From Lexington and Valley Forge, to Normandy, Korea, and now to Iraq and Afghanistan, America’s military forces have bravely fought for Freedom and in defense our Nation.  Memorial Day is a time to remember our fighting men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation with their very lives.

Let us not only take the time to remember the heroic sacrifices of our military throughout our nation’s history, but also to remember the heroic sacrifices our combat men and women are making in Iraq and Afghanistan today.

Let us take this time pray for our troops who have died in battle, and for their loved ones who still mourn their great loss.

Let us also pray for our troops who are in harms way today.

I close this Memorial Day message with a poem by Marine chaplain Father Dennis Edward O’Brien, which eloquently speaks to both the courage and the irony in the role that our soldiers play in protecting our great nation:

It is the Soldier

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer,
Who has given us the freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer,
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protestor to burn the flag.

May God continue to bless America.

Sincerely yours,
Richard Thompson
President and Chief Counsel
Thomas More Law Center