“When we assumed the Soldier, we did not lay aside the Citizen; and we shall most sincerely rejoice with you in the happy hour when the establishment of American Liberty, upon the most firm and solid foundations shall enable us to return to our Private Stations in the bosom of a free, peaceful and happy Country.” —George Washington (1775)
(NOTE: The Patriot Post is under attack. In the months ahead of the midterm elections, some email service providers started blocking our publications — shades of the free-speech suppression that occurred just ahead of the 2020 election. More on this to come.)
At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — today, a word to the Veterans on our team and National Advisory Committee, and the tens of thousands of Veterans among our Patriot readers...
Sometimes Veterans Day falls on my column day, and while The Patriot Post honors our nation’s active-duty warriors and Veterans every day in many ways, it is a privilege to devote a column to our nation’s Vets.
Before some reflections on the significance of who we honor today, allow me to get this out of the way:
Perhaps the most difficult outcome of last week’s election, which was a referendum on the Republican Party rather than an affirmation of the Democrat Party socialists, is that, like you, I am fully aware of the sacrifices made by generations of uniformed Patriots to ensure the privilege of voting. That sacrifice accounts for why a substantial majority of Veterans vote for candidates who support American Liberty.
Unfortunately, most of those who cast their votes for socialists have no concept of those sacrifices. They are not devoted to anything larger than their own self-interest.
Notably, the incoming Congress will include fewer Veterans than at any time over the last 50 years. This, sadly, is not a coincidence.
While many elected officials honor their oaths “to support and defend” the Constitution, that oath means much more when taken at risk of bloodshed and life.
That said, this is a good day to step back from the din of MSM political churn in order to honor the service of generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, Coasties, and Guardians making up the ranks of more than 41 million Veterans who have served our nation since the American Revolution. Almost 17 million of those Vets are with us today, and we strive every day to live our lives worthy of their sacrifice.
That would include Veterans in my own family line, the earliest of whom were leaders among the Overmountain Men who killed the infamously brutal Scotsman, Major Patrick Ferguson, in the pivotal Battle of Kings Mountain in October 1780. They went on to fight with George Washington at Yorktown until the British surrender a year later. Our family members have fought in every major conflict since then, and that includes Medal of Honor recipient Brig. Gen. George Lewis Gillespie.
But the two Veterans who have had the greatest influence on my life are my father, an exemplar of “The Greatest Generation” as a WWII Naval Aviator, and my son, a former Air Force Academy Cadet Wing Commander who cross-commissioned as a Marine Infantry Officer. I am so grateful to have adult kids in our family who are of such character as to now be a welcome influence in our lives.
And speaking of Marines, we celebrated the Marine Corps Birthday yesterday, so happy birthday to my son and the Marine Veterans on our editorial team, including writers Douglas Andrews and Roger and Ron Helle.
Veterans and those now serving keep America great every day!
Over the last 18 months, we have celebrated some remarkable 250th anniversaries.
On March 23 of last year, we observed the 250th anniversary of Patrick Henry’s impassioned “Give me Liberty or give me death” speech, which captured the spirit of the coming American Revolution. Then April 19 was the anniversary of the first Patriots’ Day — the battles at Lexington and Concord, which ignited our Revolutionary War fight for Liberty.
That opening salvo was immortalized by poet Ralph Waldo Emerson as “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World.”
On June 14, we observed the 250th anniversary of the Continental Congress’s establishment of the Continental Army. The next day, George Washington was unanimously appointed its Commander and would spend the next seven years on warfronts with the Redcoats. October 13 was the 250th of the founding of our Navy, and November 10 marked the founding of our Marine Corps.
This year, on the anniversary of the signing of our Declaration of Independence, we observed American Liberty’s 250th birthday, and we recalled the words of Continental Congress member Benjamin Franklin upon that signing. When asked if the delegates had formed a Republic or a monarchy, he responded, “A Republic, if you can keep it.”
Though our national Veterans Day observance is not a 250th anniversary, Veteran American Patriots have served since 1775.
Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day, marking the end of World War I “on the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month” of 1918. The Armistice commemoration honored Veterans of World War I. On 11 November 1921, the remains of an unidentified American soldier from World War I were buried in Arlington National Cemetery in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in recognition of WWI Veterans and in conjunction with the cessation of hostilities on 11 November 1918. Veterans Day is appropriately observed with a moment of silence and prayer at the 11th hour.
In the years that followed, the remains of three additional warriors — one each from World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War — were laid to rest at the tomb. The 2021 observance marked the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Inscribed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are the words, “Here lies in honored glory an American soldier known but to God.”
But it was not until 1954 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower, former Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in Europe during World War II, signed legislation formally changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. Eisenhower wrote, “Let us solemnly remember the sacrifices of all those who fought so valiantly, on the seas, in the air, and on foreign shores, to preserve our heritage of freedom, and let us re-consecrate ourselves to the task of promoting an enduring peace so that their efforts shall not have been in vain.”
Let us indeed.
Thus, though this is only the 68th anniversary of the designation of our national Veterans Day, American Veterans have valiantly carried forward the banner of Liberty since that first Shot Heard ‘Round the World in 1775.
Veterans Day, as distinguished from Memorial Day, primarily honors and celebrates the millions of American Veterans in our midst — those we can thank in person for their service and sacrifice. It also honors the spouses, widows, and families who supported them through their service to our nation.
It is a stark reminder that freedom is not free.
At one point in their lives, every Veteran wrote a blank check made payable to “The People of the United States of America” for an amount up to and including their life.
In the words of Army Veteran Charles M. Province:
It is the Soldier, not the minister, who has given us freedom of religion. It is the Soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the Soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us freedom to protest. It is the Soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. It is the Soldier, not the politician, who has given us the right to vote. It is the Soldier who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.
There are a few words from our Founders that I find most fitting to honor the sacrifice by generations of our Veterans.
“I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the gloom I can see the rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the end is more than worth all the means.” —John Adams (1776)
“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say, ‘What should be the reward of such sacrifices?’ ... If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands, which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” —Samuel Adams (1777)
“The Hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.” —George Washington (1778)
It is Veterans who have paid the heavy price of sustaining American Liberty since Lexington and Concord.
On this Veterans Day, and every day of the year, may God bless our men and women who have stood in harm’s way. For their steadfast devotion to duty, honor, and country, we, the American people, offer them our humble gratitude and heartfelt thanks.
To genuinely demonstrate your gratitude to our Veterans, here is my suggestion: Strive to be, first and foremost, an American citizen worthy of their sacrifice.
P.S. The last two months of each year are the most critical for the team here at The Patriot Post. In that short time span, we must raise more than half of the funding required to keep our operations on track into the new year. We rely completely on your generosity to remain a voice for Liberty. If you can help, please support our 2026 Year-End Campaign today.
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis
Pro Deo et Libertate — 1776
Please join us in prayer for our nation, that righteous leaders would rise and prevail, and we would be united as Americans. Pray for the protection of our Patriots in uniform who support and defend our Republic’s Founding Principle of Liberty, and for our nation’s Veterans, First Responders, and their families. Lift up your Patriot Post team and our mission to ignite the fires of freedom in the hearts and minds of our countrymen. Thank you for supporting our nation’s premier online journal of Liberty.
