Dear John,
Today, we honor all veterans who have served the people of this nation in the United States Armed Forces.
The men and women among us who have worn the uniform deserve our heartfelt gratitude. Our nation was created to preserve the God-given, unalienable rights of its citizens, and in so doing, to be a light to the world. Every generation of Americans must defend the sacred gift of freedom, enshrined in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. While the duty to defend freedom rests on every citizen, veterans are the very special Americans who have stepped forward to put themselves in harm’s way on the wall of defense, pledging their own lives if necessary to protect our freedom.
Americans are, by and large, a peaceful people. But when we must fight, history can find no record of bravery, resilience, tenacity, and honor more worthy than that of the American Armed Forces. From Valley Forge to Fallujah, from Ft. McHenry to the invasion of Normandy, and from Gettysburg to the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam, our veterans have stood in the gap, faithfully paying the price of freedom. And, what we must remember today, is that the price they paid was paid on our account. They served and sacrificed to preserve our freedom.
The Bible instructs us to give “honor to whom honor” is due. (Rom. 13:7) Honor is certainly due to our veterans, who have faithfully paid the price for our freedom.
Let’s express that honor not only today, but every day.
