On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month…

We set aside Veterans Day to honor the sacrifice of generations of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coastguardsmen who have carried forward the banner of Liberty since the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord.

Millions of American Patriots have, for generations, honored their oaths “to support and defend” the Liberty that was “endowed by our Creator” as affirmed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in our Constitution.

Today, and every day, we formally honor them. We remain a free people because they have stood bravely in harm’s way, and because millions remain on post today. For this, we, the American People, offer our heartfelt thanks.

“Mighty men of valor, men trained for war, who could handle shield and spear, and whose faces were like the faces of lions.” —1 Chronicles 12:8

“Duty, honor, country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying point to build courage when courage seems to fail, to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith, to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.” —Gen. Douglas MacArthur

“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. 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.” —John Stuart Mill

Amid all the political rancor that dominates the public discourse and news cycles, we should remind others of the following observation from 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.

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.

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” —John 15:12-14

We invite you to read Mark Alexander’s most recent Veterans Day essay, a tribute to Medal of Honor recipient Clint Romesha.

And finally, to genuinely demonstrate gratitude to military veterans and those still serving, Patriots who have and continue to defend the Liberty we enjoy, here is my suggestion: Strive to be, first and foremost, an American citizen worthy of their sacrifice.