Citizens Dedicated To Preserving Our Constitutional Republic

A Salute To All Our Veterans And Active Duty Members Of Our Armed Forces!

I am a proud American who honorably served his country unselfishly for twenty years as a Marine Corps Mustang Officer, like many before and after me.

I am also proud to say that I come from a long line of Veterans: my two eldest sons honorably served their country as Marines. My eldest son participated in the first Gulf War as a Marine and Iraqi Freedom as a weekend warrior with the Air National Guard, which he continues to be a member of, along with being a full-time Combat Air Traffic Control Instructor. Four out of my six male siblings honorably served their country and my father was a WWII Veteran who survived the Battle of the Bulge, but lost the battle with his severe PTSD symptoms/condition at the young age of fifty-nine. I served my tenure in the Marine Corps during the entire Vietnam War and lost many a friend during that war that fought and made the ultimate sacrifice to uphold and defend those freedoms that are provided us under our “Constitution” and “Bill of Rights”, which sadly too many Americans take for granted.

I have to admit that I tend to get extremely concerned when I see politicians and others, regardless of their political affiliation, sex, race, color (in the Marine Corps we were all green), creed, ethnic/national origin or religion, doing things and/or taking actions that I see as a threat to: 1) those freedoms and/or rights provided each of us under our “Constitution” and “Bill of Rights”; and 2) the safety, security or welfare of our Veterans, active duty members and their dependents and/or survivors.

We Americans, all of us, owe a debt to the American who came before us, and by their military service, in which all gave some and some gave all, preserved freedom for us. We repay that debt to those Americans who came before us by our willingness serve and sacrifice as they did to preserve freedom for those Americans who will come after us.

May God bless and keep each and every American that has made the ultimate sacrifice for this great country of ours.

May God also bless and keep all our veterans and active duty members and their families on this day and always.

And may Americans never cease to remember them, and their sacrifice, for our freedom.

REMEMBERING THOSE WHO DIED THAT WE MIGHT BE FREE:

American Wars Killed In Action

Revolutionary War .............. 25,324

War of 1812 .......................... 2,260

Mexican American War ..... 13,283

Civil War ............................... 650,000

Spanish American War ....... 7,166

World War I ......................... 116,708

World War II ....................... 408,306

Korean War ......................... 54,246

Vietnam War ....................... 58,223

Persian Gulf War ................ 363

(Desert Storm)Operation Iraqi Freedom .. 4,421

Op. Enduring Freedom ...... 2,000 (+) (Afghanistan)

All Other Conflicts sincethe Revolutionary War ....... 8,330

Islamist jihadist terrorism . 3,336(9-11-2001)

Operation New Dawn ......... 66

TOTAL: ………….1,354,031 (+ or -) [plus 88,000 MIA]

THE SOLDIER:

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 the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to fair trial. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves under the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag.