Freedom...

by Nigel Malloch

Freedom...I shout out the word and it reverberates back at me. I sound out the word one more time, and my ears are nearly deafened by the clarity of the echoes. I am standing in the center of the Marine Stadium of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. I lift my head up and read the names of the battlefields where our valiant Americans fought and won our valued and cherished freedom. The names appear: South France, Anzio, Belleauwood, Chateau Thierry, Pearl Harbor, Java Sea, Wake, Coral Sea, Midway, Savo Islands, Eastern Salomons, Santa Cruz Islands, Guadal Canal, New Georgia, Bougainville, Rabanl, Cape Glouchester, Highlands Pia, Marketine, Quang Nam, Quang Tin, Quang Nagi, Leuitians Campaign, Desert Storm, Mekong Delta, Quang Tri, Thua Thien, Yankee Station, Liag Djayen Gulf, Leyete Gulf, Chasen Reservoir, Okinawa, Iwo Jima and Marianas.

But freedom is more than a list of places where brave American men and women entered into harm’s way and laid down their lives so that others might live without bondage. I believe in the words of President Lincoln, "America is indeed the last best hope of mankind." Freedom is the very definition of America.

Veterans have defended our country through many years of majestic battles and in times of great peril. They have served through thick and thin, war and peace to make our country what it has become today. What words come to mind when you think of these proud veterans? Only two words can describe such behavior: honor and duty. Defending a country is not an easy task. Many combat veterans have given their lives to allow us to go on living in our free state. When these Americans were defending our country in times of crisis as soldiers, they showed us how we can be strong, and at the same time care for our established freedom. These bold veterans risked their lives and limbs to keep us the way we are and should be; that way is free. Free from want, free from hunger, and free from fear.

Veterans have also helped all children to grow up in a land free of tyranny for almost two centuries. They have helped American children understand that they live in a free land under the democratic rule of law. These proud veterans have done much for the youngest and teenage children of the U.S.A. It is surprising that they do not get the publicity and acknowledge-ment they deserve. The veterans of foreign wars who fought for all Americans’ freedom deserve to hear that the children of American say, "thank you." The veterans of the U.S. are among the most patriotic and brave citizens that this world has ever seen.