Patience And Resolve
As we are about to enter one of the most important holidays that this nation observes, I am reminded by the president what it took to build this nation, and how it is maintained. The Left has long since forgotten its storied history; the great leaders of their party that did what they had to do to make this nation strong and secure.
Our Founding Fathers pledged their devotion to this nation within the Declaration of Independence, in its concluding sentence.
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
And after a long, brutal war for independence, we birthed a nation. Those that fought in the war were seen as patriots; living legends of their time. They did not want the "notoriety" that arrived on their doorsteps from their actions during the war, but old legends die hard.
The next major conflict that engulfed the nation was the Civil War. Revisionists like to say that the Civil War freed the slaves. Um, no, I am sorry, you are incorrect. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863; almost two years before the end of the war. Again, this war had its patriots on both sides, fighting for what they believed in. All total, over three million men died during the war fighting to protect the Constitution, and our way of life in a representative republic.
World War I brought about a new face of war, as we witnessed the technological advances made by other countries. No previous conflict had mobilized so many soldiers or involved so many in the field of battle. It was supposed to be the "war to end all wars"; my great-grandfather, prior to his death, still referred to it as "The Great War". It was the first time chemical weapons were used, and the first time an aerial bombardment occurred on a civilian site. Trench warfare was used where on the Western Front, over nine million men lost their lives. Again, this nation’s military was set in motion to help our allies abroad fight back the expansionist Germans under the Kaiser. It should also be noted that during World War I, the Russians had their famous revolution, which propelled Lenin into power; the beginning of communism for Eastern Europe.
World War II erupted in September of 1939 when Nazi Germany leaped into action with an attack and invasion of Poland. For the longest time, World War II was Europe’s war. We tried to maintain neutrality, and thought ourselves safe and secure from the war across the Atlantic. Then, December 7th occurred, and America was called upon to defend herself, and to defend her allies. And defend we did, including a daring invasion of Normandy in 1944 to cut the Nazi forces in half, and easier to deal with, but also in August of 1945 when Pres. Harry Truman decided that dropping the A-Bomb on Japan was preferable to losing an estimated one million soldiers in an attempt to take Japan.
The Korean War, again, reminded us that our security was not secure, nor did it come free. This war has been disputed by historians and scholars over how it was started, and who really ran the show; the US or the UN. Under the auspice of a UN mission, Congress was not consulted for a formal declaration of war. It was the first "real" war of the Cold War, and was a wake-up call for our troops. Gone was trench warfare, but our troops still ended up fighting for hill after hill. We had to contend with a mountainous terrain, and the fact the government would not approve a unilateral bombing of North Korean forces. It was also the first war where a cease-fire ended it, rather than terms of surrender or a peace treaty.
Twelve years later, the second major war of the Cold War erupted when America became involved in the Vietnam War. Definitely the most contentious of any war our troops participated in, nonetheless the troops won their end of the war. It is the politicians who lost it, and did their best to perpetuate that. This war was one of the first wars of the new age of military combat as we learned what guerilla warfare was like. In the end, we left the nation; abandoning the nation to its communist enemies.
In the 1990s, we were called upon again to put down the unprovoked attack on Kuwait by Saddam Hussein. We were asked to help out in Kosovo and Somalia by the United Nations. Finally, on September 11th, 2001, this nation suffered its worst attack since Pearly Harbor. Again, troops were mustered, and sent abroad to engage our enemy in what I feel is the Fourth World War which ultimately has become a fight between Western Civilization and radical Islamo-fascists.
The point of this rambling, cold-medicine induced post is this: We have men and women in this nation that know that freedom is not free. These people put their lives on the line to protect this nation. I am reminded of a quote that is on the main page of the Mudville Gazette—a military blog.
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/
"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
That is what our men and women in uniform do. That is what the Founding Fathers did, the veterans of all our past wars, in fact. They fought to protect this nation and keep it secure.
So, while we all barbecue, or cool off by the people, gathering with friends and family, I would advise we take time out of our busy recreation to remember those who ensured we can do this. The ones in the field right now are the ones that should be remembered primarily, but let us not forget those that drew the first line against tyranny and said, "This far and no further."
Without them, this nation may have never stood as it does today; that bright, shining city on a hill.
The Bunny ;)
As we are about to enter one of the most important holidays that this nation observes, I am reminded by the president what it took to build this nation, and how it is maintained. The Left has long since forgotten its storied history; the great leaders of their party that did what they had to do to make this nation strong and secure.
Our Founding Fathers pledged their devotion to this nation within the Declaration of Independence, in its concluding sentence.
"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
And after a long, brutal war for independence, we birthed a nation. Those that fought in the war were seen as patriots; living legends of their time. They did not want the "notoriety" that arrived on their doorsteps from their actions during the war, but old legends die hard.
The next major conflict that engulfed the nation was the Civil War. Revisionists like to say that the Civil War freed the slaves. Um, no, I am sorry, you are incorrect. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves in 1863; almost two years before the end of the war. Again, this war had its patriots on both sides, fighting for what they believed in. All total, over three million men died during the war fighting to protect the Constitution, and our way of life in a representative republic.
World War I brought about a new face of war, as we witnessed the technological advances made by other countries. No previous conflict had mobilized so many soldiers or involved so many in the field of battle. It was supposed to be the "war to end all wars"; my great-grandfather, prior to his death, still referred to it as "The Great War". It was the first time chemical weapons were used, and the first time an aerial bombardment occurred on a civilian site. Trench warfare was used where on the Western Front, over nine million men lost their lives. Again, this nation’s military was set in motion to help our allies abroad fight back the expansionist Germans under the Kaiser. It should also be noted that during World War I, the Russians had their famous revolution, which propelled Lenin into power; the beginning of communism for Eastern Europe.
World War II erupted in September of 1939 when Nazi Germany leaped into action with an attack and invasion of Poland. For the longest time, World War II was Europe’s war. We tried to maintain neutrality, and thought ourselves safe and secure from the war across the Atlantic. Then, December 7th occurred, and America was called upon to defend herself, and to defend her allies. And defend we did, including a daring invasion of Normandy in 1944 to cut the Nazi forces in half, and easier to deal with, but also in August of 1945 when Pres. Harry Truman decided that dropping the A-Bomb on Japan was preferable to losing an estimated one million soldiers in an attempt to take Japan.
The Korean War, again, reminded us that our security was not secure, nor did it come free. This war has been disputed by historians and scholars over how it was started, and who really ran the show; the US or the UN. Under the auspice of a UN mission, Congress was not consulted for a formal declaration of war. It was the first "real" war of the Cold War, and was a wake-up call for our troops. Gone was trench warfare, but our troops still ended up fighting for hill after hill. We had to contend with a mountainous terrain, and the fact the government would not approve a unilateral bombing of North Korean forces. It was also the first war where a cease-fire ended it, rather than terms of surrender or a peace treaty.
Twelve years later, the second major war of the Cold War erupted when America became involved in the Vietnam War. Definitely the most contentious of any war our troops participated in, nonetheless the troops won their end of the war. It is the politicians who lost it, and did their best to perpetuate that. This war was one of the first wars of the new age of military combat as we learned what guerilla warfare was like. In the end, we left the nation; abandoning the nation to its communist enemies.
In the 1990s, we were called upon again to put down the unprovoked attack on Kuwait by Saddam Hussein. We were asked to help out in Kosovo and Somalia by the United Nations. Finally, on September 11th, 2001, this nation suffered its worst attack since Pearly Harbor. Again, troops were mustered, and sent abroad to engage our enemy in what I feel is the Fourth World War which ultimately has become a fight between Western Civilization and radical Islamo-fascists.
The point of this rambling, cold-medicine induced post is this: We have men and women in this nation that know that freedom is not free. These people put their lives on the line to protect this nation. I am reminded of a quote that is on the main page of the Mudville Gazette—a military blog.
http://www.mudvillegazette.com/
"Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
That is what our men and women in uniform do. That is what the Founding Fathers did, the veterans of all our past wars, in fact. They fought to protect this nation and keep it secure.
So, while we all barbecue, or cool off by the people, gathering with friends and family, I would advise we take time out of our busy recreation to remember those who ensured we can do this. The ones in the field right now are the ones that should be remembered primarily, but let us not forget those that drew the first line against tyranny and said, "This far and no further."
Without them, this nation may have never stood as it does today; that bright, shining city on a hill.
The Bunny ;)
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 2:23 PM
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