“FREEDOM IS NOT FREE”
by Capt. Joseph R. John (Ret.), ©2015, Co-Founder, CombatVeteransForCongress
(May 21, 2015) — Since December 7, 1941 over one million members of the US Armed Forces have been wounded, and over 500,000 made the ultimate sacrifice, having lost their lives in Combat. A much larger number of US military personnel have suffered injuries on active duty. It has been 70 years since the end of World War II, and still some of the Veterans from that war are seeking proper medical treatment from the Veterans Administration (VA). Today an average of 23 veterans who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan are committing suicide each day. They may have PTSD and other afflictions and may have not been receiving the proper medical or psychiatric therapy and treatment through the VA. We encourage all Americans to support all efforts to provide proper medical treatment for all Veterans from the VA and other civilian medical facilities.
In 2008, because of the dedicated and steadfast efforts of Col. Buzz Aldrin, USMA ’51, USAF (Ret), PhD, Apollo XI Astronaut (the second astronaut to set foot on the surface of the moon), a law was passed which can be fully explained by clicking on the below listed link. That law encourages and authorizes all American Veterans, in civilian clothes, to render a hand salute when the National Anthem is played at public events. It allows Veterans to continue to demonstrate their respect for the National Anthem, and it also allows all Americans at public events to see who the honorable Veterans are who served under the flag of the nation and swore to protect and defend the US Constitution.
At this critical juncture in the life of the Republic when our way of life is being threatened by enemies, foreign and domestic, we encourage all Americans to remember and adhere to President John F. Kennedy’s (Lt-USN) charge to all Americans during his inaugural address when he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country.” The 24 million US Veterans do not have to wonder what they can do for their country. At one point in their lives, those Veterans wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America” for an amount “up to and including their lives.” Today and every day, we encourage you to remember and thank an American Veteran you may know for their honorable service in defense of the Republic.
Freedom is not free, and over the last 75 years, there were heavy prices paid by members of the US Armed Forces for the liberties all Americans enjoy. On this coming Memorial Day, in solemn tribute, we join the nation to pay homage to those members of the US Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice when they gave “their last full measure of devotion to defend the nation” and by doing so, signaled the world the lengths patriotic Americans will go to in order to safeguard the freedom, liberty, and democracy for all Americans—God Bless their noble souls!
Joseph R. John, USNA ‘62
Capt USN(Ret)
Chairman, Combat Veterans For Congress PAC
2307 Fenton Parkway, Suite 107-184
San Diego, CA 92108
Fax: (619) 220-0109
http://www.CombatVeteransForCongress.org
Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” -Isaiah 6:8
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________