no reckoning of the inestimable value of these Patriots' lives or the anguish borne by their families, but we do know that their sacrifices defended a most precious gift -- the gift of Liberty that we cherish to this day.
On previous Veterans Days, I have had the privilege of writing about great American Patriots who have profoundly influenced my life, including Roger Helle12 (USMC) and Roger Ingvalson13 (USAF). I have also profiled outstanding members of the current generation of uniformed Patriots such as Lee Miller14 (USA).
I am a humble descendant of generations of Patriots. My father15, and his father before him, were Naval Aviators in WWII and WWI respectively. Our family lineage records veterans back to the American Revolution.
These men have heeded the call to serve others before self, and have sacrificed accordingly. And now, my eldest son has received his acceptance letter from the United States Naval Academy and is awaiting Air Force notification.
This personal backdrop, which has stewarded my full appreciation for veterans and the day we set aside to honor them, is a driving force behind The Patriot Post's mission of service to our nation and the military personnel who defend her.
Our mission is the antithesis of that pursued by the current commander in chief, as Obama demonstrated this week when his administration announced his rejection of a request to place a small prayer-adorned plaque adjacent to the World War II Memorial in Washington. This was not just any prayer, I might add, but President Franklin Roosevelt's D-Day call to prayer on 6 June 1944, as 57,000 American and 75,000 British and Canadian troops made their way into bloody battle to establish five beachheads on the coast of Normandy. |
