Published in the Nov. 12-25, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Sam McIntosh
The Declaration of Independence stands as a testament to the limits of endurance for an oppressed people and it signifies the beginning of our destiny as a nation. Our forefathers spelled out our nation’s commitment to liberty with these words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Their conviction to this belief stood out for the onslaught that followed as they pledged: “… 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.” Perhaps these are the most powerful words of conviction ever written. Fifty-six men signed it, 13 states ratified it and some three million people were liberated by it in 1776.
On Veterans Day we honor the men and women of our military, past and present, whose deeds give life to these words. Our veterans carry the conviction of our nation to every corner of the globe as they have since the battles of the American Revolution.
Eighty years after the colonies became states and the country had grown to 32 million people, the Civil War tested our resolve and ultimately affirmed our country’s commitment to liberty for all. By 1865, after five years of practically non-stop battles from Fort Sumter to Gettysburg, Shiloh and Manassas 700,000 American soldiers lay dead and our nation was destitute. Nevertheless, honor was not to be sacrificed. In fact, 700 soldiers would be recognized for their valor beyond the call of duty. These would be the first Medal of Honor recipients. But by 1916 liberty was threatened on a global scale. In just 19 months more than 117,000 American lives were lost in the name of liberty.
A mere 25 years later, the oppressor would return more vicious than ever. But, our unfettered resolve as a nation opposed to tyranny in favor of liberty would meet the monster on every ocean, under the blazing desert sun, in torrential rains of far off jungles, and the driven snow of Siberia. World War II lasted less than four years. Americans saw 400,000 die in action, 750,000 others suffered serious injuries, countless families and fortunes were obliterated, but honor and conviction prevailed.
By 1975, after nearly 30 years of continuous battles from Korea to Vietnam, our endurance had run thin. And, most discouragingly, our resolve had been poisoned. For the first time we put a cost on the financial burden of war, especially protracted ones as these. It is said that our efforts in Vietnam cost the U.S. $150 billion. But more important the toll exacted 58,300 American lives and 150,000 wounded in action and there remains 1,641 Missing in Action.
Many people do not understand our involvement in the Second Indochina War that included Vietnam. To some it was duty, to others conscription, still to others shame. To the oppressed people of the maniacal tyrant it was clear, those that love liberty will fight to defend it wherever people are oppressed, abused, imprisoned or tortured.
In 2002 our military went to Iraq to shut down the tyranny and the export of terrorism. The United States once again lead the world and took the fight into the mouth of the tyrant. Some 4,491 U.S. service members were killed in Iraq between 2003 and 2014 and more than 33,000 were wounded in action. And certainly no participant escaped unscathed. We chased the tyrant of terror into the dirt of Afghanistan and ultimately the mountains of Pakistan, exchanging another 2,335 service members lives, and wounding more than 20,000 others. Our nation, our veterans and their families showed their resolve again with extreme honor.
The war for liberty is ceaseless, unending and thankfully our resolve enduring. The battles are mostly intermittent and widely dispersed across the globe. We have forged alliances with many other nations who look to us to lead. For ours is a nation under God, with a conviction for liberty and justice for all. The words are empty without the deeds of the selfless, courageous, honorable, skilled, strong and faithful women and men that are our Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. These are the 1 percent of us who have worn a uniform and committed their selves to the work required for liberty to persevere. We celebrate Nov. 11 every year, their success in putting down oppression and tyranny and to lifting up hope, respect and decency throughout the world. These are our veterans.
The tomb of the unknown beckons us to remember what we should never forget. We may not know our heroes by their faces nor their names but by their deeds.
In his inaugural address John F. Kennedy reaffirmed our resolve succinctly “… Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.”
Though not every veteran has had to face enemy artillery, or machine gun nests, or improvised explosive devices, booby traps, mine fields, bombing runs, snipers or any of the multitude of other elements expressly devised to kill or maim them, but for putting on the uniform they certainly availed themselves.
God bless our veterans, our nation, and our pursuit of liberty and justice for all.
Sam McIntosh, U.S. Navy enlisted 1980, served aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. He wrote this column for Morgan Hill Life.
