Maggie's Farm

You taught us about duty. Blessed to live in the land of the free, you could have opted for an easier path. But you know that freedom is not free. And so you volunteered and you stepped forward, and you raised your hand and you took an oath -- to protect and defend; to serve a cause greater than yourself, knowing, in a time of war, you could be sent into harm’s way.

 

You taught us about resolve. Invasion turned to insurgency and then sectarian strife. But you persevered, tour after tour, year after year. Indeed, we’re mindful that even as we gather here, Iraq veterans continue to risk their lives in Afghanistan, and our prayers are with them all tonight….

 

You taught us about devotion -- to country and to comrades, but most of all, to family. Because I know that some of the hardest days of war were the moments you missed back home…

 

You taught us about sacrifice -- a love of country so deep, so profound, you were willing to give your lives for it….

 

You taught us about strength -- the kind that comes from within; the kind that we see in our wounded warriors. For you, coming home was the start of another battle -- the battle to recover, to stand, to walk, to serve again. And in your resilience we see the essence of America, because we do not give up….

 

And finally, all of you taught us a lesson about the character of our country. As you look across this room tonight, you look at our military -- we draw strength from every part of our American family -- every color, every creed, every background, every belief. And every day, you succeed together -- as one American team.

 

The President’s words that preceded these accolades, however, point up the essential hypocrisy of his speech. He and others of his supporters at every point said and did all they could to oppose and hinder our mission in Iraq, as they did in Vietnam, and undermine those who served there: “Because this evening, we welcome, not the statesmen who decide great questions of war and peace, but citizens -- men and women from every corner of our country, from every rank of our military, every branch of our service -- who answer the call, who go to war, who defend the peace.”

President Obama and others he might characterize as “statesmen” are found woefully wanting of the qualities and virtues exhibited by our Iraq veterans. Indeed, they have constantly demeaned or slandered with exaggerated or false criticisms and attacks those who served, or failed to demand corrections in the media or defend them.

It takes a decade or two to develop and field the sophisticated weapons systems that place the US is a superior position to any threat and save American lives. In a rush to find funding for his failed and failing domestic policies that are self-destructive of our economy, the military’s edge is being drastically shrunk and its future weapons systems being curtailed or eliminated.

As always, the key weapon that is at the front-line is the soldier, sailor, airman, Marine. In Iraq, all served well and accomplished their assigned role admirably. It takes two decades to develop this mind set and months and years of intense training and commitment to hone it. As a coming generation views “statesmen” of the Obama ilk speak with false tongue and act with abandon of their lives and devotions, this future weapon system is discouraged from serving. This is what I and others repeatedly hear from the young who will face the decision to volunteer, and from those who have served when asked by their sons and daughters whether they should volunteer.

Hollow horsepuckery for an election year, Mr. President. Our servicemembers walk the talk. You talk the walk.