Tribute

Tom Wheeler, Vietnam

Today I get to sit in the warmth and comfort of my office because there are others stationed in the unrelenting heat of an Iraqi desert, or the chilling cold of an Afghan mountainside. Our troops constitute a volunteer service. The men and women who defend our freedoms do so by choice, not because they are compelled to do so.

Veterans Day is more than just a pinpoint on the calendar, or a time to hang my flag on the front porch. It is a time when a grateful nation should get on her knees and thank God for our freedoms and thank the men and women who serve as his instruments in the field of battle.

To all the left-leaning doves who think that liberty and freedom can exist without a sacrifice of blood, sweat, toil and tears I invite you to move to Somalia, Sudan, or even Mexico. We need to heed the words of Winston Churchill, "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, thinking it will eat him last."

So to all our troops I say thank you. To any and all who have served our country with courage and distinction I say thank you. And to all the families who have shared their brave men and women with a grateful nation I say thank you.