Today is Veterans Day

Today we honor the men and woman who serve and, in some cases, give their lives so that we may have freedom. They seldom ask anything of us in return, except to remember the price they pay so that we may live free. Hugh Hewitt published a letter about Joshua Michael Palmer, a young Marine First Lieutenant, who gave his life in Fallujah that others might live free. Joshua represented the very best of America, a passion for life and learning, a burning desire to help others, a clear-eyed understanding of what is good and what is evil in this world and a willingness to lead by example.

You should read the whole letter, an excerpt of which I reproduce here.

On anther occasion, this same professor began talking about the Holocaust. Josh calmly walked to the front of the class, and wrote 10,000,000 + on the board, the number of people killed by Communism. He turned to the class and said "The Nazis killed 6 million Jews. Communism has killed many more people, of all religions. Yet our professor will talk to you about how evil the Nazis were, but not tell you how evil Communism is." Then he sat down.

Every generation America produces men like Joshua, men who willingly put their lives on the line so that we may live in peace and freedom. many of these men live among us; policemen, firemen, volunteers of all sorts, veterans who quietly live their lives asking nothing in return except that we always remember the sacrifices that brought us to this point.

May Joshua's tribe increase.

UPDATE: You might want to read this as well, and reflect on what it means to be "an American". (Hat tip to Powerline.)

UPDATE 2: Bill has much more over at INDC Journal.

I'm not blogging any more today. It hurts too much.