Presidential candidate and current Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, Congressman Duncan Hunter, today made the following statement regarding Veterans Day.
"Veterans Day provides our nation the opportunity to reflect thankfully on the sacrifices of those who have served the cause of freedom.
In the last century more than 619,000 Americans in uniform were killed on battlefields around the world protecting our nation and our way of life.
We cannot thank them all sufficiently. It is beyond human capability to grasp the enormity of what they gave so the rest of us might enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We can, however, reflect on the unique quality of America 's veterans and their service.
From Bunker Hill to New Orleans, Gettysburg to San Juan Hill, Belleau Wood to Normandy, Chosin Reservoir to Khe San, Desert Storm to Kabul, Baghdad to Fallujah, American veterans have represented the finest of human qualities. "Greater love hath no man than he who lays down his life for another" is what the Bible tells us. Our veterans have made that sacrifice unflinchingly, with a character that General Douglas MacArthur described as "stainless." They make the sacrifice for their comrades in arms, their "buddies" and the immediate mission at hand. But in a greater sense they have made the sacrifice for millions of Americans whom they do not know and who do not know them.
And uniquely, American veterans have not brought subjugation to the nations they prevailed in, but rather brought freedom. From the Philippines to Japan , to Germany , to El Salvador and Panama. America has never coveted another nation, but has only asked that freedom be followed and that the institutions of freedom be established, often with American aid.
All of us, secure in America 's blessings can honor our veterans today. We can do this by thanking them personally, by involving ourselves in the many organizations that serve veterans and their families and, finally, we can follow their model of selflessness by helping our fellow citizens wherever we see a need."
