Patriots Strong!

Very recently I received an email sent via my circle of friends and readers.  The email highlighted a short letter that was forwarded by a member of a group that I have been honored to be associated with over the past several years. They are an amazing group of men and women that serve as honor guard at numerous events such as military and police funerals, homecomings, honor flights, and an array of other venues which honor men and women of valor of all ages.

When I read the short letter, I was stunned at the author’s shallow position on patriotism.  Essentially, he feels that the only Americans that have proven by their actions that they are patriots are those that have worn the uniform of the US Military.  As he states, “It dawned on me that many of us call ourselves patriots (one of 3 mandatory factors* to being an actual 'American', versus just a US Citizen), and a few of us 'regular' folks are indeed patriots; but please consider this - There is but one group, and one group alone, that can actually PROVE they are US patriots: the men and women of the US Armed Forces.”

Make no mistake, everyone knows that I have nothing but the utmost respect and esteem for our veterans and our men and women in uniform that do what they do, so that all of us can do what we do.  I am humbled every day by their heroism and service on our behalf.  

Of course, the writer is certainly entitled to his opinions; however, speaking for myself and no doubt many millions of Americans, I take extreme umbrage with his vacant assertion on patriotism.

For starters, let’s see what the very word Patriot means.  According to Webster’s Dictionary it means the following; ”a person who loves and strongly supports or fights for his or her country,” and “one who loves his or her country and supports its authority and interests.”  In neither of these definitions does it specify military service as a precursor for the label.  But that is just to lay the groundwork for my point.

Many of our founders were not members of the military; some were too old or otherwise unable, and the women who supported them were not and could not be members of the military at that time. Would the writer suggest these simple men and women, many simply farmers, were somehow not American Patriots?!

What about the family members, of which I am one, of our men and women in uniform that watched their sons and daughters go off to war over the years; many never to come home?  Has the writer forgotten or never heard of the many thousands not eligible for service that have volunteered for home front activities during some of our nation’s darkest hours? 

We cannot forget the millions of men, women, and children who have seen our country slipping down the road to socialism, and are fighting a home-bound war at this very moment in our history.  Individual heroes like Melinda and Gary Galiano, who have never missed a beat even while silently enduring life threatening physical setbacks to amass and coordinate an annual army of volunteers and see to it that every grave at the National Cemetery in Lake Worth, Florida has a wreath as part of Wreaths Across America at Christmas; or Andrea and Frank Plescia who tirelessly fight the failing VA system and devote countless hours on behalf of veterans and their needs; and of course Billy and Karen Vaughn who have devoted their lives to spreading the word about our corrupt government and what it has cost their family and so many other families.  Not to mention the daily pressure so many are applying on DC to have our only POW of the Afghan war, Sgt. Bowe Berdahl, released by the Taliban.  

People like Shannon and Doug Armstrong, Pam Wohlschlegel, Wild Bill for America, Tom Trento, Ken and Jeannie Barnett, Pamela Geller, Starla Brown, Boris Balaban, Glenn Beck, Deb Howard, Sharon Schuetz, Danita Kilcullen, Dawn Ellen, Stacy and Ed Napolitano, and countless thousands of others in Tea Parties and grassroots groups across America who are making a stand and making a difference doing whatever they can do; rallying and leading in their circles, making the calls, marching on DC, running for office, spending time away from home, spreading the word, and all the other stuff at their own expense.  Are their very patriotic efforts somehow diminished because some of them haven’t been in the military?  

What about some of the folks in the military that have been less than stellar examples of your thinking; guys like the Ft. Hood shooter, (nidal hasan) and many others that have taken up arms against their comrades over the past several years?!  You didn’t exclude them in your rant, so I assume you consider them patriots.  Of course, to name a few, we also have people like John Kerry, John McCain, and Jeremiah Wright; all of whom are veterans and all of whom have committed some very unpatriotic acts.  

Are they somehow absolved because of the ‘cloak’ of patriotic military Teflon you’ve applied to them?! We even have members of the high command who are not living up to their oaths by virtue of allowing a domestic enemy in the White House and his minions to run roughshod over the US Constitution!

Sir, your very leftist sounding, thoughtless rant is an unqualified insult, and it is my humble opinion that you owe a lot of very patriotic Americans, over many generations, a very public, heart-felt apology for your blanketed and unfounded disrespect for their very real, very proactive patriotism.  

God Bless them all and God Bless these United States of America.