Freedom-Fighters Forum

By William J. Dell – 8 November 2011
Amore Dei, Familiae, Patriae ducit !

It is the year of our Lord Two Thousand Eleven, and of the United States the 235th. It is also ninety-three years since a group of men met in a boxcar in France and sign an armistice to end “The Great War” at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day in 1919 to honor all those who fought. President Eisenhower changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954 to honor all veterans regardless of the war in which they served.

As we pay tribute to all those who have served, I am once again reminded of the depth of emotion engendered within me as I once again contemplate my own service and the service and sacrifice of so many others throughout our history, those who have had the Fire of Freedom burning in their hearts and the Light of Liberty radiating within their souls. Those who have served and returned and those who have given the “last full measure of devotion” that Freedom and Liberty might be preserved around the world and more particularly here in our nation.

Webster defines a PATRIOT as, “One who loves his country and supports its authority and interests.” Truly each man and woman who has worn or is wearing the uniform of our Armed Forces is a patriot and I might add that I believe this would extend to their spouses and families, those of “The Silent Ranks.” Of these, it has been written:

The Silent Ranks
Author: Unknown

I wear no uniforms, no blues or army greens
But I am in the Army in the ranks rarely seen.
I have no rank upon my shoulders – salutes I do not give
But the military world is the place where I live.
I’m not in the chain of command, orders I do not get
But my husband is the one who does, this I can not forget.
I’m not the one who fires the weapon, who puts my life on the line
But my job is just as tough, I’m the one that’s left behind.
My husband is a patriot, a brave and prideful man
And the call to serve his country not all can understand.
Behind the lines I see the things needed to keep this country free
My husband makes the sacrifice, but so do our kids and me.
I love the man I married. Soldiering is his life
But I stand among the silent ranks known as the Army Wife.

As I reflect again on this Veterans Day, I am reminded of the first time I felt pride in our nation. I was watching a television Christmas special in the early 50s. Kate Smith was entertaining the soldiers in Korea. They had made a large Uncle Sam’s hat and hung a huge American flag behind it. Kate Smith was on top of the hat singing. It was then that I first heard “God Bless America.” It has been more than sixty years since that evening, yet I can still go there in my mind and feel those same feeling of pride in our country. Perhaps this was the seed that grew and caused me to don the uniform during the Viet Nam era.

As I have pondered what to write this year with Veterans Day on Friday, somehow I even wondered if it is important anymore. In the rush-rush world that we live in nothing seems to have real value particularly with the social-networking, younger-generation crowd. They are tuned into iPods, Facebook and Twitter but seem to have forgotten, if they ever learned, the principles and values that made this country great and the price others have paid that they might be tuned-in.

What do they know of Lexington, Concord and the “Shot heard round the world?” What do they know of “One if by land and two if by sea?” What do they know of winter at Valley Forge? What do they know of 56 men who pledged their lives, their fortune and their sacred honor? All of these, who, with reliance on God’s Almighty hand, caused the birth of a new nation. The greatest nation the world has ever known and which would for centuries be a beacon of hope and freedom. A Constitutional Republic rooted and grounded in Judeo-Christian principles enshrined in our founding documents – The Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, and our Bill of Rights.

What do they know of Antietam, Manassas, Chickamauga or Gettysburg where father fought against son and brother against brother? What do they know of their great struggle and the price so many paid “that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

What do they know of Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, Marne or Meuse-Argonne and our effort “to make the world safe for democracy?” What do they know of the ELEVENTH HOUR, the ELEVENTH DAY, and the ELEVENTH MONTH? What do they know of Pearl Harbor, Coral Sea or Midway? What do they know of Bataan, Iwo Jima or D-Day? What do they know of the forgotten war – Korea? What do they know of their great-grandfathers’ efforts to preserve freedom throughout the world that they might continue to enjoy freedom? What do they know of grandfathers, fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, and siblings who have continued the fight for freedom and liberty in Viet Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan?

But more importantly what are we doing to teach them about honoring ALL those who have served? Will you be participating or attending a parade or ceremony on Friday? Will you be taking or involving your posterity as you do?

I join with Patricia Salwei who wrote in “May I Salute You,” “I always lament about the public’s disregard for the military. … Sometimes I wonder who is going to come to our parades in 20 years; will anybody look me up . . . ? The answer lies in the present. We will be honored as we honor those who have gone before us. The next generation is watching. It is not my intention to minimize the selfless service of our modern military; my comrades are the greatest people I know (and frankly should be treated better). But, lately I’m wondering if the public’s attitude towards the military isn’t just a reflection of the active duty military’s attitude towards its own veterans. It’s time to ask – do we regard them, do we consider them at all? How does our attitude change when the hero is no longer wearing a uniform?”

I hope and pray that all of us who have served, or who are still serving, will continue to have the Fire of Freedom burning within our hearts and the Light of Liberty radiating within our souls. I trust and pray that each of us will be able to instill within our posterity this same love of Freedom and Liberty and a desire to preserve them.

I close with the fervent prayer expressed in a verse of Eternal Father, Strong to Save which relates to us ALL:

Lord, guard and guide the men who fly
And those who on the ocean ply;
Be with our troops upon the land,
And all who for their country stand:
Be with these guardians day and night
And may their trust be in thy might!

May God Bless and Save the United States of America.
Our Constitutional Republic !