Veterans Day: Clearing the Road for Freedom

More than a year before the United States declared its independence, it already had veterans. When the men of Massachusetts left their homes to take up arms at Lexington and Concord in April 1775, they had no way of knowing that in defending their natural rights, they were helping to establish a country of their own. Their service helped secure for Americans the freedom to govern themselves. Every generation since has inherited that freedom and holds a responsibility to preserve it for their children.

For millions of Americans over the past 250 years, that duty has meant putting on the uniform. Some served in wars their grandchildren would read about in school. Others stood watch during peacetime while preparing to go wherever their country needed them. This Veterans Day, we at the Goldwater Institute honor them all.

As a veteran, I know what that commitment asks of a family. Military service is difficult, even under the best of circumstances. A parent serving far from home may miss a child’s first steps or hear about the school play over the phone. The spouse at home takes on the work usually done by two—doing all the hard work it takes to run a home and keeping the children’s days as close to normal as possible. Military families know the cost of service because they bear so much of it themselves.

The greatest tribute to our veterans is to preserve the freedoms they defended. Most Americans will never be asked to spend a year away from their families to serve their country. All of us, though, have a part in keeping it free. We can defend a neighbor’s right to speak even when we disagree with what he has to say. We can insist that an official we voted for respect the limits the Constitution places on his power. At Goldwater, we have the privilege of standing beside Americans who defend those rights and uphold those limits, sometimes at considerable cost to themselves.

To America’s veterans and to the families who have shared in the sacrifices of military service, thank you. As we continue to mark 250 years of independence for our great nation, our children enjoy freedoms you helped secure. Whether the next generation will inherit those freedoms depends on the continued sacrifice of our military men and women, and on how we all defend them today.

Jon Riches is Vice President for Litigation at the Goldwater Institute. Before joining the Goldwater Institute, Jon served on active duty in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, representing hundreds of service members and litigating dozens of court-martial cases. He currently serves as an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.