Dear Friend,
The
part of Pennsylvania where I make my home is a living memorial to the
sacrifices the American people have made to keep this country - and the
world - free.
From
the Revolution to the Civil War, from World War II to the conflicts in
which we are currently engaged this nation - centered on one simple
idea, the right to live in freedom - has always been at the ready to
volunteer to help secure those rights for others. We seek to share with
others the blessing we ourselves have so providentially been given. It
is what makes America unique among all the nations. It is what makes our
way of life and our traditions so worthwhile defending.
It
is not an easy task. There are some among us who have felt the personal
pain of paying the ultimate price of freedom, going back as far as the
war for American independence. As Lee Habeeb recently wrote for National Review Online
in a piece I hope you read, the song "I Drive Your Truck" started as
one man's memorial to his fallen hero son, but it has become much more.
It speaks to all who grieve loved ones in the fight for freedom. I hope
you will find it as moving and as meaningful as I did. Please click the
link above to read Lee's article - but you might want to grab a box of
tissues first and keep it handy.
There
are some who say our nation's best days are behind us, that we are
heading irreversibly toward a nation unrecognizable from what was given
to us by the Founders in Philadelphia, just twenty five miles to the
east from where I am now, "to preserve and protect and defend." But how
can that be? Is freedom only an ideal for a season? Can that season run
its course, to be replaced by some other ideal?
On
this Memorial Day, please take a moment to consider the price that
others have paid in order that we might take on the responsibility of
being sentinels of liberty. And we will guard that responsibility close
to our hearts until that day and time when the torch may pass from our
hands into that of the next generation of young American men and women
who embrace the values that we have tried to pass along to them.
For
those of you, who are serving in the military, have served in the
military, or who have loved ones in the service now, you have our thanks
and hopes for a safer, brighter tomorrow.
As a Navy veteran myself, I remember my first Memorial Day in uniform.
The idea of risking one's life for our country was suddenly close at
hand. Memorial Day was no longer some quaint Norman Rockwell painting
with flags and parades that signified the beginning of summer. It was
time to honor those who died to keep us free. And for those of you
parents, spouses and siblings who remember a loved one with a "Gold
Star," we hope that this day our fellow citizens will honor you and your
lost. Only then does the phrase "Let Freedom Ring" take on its full
significance.
Click HERE to read Lee Habeeb's article.
Sincerely,
Colin Hanna, President
|
| ©2013 Let Freedom Ring, Inc. All rights reserved. |
Monday, May 27, 2013
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment