Veterans, We Salute You!

In the hustle and bustle of our day, we usually take for granted those things that keep us alive and free.  The Declaration of Independence explains that we have the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but it takes raw, brute force to deter and protect us from our enemies to ensure that we can exercise those rights.

The Founding Fathers were deeply concerned about national security.  If you actually review the list of powers the Constitution grants the Congress (i.e., those enumerated powers to which the federal government is limited), several address the ability to raise and support an army and navy, to organize and use the militia, and other means to ensure the safety of the people against enemies - foreign and domestic.

Over the years, millions of servicemen and women have sacrificed so that we can all remain free.  According to info.please.com, over the course of our history, over 43 million brave men and women have served our country during war.  We have suffered over 653,000 deaths in battle, and over 1.4 million nonmortal wounds.  We currently have nearly 18 million living war veterans.  As of 2006, there were over 3500 deaths and 21,000 nonmortal wounds suffered in the War on Terror.

As we move forward with the raging debate over Afghanistan, we need to keep in mind the primacy of national security and the sacrifices we continue to ask our brethren.

Thank you for keeping us free!