Tag Archive for: Memorial Day

Celebrating What Memorial Day Means

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“Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices.” — Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. president, 1945

While most know Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, many don’t know its exact history, importance, or how to properly pay tribute.

Wounded Warrior Project® (WWP) is proud to honor and empower wounded warriors every day by supporting veterans’ ever-changing needs after service. “The greatest casualty is being forgotten,” said Wilton Williamson Jr., vice president of Connection at WWP. “We will never forget. Memorial Day is a time to remember and honor all of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving this country.”

The History of Memorial Day

Americans began to recognize Memorial Day in 1868, and the country established it as a federal holiday in 1971. Originally known as “Decoration Day,” the holiday started with communities coming together to decorate the graves of those who died during service.

Theories of the first Memorial Day

After the Civil War, Americans across the nation began holding tributes to honor the approximately 620,000 soldiers who lost their lives — about 2% of the population at the time. These early observances typically included decorating graves with flowers, reciting prayers, and paying respect to the fallen. But history records show more than one theory about which event marked the first official Memorial Day. A discovery by a Yale University professor at a Harvard archive suggests the earliest observance of Memorial Day was held by a group of formerly enslaved people in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1865. Records show that the group transformed a racetrack that had once served as a prison for Union captives into a proper burial site.

On May 1, 1865, thousands gathered for a procession led by 3,000 school children carrying flowers and singing patriotic songs. In 1966, the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day when President Johnson signed a presidential proclamation stating Waterloo celebrated the first Memorial Day. That day, in 1866, the city closed all businesses so residents could decorate the gravesites of soldiers with flowers and American flags.

Other records show that the first Memorial Day came after the Civil War, when communities came together at Arlington National Cemetery on May 30, 1868. It remains one of the country’s most notable Memorial Day ceremonies. But the history doesn’t end there: As recently as the 1990s, historians have found records of earlier celebrations.

What Memorial Day Means to Those Who Serve…

Many service members, veterans, and others in the military community spend Memorial Day mourning those they’ve lost. They think about their fallen brothers and sisters, and find their own ways to remember and honor them. “Memorial Day is important to me because I honor those who have sacrificed their lives and their family’s lives in pursuit of freedom for our nation,” said Army veteran Edwin Martinez. “What greater gift can one man or woman sacrifice to keep the U.S. free and maintain our way of life?”

U.S. Marine Corps veteran David Daly also holds Memorial Day close to his heart. He recognizes that many look forward to the long weekend, but encourages us all to look beyond the day off and remember the bravery of the men and women who served. “For me, the day reminds me of friends lost and the horrors of war,” David said. ”At the same time, it reminds us all that while the day-to-day events of the world often paint a picture of gloom and doom, we still live in a place where heroes are among us. While these brave souls have passed in service, their memory is honored on Memorial Day to remind us that we had the privilege of existing on the same plane as them, even if it was only for a moment.”

©2026 . All rights reserved.

Why Hamas-Linked CAIR Has a Problem with Memorial Day

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Memorial Day, a federal holiday held the last Monday in May, is the nation’s foremost annual day to mourn and honor its deceased service men and women.[1]

The Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIRR) has a problem with Memorial Day. There are instances of inattention to the actual date of Memorial Day, unopposed criticism of the U.S. military on Memorial Day by some CAIR officials, and years of apparent indifference to the Day itself. Consider the following:

When is Memorial Day?

On November 9, 2006, CAIR issued the following press release:

DC: MUSLIM VETERANS TO LAY MEMORIAL DAY WREATH. The Muslim American Veterans Association (MAVA) will conduct a wreath-laying ceremony at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, Area 5 in Washington, D.C., on 11 November at 0700 A.M.[2]

November 11, 2006, was Veterans Day, honoring all U.S. military veterans, especially those still alive. CAIR apparently did not know the difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day.

I could not find another mention of CAIR and Memorial Day until 2014.

Memorial Day 2014

On May 22, 2014, CAIR issued the following press release:

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today marked the upcoming Memorial Day holiday with the release of a video featuring American Muslim veterans expressing pride in serving their nation through military service and sacrifice. In the 44-second video, three CAIR representatives describe their service in the Army and Navy:

“My name is Dawud Walid. I’m executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, and I served honorably in the Navy. “My name is Sakinah Mujahid. I’m on CAIR’s Minnesota board of advisors and I served 13 years in the Army. “My name is Wilfredo Ruiz. I am an attorney with CAIR’s Florida office and I am a former officer in the U.S. Navy. “American Muslims serve our nation’s military and have died for our freedoms.” 

The video ends with the tag line: “On this Memorial Day, CAIR honors all who served our country.”[3] So far so good.

However, on May 23, Zahra Billoo, the Executive Director of CAIR’s San Francisco Bay Area chapter, tweeted that she:

“struggles with Memorial Day each year. How does one balance being pretty staunchly anti-war while honoring those who died in the military”

She also quoted Dawud Walid, who said:

If one dies in an unjust war in which we illegally invaded and occupied a sovereign nation, should that person be honored?[4]

Billoo also retweeted “hateful anti-American comments” by Remi Kanazi, a Palestinian poet, writer, and political organizer.[5]

It was reported that:

CAIR-St. Louis Executive Director Faizan Syed came to her [Billoo’s] defense, retweeting a message claiming that the U.S. army “often murders innocent women and children.”[6]

Other CAIR officials had no criticism of any of these comments.

Memorial Day 2015

Billoo “again slandered the U.S. military and said servicemen often ‘murder’ innocent civilians.”[7] CAIR officials had no criticism of this.

Memorial Day 2016

Billoo stated “that she is ‘proud’ to stand by her inflammatory comments.”[8] Later that year Billoo equated the U.S. military with ISIS.[9] CAIR officials had no criticism of this.

Memorial Day 2017

This year CAIR took a different approach to Memorial Day. On May 26, 2017, CAIR

…released a video message marking Memorial Day from Gold Star father Khizr Khan in which he urges all Americans to “recommit ourselves to unity, liberty, justice, and finally – to an end to all wars.[10]

CAIR must have considered this video as compensation for previous Memorial Day issues placing CAIR in a poor light, and as a years-long pay-it-forward, because in an internet search I was unable to find any mention of CAIR and Memorial Day until 2025.

Memorial Day 2025

On May 27, 2025, one day after Memorial Day, CAIR posted an article titled, “Honoring Muslim American Veterans on Memorial Day.”[11] CAIR was reaching back into the archives, because this article had been written by Craig Considine for the Huffington Post on May 27, 2013.[12] Why would CAIR post a Memorial Day article one day after Memorial Day? Perhaps because Considine’s article started out, “On May 27th, Americans will celebrate Memorial Day…” and whoever posted the article didn’t realize that it had been written in 2013, when Memorial Day was on May 27th.

Memorial Day 2026

Instead of trying again in 2026, CAIR apparently decided to lay low and ignore Memorial Day. On Memorial Day, May 25, I went to the websites of the following CAIR organizations: CAIR (National), CAIR California, CAIR Chicago, CAIR Michigan, CAIR Minnesota, CAIR New York, and CAIR Texas. At each website I took screen shots of the various webpages, allowing some overlap to show continuity, to see if there was any mention of Memorial Day on any of these websites. There was no mention of Memorial Day on any of these websites. Those screen shots, listed by CAIR organization, are found in Appendix 1.[13]

I also checked the Facebook page posts for these CAIR organizations on and around May 25. There was no mention of Memorial Day.

Conclusion

Is Memorial Day important to CAIR? Is it even relevant to CAIR? From what we have seen, the answer to both questions is “No.” So, here are some things to think about.

In 1919, Theodore Roosevelt stated:

We should insist that if the immigrant who comes here does in good faith become an American and assimilates himself to us he shall be treated on an exact equality with every one else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed or birth-place or origin. But this is predicated upon the man’s becoming in very fact an American and nothing but an American. If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn’t doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. . . We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language, for we intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality, and not as dwellers in a polyglot boarding-house; and we have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people. .[14]

CAIR touts itself as an organization representing Muslims in America. So, who are the Muslims CAIR is representing? Here are some considerations.

The majority of Muslims in the United States are not native-born Americans. A survey was taken between July 17, 2023, and March 4, 2024, and found that 59% of adult Muslims in the United States had been born outside the United States.[15]

Muslims in the United States are generally considered to be devout in their adherence to Islam, and the mosque is where they learn about their faith from imams. A 2020 study found some interesting facts about imams in the United States:

  1. Over half (55%) of imams had a BA, MA, or PhD in Islamic studies from an overseas university. Only approximately 6% of all imams had a degree in Islamic studies from an American university or institution.
  2. 68% of the imams were born abroad and 32% were born in the US. 78% of full-time paid imams were foreign born.
  3. Of those imams born abroad, almost half were from Arab countries, with Egypt being the origin of most Arab imams.[16]

So Muslims in the United States are going to mosques and learning their religion mostly from imams born outside the United States. And as I wrote about in an earlier article, there are some common themes being taught in those mosques:

  1. Hostility toward Israel and calls for its destruction;
  2. Hostility toward Jews and Christians and calls for their death;
  3. Great antipathy toward the United States;
  4. The lauding of designated foreign terrorist organizations and individual terrorists;
  5. Praise for the October 7, 2023, attack on Israeli civilians and the subsequent fighting by Hamas.[17]

And the doctrines of Islam are not compatible with the Judeo-Christian heritage of the United States. I wrote about this in a brochure titled Islamic Doctrine and Muslim Immigration to the United States.[18] I concluded:

How can Muslim immigrants assimilate into a society of non-Muslims toward which their religion teaches such hatred and violence, and the intent to destroy? The reality is that they can’t. That is why Muslims already in the United States seem to stay mainly socially separated from non-Muslim Americans. So, where does their “one sole loyalty” truly lay? As we can see above, it is not with Jewish and Christian Americans.

This is why CAIR has a problem with our Memorial Day.

AUTHOR

Dr. Stephen M. Kirby is the author of six books and numerous articles about Islam. His latest book is Islamic Doctrine versus the U.S. Constitution: The Dilemma for Muslim Public Officials.

REFERENCES

[1]           https://www.cem.va.gov/history/Memorial-Day-history.asp

[2]           https://www.cair.com/press_releases/dc-muslim-veterans-to-lay-memorial-day-wreath/

[3]           https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-marks-memorial-day-with-video-featuring-muslim-veterans/

[4]           Ryan Mauro, “CAIR Officials on Memorial Day: Do U.S. Troops Merit Honor?” Clarion Project, May 26, 2014, https://clarionproject.org/2014/05/26/cair-officials-memorial-day-do-us-troops-merit-honor/. Also see Fox News video, “Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Officials Question Honoring U.S. Troops,” May 26, 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Xcvdx59dE.

[5]           Jim Hoft, “CAIR Officials on Memorial Day: Do Fallen Troops Really Merit Honoring?”, Gateway Pundit, May 27, 2014, https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2014/05/cair-officials-on-memorial-day-do-fallen-troops-really-merit-honoring/.

[6]           Ryan Mauro, “CAIR Denounces US Military on Memorial Day,” Islamist Watch, May 27, 2015, https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/cair-denounces-us-military-on-memorial-day.

[7]           Ryan Mauro, “CAIR Official Stands By Memorial Day Criticism of US Troops,” Islamist Watch, May 29, 2016, https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/cair-official-stands-by-memorial-day-criticism.

[8]           Ibid.

[9]           https://canarymission.org/individual/Zahra_Billoo

[10]         https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-releases-memorial-day-video-from-gold-star-father-khizr-khan-urging-end-to-all-wars/

[11]         https://www.cair.com/american_muslim_news/honoring-muslim-american-veterans-on-memorial-day/

[12]         https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lets-honor-muslim-america_b_3339838

[13]         https://drive.google.com/file/d/1usnFzL7lYZ9LckA9ShELWNJB-yV-LcQU/view?usp=sharing

[14]         Immigrants – Assimilation of, https://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=991271&module_id=339518

[15]         https://www.statista.com/statistics/1493666/religious-background-of-us-immigrants/

[16]         Dr. Ihsan Bagby, The American Mosque 2020: Growing and Evolving, Report 1 of the US Mosque Survey 2020, June 2, 2020, https://ispu.org/report-1-mosque-survey-2020/.

[17]         Stephen M. Kirby, “What is Going On at Muslim American Mosques and Events?” Jihad Watch, March 10, 2025, https://jihadwatch.org/2025/03/what-is-going-on-at-muslim-american-mosques-and-events. I also wrote about what to do with the green card-holding imams preaching these themes: “Time for Some Green Card-Holding Muslim Leaders to be Deported,” Jihad Watch, March 19, 2025, https://jihadwatch.org/2025/03/time-for-some-green-card-holding-muslim-leaders-to-be-deported.

[18]         https://islamseries.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/islamic-doctrine-amd-muslim-immigration-to-the-united-states.pdf

EDITORS NOTE: This Jihad Watch column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Navy SEAL Andrew ‘Sully’ Sullivan Reflects On Memorial Day And The True Meaning Of Sacrifice

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Navy SEAL Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Andrew “Sully” Sullivan was influenced by the Vietnam memorials and flags he often saw along the highways growing up in Massachusetts, helping to spark his interest in military service.

It was the events of 9/11 that solidified his sense of purpose. The very next day, on September 12, he sought out a Navy recruiter.

Speaking with Daily Caller reporter Ashley Brasfield on Thursday, Sullivan wanted to honor Memorial Day by highlighting the ultimate sacrifices made by members of the U.S. Armed Forces.

After nearly two decades of service in the Special Operations community, he continues to serve through Community First Project, a nonprofit he founded to provide law enforcement agencies with no-cost training.

“Once I joined, started deploying, went to war and began losing friends, it became a very different experience for me,” Sullivan said when asked how his perspective on service has changed singe joining the SEAL teams. “I tell people my Memorial Day is every day. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about the friends I lost overseas.”

He admitted that the holiday — often associated by many Americans with the start of summer and barbecues — also brings up emotions like survivor’s guilt.

Sullivan went on to reveal that Thursday was the eighth anniversary of the day he was shot in combat, an added weight in a week already heavy with commemoration leading up to Memorial Day.

When asked if there was a moment he feels embodies the brotherhood and honor in the teams, he referred to “Extortion 17.”

In August of 2011, a CH-47 helicopter carrying Navy SEALs, known by the call sign “Extortion 17,” was struck by a rocket and crashed in Afghanistan, killing 30 Americans and eight Afghans.

“To see how a community as small as the Tier 1 SEAL teams — and the SEAL teams in general — pull together to support the families, and help the survivors from the squadron adapt to a new normal without the guys,” Sullivan said, “it really showed the culture of who we are, how team-oriented we are, and that we’ll do anything for our brothers. Anything we’d do for those guys, we’d do for their families too.”

Sullivan shared that his best friend was one of the SEALs on board.

“He died doing what he loved to do. As much as we mourn his loss, we also celebrate his life,” he said when asked what he hopes people will remember about his friend. “He was among the best of our community. He was standing in the door when the helicopter got shot — he was going to be the first one off, which was just symbolic of how he lived his life”

“He wanted to be the guy to help, the guy to solve the problem, the guy in harm’s way,” Sullivan continued. “Because he felt like he was protecting other people by doing that.”

When asked what he believes younger generations should understand about Memorial Day and what it represents, he emphasized the importance of recognizing the sacrifices and selflessness of those who put themselves in danger for the country and urged them to look beyond the noise of social media.

Sullivan also shared how he carries forward the legacy of those who didn’t make it home.

“For me, how I live my life is representative of how they lived theirs,” Sullivan said, adding, “I get to carry on my legacy and their legacy from our time in service, and apply it to a different mission. My mission now is law enforcement — making sure they are trained to respond to some of the incidents we’re seeing domestically.”

He concluded: “Not a day goes by that I don’t wake up and wish I had some of those guys by my side now, working with me.”

AUTHOR

Ashley Brasfield

Reporter.

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6 Hollywood Classics Worth a Watch This Memorial Day Weekend

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On Memorial Day, we honor the Americans who have died protecting and serving this country in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. It is a time when all of us should—no matter who we are, where we come from, or where we fall along the political spectrum—forget about politics and our differences and remember those who gave the last full measure of devotion to our great republic and remember what unites us as a people.

Memorial Day became an official holiday in 1971, but it started in 1868 as Decoration Day. It began as an effort to remember those who died in the Civil War, the bloody brother-against-brother conflict that killed and wounded more Americans than any other war in our history. In fact, it was because of the Recent Unpleasantness Between the States, as it was sometimes referred to by gentile Southern ladies, that we established the first national military cemeteries like Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.

The idea of decorating those sacred grave sites with flowers and reciting prayers for the fallen is attributed to Gen. John A. “Blackjack” Logan. Logan was a Union Army general from Illinois who fought at Bull Run and numerous other battles. He became the head of a Union Army veterans’ group after the end of the war.

All of us celebrate Memorial Day in different ways. But as an aficionado of classic Hollywood movies, I have put together a list of war movies that may be fitting to watch this Memorial Day Weekend. I limited my choice to six movies that you can cover in a binge-watch in one day. They were hard to choose because Hollywood has made so many. The one factor common to all these films is that they are all based—although sometimes very loosely—on real incidents.

Since Decoration—now Memorial—Day was started to commemorate those who died in the Civil War, I am starting with two movies about that conflict.

The Civil War 

“The Horse Soldiers”—This 1959 movie by the great director John Ford stars John Wayne and William Holden. Wayne plays the colonel in charge of a Union cavalry brigade sent on a raid deep behind Confederate lines to destroy a railroad supply depot that is helping Vicksburg resist Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s siege. Holden plays the surgeon assigned to accompany the brigade who is in constant conflict with Wayne. Along the way, they pick up the mistress of a Southern plantation who is forced to accompany them after she overhears their plans, as they are pursued by Southern forces.

The movie is based on the daring 1863 cavalry raid led by Col. Benjamin Grierson that destroyed Confederate supply lines from Tennessee to Louisiana during the Vicksburg campaign. A terrific movie with an ending you’ll always remember.

“Gettysburg”—This 1993 movie is probably the most realistic portrayal of what happened in the pivotal battle of the Civil War. It not only has an all-star cast, including Tom Berenger, Sam Elliott, Jeff Daniels, Martin Sheen, and many others, but parts were actually staged on the Gettysburg Battlefield, the first time a movie about the battle was ever filmed there.

That included filming in the Devil’s Den and on Little Round Top, locations I have visited that sent shivers down my spine as I thought about those who fought and died there. One of the reasons the movie is so good is because it is based on the outstanding book written by Michael Shaara, “The Killer Angels.”

World War I 

“Sergeant York”—The 1941 movie about the real Sgt. Alvin York was directed by Howard Hawks, one of the top directors of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It stars Gary Cooper as the poor Tennessee farmer, a crack shot, who became one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I, including receiving the Medal of Honor, despite starting out as a conscientious objector due to his religious beliefs.

The movie about how York went from the back hills of Tennessee to the bloody battlefields of France is actually based on his diary. The modesty of York that Gary Cooper portrays in the film was also a reality. York was so resistant to a film being made about him that he was only persuaded after Hawks agreed to help fund a small Bible school in his hometown in East Tennessee.

World War II 

“They Were Expendable”—Director John Ford made a movie in 1945 about the little-known exploits of a PT boat squadron in the Battle of the Philippines in 1941-1942 that fought against overwhelming Japanese naval forces. It stars John Wayne and Robert Montgomery portraying two real PT boat commanders, one of whom won the Medal of Honor. Montgomery himself actually commanded a PT boat during the war.

The movie, shot with a semi-documentary feel, includes the evacuation of Gen. Douglas MacArthur and his family from the Philippines by PT boat before the U.S. Army’s surrender to the Japanese.

“Twelve O’Clock High”—With this 1949 movie directed by Henry King, we move from the naval war in the Pacific to the air war in Europe. The film tells the story of B-17 bomber crews flying out of England over Nazi-occupied Europe. It stars Gregory Peck, Hugh Marlowe, and Dean Jagger. The story and the characters are based on the real exploits and officers of the 306th Bomber Group of the 8th Army Air Force, which suffered very high causalities and whose young crews experienced severe mental, emotional, and physical stress and trauma. The movie spawned a TV show that ran from 1964-1967. This tense movie gives you a taste of what these brave young Americans went through to help win the war in Europe.

Korea 

“The Bridges at Toko-Ri”—This movie about the air war in Korea and a mission to destroy heavily defended bridges in North Korea was made in 1954, only a year after the war ended. It stars William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, and Mickey Rooney as a helicopter pilot charged with rescuing downed pilots. Holden plays a reserve Navy officer called back to duty as an aviator.

Veteran actor Fredric March, as the admiral in charge of the Navy Carrier Task Force, has a memorable line for Holden, who resents being forced to leave his civilian job, a line that every veteran can appreciate: “All through history, men have had to fight the wrong war in the wrong places, but that’s the one they’re stuck with.”

The movie is based on a book by James Michener, who based his book on attacks carried out during the winter of 1951-1952 on railroad bridges at Majon-ni and Samdong-ni in North Korea by Navy pilots flying off the USS Essex and USS Oriskany.

Vietnam 

“We Were Soldiers”—Forget the movies everyone refers to when talking about Vietnam like “The Deer Hunter” or “Apocalypse Now.” The best and most realistic movie about Vietnam according to veterans I have spoken with is this 2002 movie starring Mel Gibson and Sam Elliot, directed by Randall Wallace. It is a true story based on a riveting book, “We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,” written by Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and former UPI reporter Joseph Galloway. Moore was the commander of one of the first Army Air Cavalry Units and the movie follows him and his men from their initial training in the states to the Battle of la Drang on Nov. 14, 1965.

Moore and his 400 men were dropped into the la Drang Valley, unaware that there were over 4,000 veteran North Vietnamese army troops there. Galloway actually went in with Moore and was awarded a Bronze Star for his gallantry—as a reporter—for helping wounded soldiers. The movie depicts the ferocious battle that ensued, with the American troops coming close to being overwhelmed by enemy forces, and captures both the horror, and the gallantry faced and displayed by both sides.

None of these movies glorify war. What they do is show the courage, bravery, and sacrifice of American soldiers, often against great odds and under horrific conditions, in many different eras through many different generations. They illustrate the moral dilemmas faced by men who didn’t like violence, didn’t want to kill, but were forced to do so in order that the greater good would triumph over the evils of their time.

My salute goes out today to the many Americans all over the world in our military who are the guardians at the gates, standing at their posts, protecting our homeland while we peacefully enjoy our homes and families and commemorate their brothers and sisters who protected us in the past.

May God Bless America.

AUTHOR

Hans von Spakovsky

Hans von Spakovsky is the manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative and a senior legal fellow in the Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation. Hans on X: .

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Signal column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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Monday, May 26, 2025: Memorial Day and Military Prayers

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Memorial Day marks the time we remember those who have fallen in service of our country. It’s wonderful that many Americans take time out to honor those who died that we might be free.

One aspect of military service that is often neglected these days is the multitude of official prayers and acknowledgements of God through the two and a half centuries of America as a nation.

The late Col. Ronald D. Ray of Kentucky served in the Vietnam War with great valor. His funeral post notes: “During the Tet Offensive and other campaigns…he was twice awarded the Silver Star for conspicuous gallantry, a Bronze Star with V device and a Purple Heart.”

I got to interview Ron many years ago in his Kentucky law office, where he would sometimes cross swords with the ACLU. That legal group likes to claim that they are merely trying to make America abide by what the founders intended with the Bill of Rights, the first Ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Critics, like the late Col. Ray, would counter-argue that the founders gave us freedom of religion, whereas groups like the ACLU are trying to impose freedom from religion.

There’s a huge difference. Freedom of religion allows diverse viewpoints, including religious ones, in the public square. Freedom from religion creates what the late Richard John Neuhaus called, “the naked public square.”

The founders created One Nation Under God. The secularists are trying to turn America into a secular wasteland.

Col. Ray and his wife Eunice put together an excellent book (with the help of Dr. Linda Jeffrey), entitled Endowed By Their Creator: A Collection of Historic American Military Prayers 1774 – Present (First Principles Press, 2012).

For example, Col. Ray writes that John Adams, our second president, “led the military committee that drew up the two first principles of the American military, which are 1) Exemplary Conduct; and 2) Daily Prayer.”

Thus, in the “Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies” (1775), John Adams stated in Article 2, “The Commanders of the ships of the Thirteen United Colonies, are to take care that divine service be performed twice a day on board, and a sermon preached on Sundays, unless bad weather or other extraordinary accidents prevent it.”

Adams, considered by many to be the father of the American Navy, did not see it fit to banish God from the public arena, including the military. In fact, quite the opposite was the case.

Article 3 has language that might make even a hardened sailor blush: “If any shall be heard to swear, curse or blaspheme the name of God, the Captain is strictly enjoined to punish them for every offence…He who is guilty of drunkenness (if a seaman) shall be put in irons until he is sober, but if an officer, he shall forfeit two days’ pay.”

Prayer? Divine services? No blasphemy or drunkenness? We might do a double-take, but that’s what one of our key founding fathers wrote about our military.

George Washington, the father of our country, made similar declarations to his army on July 9, 1776 when he had the newly-finalized Declaration of Independence first read to the troops.

Part of General Washington’s reasoning was that, since the odds against our armed forces were so stacked, the last thing we want to do is to offend Almighty God—whose help we most desperately need: “The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger—The General hopes and trusts, that every officer, and man, will endeavour so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country.”

Many of us know the first verse of the Navy Hymn, which begins, “Eternal Father, Strong to save, Whose arm hath bound the restless wave…”

What most of us have never heard is the second verse of this 1860 hymn by William Whiting, which recalls Jesus’ time of calming the tempestuous sea.

That verse reads: “O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard, And hushed their raging at Thy word, Who walked’st on the foaming deep, and calm amidst its rage didst sleep; Oh hear us when we cry to Thee, For those in peril on the sea!”

It is amazing how secularized modern America has become. The history books have been rewritten, and God has been erased. I’m glad for Col. Ray compiling a collection of military prayers and hymns showing our true history.

And on this Memorial Day, we should remember the faith that helped give birth to this nation in the first place, and to thank God for those brave men and women who, in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “gave the last full measure of devotion” on the battlefield—that we might be free as a nation.

©2025 All rights reserved.

RELATED VIDEO: Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth: “Appealing to Heaven, to God, is a long-standing tradition in our military.”

WATCH: Memorial Day — U.S. Marines VIDEO

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The Last Full Measure of Devotion.

This Memorial Day, we pay tribute to the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who made the ultimate sacrifice defending the nation’s freedom. Let us remember the greatness of past generations and find inspiration from their courage, devotion, and selfless determination.

Semper Fidelis!

U.S. Marine Corps Video by Staff Sgt. John A. Martinez

SHARE your prayers and thoughts on this Memorial Day in the comment section!

©2024. All rights reserved.

Poems of War and Remembrance for Memorial Day

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A reader sent us a link to an article from The National Endowment for the Arts written on May 26th, 2017 titled “Poems of War and Remembrance for Memorial Day” written by Paulette Beete.

Here is Paulette’s article,

To all of our armed forces men and women, we say thank you for your service. As we pause this Monday to remember all those who have given their lives for their country, here are six poems that meditate on war and remembrance. (Click on the title for the full text of the poem.)

“Memorial Day for the War Dead” by Yehudi Amichai Memorial day for the war dead. Add now the grief of all your losses to their grief, even of a woman that has left you…

“The Sonnet-Ballad” by Gwendolyn Brooks They took my lover’s tallness off to war, Left me lamenting. Now I cannot guess What I can use an empty heart-cup for.

“Spoken from the Hedgerows” by Jorie Graham If death comes, friend, let it come quick. And don’t play the hero, there is no past or future. Don’t play the hero. Ok. Let’s go. Move out. Say goodbye.

“Three Mathew Brady Photographs” by Eric Hankey “Such a long exposure To affix the fallen, (Staged or happened upon,) Abandoned to this ditch.”

“The Long Deployment” by Jehanne Dubrow “And then he’s gone. Not even the conceit of him remains, not the resinous base. For weeks, I breathed his body in the sheet. He was bitter incense paired with something sweet.”

“Memorial Day” by Reginald Gibbons “…Even if no grief shadows the bugler, bugles do sound it, word it—that unacceptable sentence of slow notes.”

©2024. The National Endowment for the Arts. All rights reserved.

Trump Campaign Launches Veterans Coalition Ahead Of Memorial Day

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The Trump campaign will launch “Veterans and Military Families for Trump” on Sunday, which is a coalition with over 175 endorsements from decorated Veterans, Gold Star families and more ahead of Memorial Day, the Daily Caller has first learned.

The campaign release for Sunday, obtained Saturday by the Caller, states:

Today, President Donald J. Trump announces, “Veterans and Military Families for Trump”, a Coalition with over 175 endorsements from decorated Veterans, Gold Star families, and heroes who love our country.  This and every Memorial Day we honor and pay tribute to those patriots of service who have died.  This somber day of remembrance should also inspire us to reflect and be grateful for those of service who remain and those still serving today while risking everything to defend our great nation.

The campaign says the coalition is launching ahead of Memorial Day, and will send out a release touting Trump’s military record compared to President Joe Biden and heavily criticizing Biden’s role as Commander-in-chief.

“UNLIKE BIDEN, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS HONORED AMERICA’S VETERANS,” the release will read. Followed by another bullet point that states: “Meanwhile, President Trump made historic accomplishments for America’s veterans.”

The release goes on to mention healthcare for veterans, improving benefits for veterans, preventing veteran suicide and providing better mental health care, and reforming the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The campaign then rips Biden for his treatment of gold star families, saying his policy mistakes have emboldened terrorists, and saying Biden has chosen to politicize the U.S. military.

“To every Veteran, ‘you are America’s greatest living heroes, and we will cherish you now, always, and forever,” Trump states in the release.

Here Are Trump’s Veterans and Military Families for Trump Endorsees:

  • Graham Allen, Staff Sergeant (E-6) – U.S. Army, SC
  • Ryan Aument, State Senator; Captain – U.S. Army, PA
  • Brian Babin, U.S. Representative (TX-36); Captain – U.S. Air Force, TX
  • Jim Baird, U.S. Representative (IN-04); First Lieutenant – U.S. Army, IN
  • Al Baldasaro, Former NH State Representative; First Sargeant – U.S. Marine Corps, NH
  • Jim Banks, U.S. Representative (IN-03); Supply Corps Officer – U.S. Navy Reserve, IN
  • Jake Banta, State Representative; U.S. Navy Seal (E-5), PA
  • Kelly Barnett, Gold Star Family; Mother of U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover, UT
  • David Basulto, Sergeant – U.S. Army, AZ
  • Jack Bergman, U.S. Representative (MI-01); Commander of Marine Forces North/Marine Forces Reserve, Lieutenant General – U.S. Marine Corps, MI
  • Brad Bieghler, Information Technology Officer, OH
  • Cynthia Bieghler, Captain – U.S. Marine Corps, OH
  • Hugh Blackwell, State House Representative; U.S. Army Reserve, NC
  • Paul Bodine, Trump Caucus Captain; E1, NV
  • Kevin Bojarski, Staff Sergeant – U.S. Army National Guard, OH
  • Sonny Borrelli, State Senate LD30; Gunnery Sergeant – U.S. Marine Corps, AZ
  • Mike Bost, U.S. Representative (IL-12); Corporal (E-4) – U.S. Marine Corps, IL
  • Coral Briseno, Gold Star Family; Mother of U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Humberto Sanchez, IN
  • Danny Britt, State Senator; Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Army National Guard, NC
  • Mark Brody, State House Representative; U.S. Navy Reserve, NC
  • Vern Buchanan, U.S. Representative (FL-16); U.S. Air Force – Air National Guard, FL
  • Tyrone Buchanan, Community Member Warrant Officer, NV
  • Larry Bucshon, U.S. Representative (IN-08); Serviceman – U.S. Navy Reserve, IN
  • David Burck, Corporal, Military Police, U.S. Marine Corps, FL
  • Chad Canton, Seabee – U.S. Navy, EOCN; Founder of Operation Free Nation, SC
  • Mike Carey, U.S. Representative (OH-15); U.S. Army National Guard, OH
  • David Clark, State Representative; U.S. Army, GA
  • Andrew Clyde, U.S. Representative (GA-9); Commander – U.S. Navy, GA
  • Walter Conner Sr., Colonel – U.S. Marine Corps, NJ
  • Elijah Crane, U.S. Representative (AZ-2); U.S. Navy SEAL, AZ
  • Patrick Cubbage, Paratrooper – U.S. Army, 11th Special Forces Group, Green Beret, PA
  • Warren Daniel, State Senator – U.S. Army, NC
  • Stephe Davi, Volunteer Warrant Officer, NV
  • Warren Davidson, U.S. Representative (OH-8); Infantryman – U.S. Army, OH
  • Francis DeBois, Command Sergeant – U.S. Army, FL
  • Sam DeMarco, Allegheny City Councilman; Lance Corporal – U.S. Marine Corps, PA
  • Danielle Downs, Senior Master Sergeant (E-4) – U.S. Air Force, OH
  • Jessie Jane Duff, Gunnery Sergeant – U.S. Marine Corps, DC
  • Cris Dush, State Senator; Master Sergeant (E-7) – U.S. Air Force, PA
  • Jake Ellzey, U.S. Representative (TX-10); Lieutenant – U.S. Navy, TX
  • Pat Fallon, U.S. Representative (TX-4); Captain – U.S. Air Force, TX
  • Scott Fitzgerald, U.S. Representative (WI-05); Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Army Reserve, WI
  • C. Scott Franklin, U.S. Representative (FL-18); Commander – U.S. Navy, FL
  • Brian Gamble, Petty Officer 3rd Class FA/FO Specialist – U.S. Navy, FL
  • Mike Garcia, U.S. Representative (CA-27); Lieutenant Commander – U.S. Navy, CA
  • Stacy Garrity, State Treasurer; U.S Army Reserve Colonel, PA
  • Mark “OZ” Geist, Benghazi Hero; U.S. Marine Corps, CO
  • Sean George, Founder, Beard Vet Coffee – U.S. Marine Corps, NE
  • John Gillette, State Rep. LD30, Command Sergeant Major – U.S. Army, AZ
  • Ed Goodwin, State House Representative – U.S. Air Force, NC
  • Ken Gray, Assemblyman, NV39; Chief Master Sergeant – U.S. Air Force, NV
  • Mark Green, U.S. Representative (TN-07); Major – U.S. Army, TN
  • Elbert Guillory, Ret. YN2, Petty Officer 2nd Class – U.S. Navy, LA
  • Brett Guthrie, U.S. Representative (KY-02) Field Artillery Officer – U.S. Army, KY
  • Jeff Hadden, Soldier Valley Spirits, U.S. Army, NE
  • Kris Hager, Gold Star Father of U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Joshua R. Hager, FL
  • Joseph Hall, Specialist – U.S. Army, Lead Pastor at Crossroads Church, IA
  • Joe Hamm, State Representative; Specialist – Pennsylvania Army National Guard, PA
  • Bobby Hanig, State Senator; U.S. Army, NC
  • Phil Harding, Colonel – U.S. Air Force, MS
  • Kelly Hastings, State House Representative; Captain – U.S. Marine Corps & Reserve, NC
  • Mario Herrera, USMC, RNHA Regional Director, WI
  • Clay Higgins, U.S. Representative (LA-03); Staff Sergeant – U.S. Army, LA
  • Blaine Hold, CEO of Irascible Strategies, General – U.S. Air Force, ID
  • Darin Hoover, Gold Star Family; Father of U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Taylor Hoover, UT
  • Wesley Hunt, U.S. Representative (TX-38); Captain – U.S. Army, TX
  • Darrell Issa, U.S. Representative (CA-48); Captain – U.S. Army, CA
  • Nathan Jackson, Former Arizona GOP Second Vice Chairman, AZ
  • Ronny Jackson, U.S. Representative (TX-13); Rear Admiral – U.S. Navy, TX
  • John James, U.S. Representative (MI-10); Ranger-Qualified Aviation Officer – U.S. Army, MI
  • Jesus Jimenez, U.S. Army, TX
  • Bill Johnson, U.S. Representative (OH-06); Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Air Force, OH
  • Cheryl Jules, Gold Star Family; Aunt of U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Gee, CA
  • Keith Kellogg, Former National Security Advisor; Lieutenant General – U.S. Army, VA
  • Trent Kelly, U.S. Representative (MS-01); Major General – U.S. Army National Guard, MS
  • John King, Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner; Major General – U.S. Army, GA
  • Nick LaLota, U.S. Representative (NY-01); Lieutenant – U.S. Navy, NY
  • Frank LaRose, Veteran; Ohio Secretary of State, OH
  • Michael Larraza, State Senator; Corporal – U.S Marine Corps, NC
  • James Livingston, Major General – U.S. Marine Corps, SC
  • Bob Livingston, Major General – U.S. Marine Corps, SC
  • Michael Logue, Veterans for Trump; Corporal – U.S. Marine Corps, OH
  • Steve Loomis, Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Army, OH
  • Herman Lopez, Gold Star Family; Father of U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Hunter Lopez, CA
  • Alicia Lopez, Gold Star Family; Mother of U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Hunter Lopez, CA
  • Don Loren, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense; Former Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Rear Admiral – U.S. Navy, VA
  • Barry Loudermilk, U.S. Representative (GA-11); Communications Operations Specialist – U.S. Air Force, GA
  • Jarrod Lowery, State House Representative; U.S. Marine Corps, NC
  • Anna Paulina Luna, U.S. Representative (FL-13); Airfield Management Specialist – U.S. Air Force,
  • Zach Mako, Chief Warrant Officer – U.S. Army, PA
  • Rob Maness, Colonel – U.S. Air Force, MS
  • David Marshall, State Rep. LD7; U.S. Air Force, AZ
  • Rey Martinez, State Representative; Petty Officer 1st Class – U.S. Navy, GA
  • David Martinez, Former Police Officer; Veteran, GA
  • Reynaldo “Rey” Martinez, State Representative; U.S. Navy, GA
  • Brian Mast, Chair of Veterans and Military Families for Trump; U.S. Representative (FL-21); Staff Sergeant – U.S. Army, FL
  • Douglas Mastriano, State Senator; Colonel – U.S. Army, PA
  • Richard McArthur, Assemblyman NV4; Air Force, NV
  • Jim McCollum, Gold Star Family; Father of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Rylee McCollum, WY
  • Derrick McCollum, State Representative, GA
  • Rich McCormick, U.S. Representative (GA-06); Commander – U.S. Marine Corps, GA
  • Dave McCormick, U.S. Senate Candidate, Captain – U.S. Army, PA
  • Chuck McDougald, Veterans for Trump; Captain – U.S. Army Green Berets, CA
  • Steven McEwen, Santa Cruz GOP Chair, AZ
  • Ashley McTaggart, Technical Sergeant – U.S. Air Force, OH
  • Rob Mercuri, State Representative; Captain – U.S. Army, PA
  • Lawrence Michels, Trump Caucus Captain; U.S. Navy, NV
  • Max Miller, U.S. Representative (OH-07); Corporal – U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, OH
  • Cory Mills, U.S. Representative (FL-07); 82nd Airborne Division – U.S. Army FL
  • Barry Moore, U.S. Representative (AL-02); Alabama National Guard, AL
  • Tom Morrissey, Former AZGOP Chair & Former Payson Mayor, AZ
  • Jim Muhr, Purple Heart & Silver Star – U.S. Army, AZ
  • Troy Nehls, U.S. Representative (TX-22); U.S. Army Reserve, TX
  • Eric Nelson, State Representative; Sergeant (E-5) U.S Marines, PA
  • Steve Nikoui, Gold Star Family; Father of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, CA
  • Dennis Normile, Operation Enduring Freedom; U.S. Army, OH
  • Scott O’Grady, Captain – U.S. Air Force, TX
  • Bruce Parks, Washoe GOP Chairman; U.S. Army, NV
  • Tracy Pennycuick, State Senator; Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Army, PA
  • Richard Pennycuick, Colonel – U.S. Army, PA
  • Scott Perry, U.S. Representative (PA-10); Commander – Pennsylvania National Guard, PA
  • Ronald Persely, U.S. Army, NV
  • August Pfluger, U.S. Representative (TX-11); Colonel – U.S. Air Force, TX
  • Lawrence Pollak, Commander of the Jewish War Veterans Post #44, OH
  • Larry Potts, State House Representative; U.S. Air Force, NC
  • Grant Quezada, Founding Fathers Collective, AZ
  • Ron Rabin, Colonel – U.S. Army, NC
  • Paul Renner, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives; Commander – U.S. Navy, FL
  • Guy Reschenthaler, U.S. Representative (PA-14); JAG Attorney – U.S. Navy, PA
  • Dennis Riddell, State House Representative; U.S. Navy Reserve, NC
  • Don Roberts, U.S. Air Force, OH
  • Mark Rody, SGM – U.S. Army (Retired); MS
  • Hal Rogers, U.S. Representative (KY-22); Kentucky and North Carolina National Guard, KY
  • Wendy Rogers, State Senate LD7; U.S. Air Force, AZ
  • E. Brian Rose, Past President of Jackson County MS Republican Club; Joint Combat Camera Team – U.S. Air Force, MS
  • Greg Rothman, State Senator; Staff Sergeant – U.S. Marine Corps, PA
  • Peter Samuolis, Veteran, NV
  • John Sauls, State House Representative; U.S. Army, NC
  • Gary Sayre, First Sergeant – U.S. Marine Corps, NV
  • Gregg Schiffbauer, Community Member; Past Commander; Solera Veterans and First Responders, NV
  • Mark Schmitz, Gold Star Family; Father of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, MO
  • Jaclyn Schmitz, Gold Star Family; Stepmother of U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz, MO
  • Keith Self, U.S. Representative (TX-03); Special Forces/Ranger; Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Army, TX
  • Darin Selnick, Senior Advisor to Concerned Veterans for America; Captain – U.S. Air Force, CA
  • Tony Shaffer, President, London Center, Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Army Reserve, NY
  • Christy Shamblin, Gold Star Family; Mother-in-Law of U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole Gee, CA
  • Orlando Sonza, Candidate for U.S. Representative (OH-01) (Infantry and Finance Officer – U.S. Army); OH
  • Howard Stein, Veteran, Trump Caucus Captain, NV
  • W. Gregory Steube, U.S. Representative (FL-17); JAG Corps – U.S. Army, FL
  • Chris Stickan, Captain – U.S. Army, OH
  • Charles Strange, Gold Star Family; Father of Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Strange of Philadelphia, PA
  • Elizabeth Strange, Gold Star Family; Mother of Petty Officer 1st Class Michael Strange of Philadelphia, PA
  • Brad Thomas, Veteran, State Representative; GA
  • Michael Thornton, Vietnam Veteran; Lieutenant – U.S. Navy, TX
  • William Timmons, U.S. Representative (SC-04); JAG Officer and Captain, South Carolina Air National Guard, SC
  • Richard Toal, Warrent Officer, NV
  • Chris Turner, Corporal – U.S. Marine Corps, TN
  • Steve Tyson, State House Representative; U.S. Army, NC
  • Carolyn Uecker, Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Air Force, OH
  • Michael Uecker, Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Air Force, OH
  • Derrick Van Orden, U.S. Representative (WI-03); Senior Chief – U.S. Navy, WI
  • JD Vance, United States Senator; U.S. Marine Corps, OH
  • Michael Waltz, U.S. Representative (FL-06); Colonel, Green Beret – U.S National Guard, FL
  • Barry Ward, Captain, U.S. Army, CA
  • Bill Ward, State House Representative; U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve, NC
  • Shawn Welch, Colonel, U.S. Army, PA
  • Brad Wenstrup, U.S. Representative (OH-02); Colonel – U.S. Army Reserve Medical Service Corps, OH
  • Allen West, Lieutenant Colonel – U.S. Army, TX
  • Brandon Williams, U.S. Representative (NY-22); Lieutenant – U.S. Navy, NY
  • Dr. Cordie Williams, Corporal – U.S. Marine Corps, NY
  • Peter Wilson, Chairman – Harrison County GOP; U.S. Army, MS
  • David Wilson, U.S. Army, NV
  • Joe Wilson, U.S. Representative (SC-02); Colonel – U.S. Army Reserves, South Carolina Army National Guard, SC
  • Steve Womack, U.S. Representative (AR-03); Colonel – Arkansas National Guard, AR
  • Ryan Zinke, U.S. Representative (MT-01); Commander – U.S. Navy, MT
  • Mark LaJoye, Former Candidate for Muscogee County Sheriff; Intelligence and Special Operations – U.S. Army, GA

“It is an honor to support Donald J. Trump for President of the United States. As a 32-year military veteran who served as an infantryman in combat multiple times, and who served in the White House, I know what it means to have a resolute, confident, fearless leader as Commander in Chief. Donald J. Trump is that man. Without equivocation, he has my full support,” Keith Kellogg, Lt. Gen. (Ret) and Former National Security Advisor told the Caller.

The campaign is launching a website for the Veterans and Military Families for Trump coalition, veterans.donaldjtrump.com, where veterans and military families can learn more about how to get involved with the campaign ahead of the election.

AUTHOR

HENRY RODGERS

Chief National Correspondent.

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

These 10 States Had The Most Expensive Gas Over Memorial Day Weekend

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As the national average for gasoline rose to a new record high of $4.62 a gallon on Memorial Day, prices varied throughout the country affecting drivers on one of the busiest travel days of the year.

According to AAA, gas prices went up one penny since Sunday and gasoline is now 44 cents more expensive than it was just last month, CNN reported. On Memorial Day of 2021, gas prices averaged $3.05 a gallon, according to AAA. The Biden administration has continued to face criticism over the record-breaking gas prices and has been blaming the increase in price on the war in Ukraine.

AAA also said around 34.9 million people are traveling by car for Memorial Day weekend, which is 4.6% higher than in 2020, CNN noted. (RELATED: Gas Prices Hit Another Record High)

The 10 states that had the most expensive average gas prices over Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA: 

Alaska: $5.20 a gallon

Arizona: $4.95 a gallon

California: $6.15 a gallon

Hawaii: $5.44 a gallon

Illinois: $5.00 a gallon

Maine: $4.77 a gallon

Nevada: $5.30 a gallon

New York: $4.93 a gallon

Oregon: $5.20 a gallon

Washington: $5.23 a gallon

The Hill first reported about the highest prices in the 10 states.

On Thursday, the average price of gas in the U.S. hit its last record, with the average price costing Americans $4.60 a gallon, up more than 92% since President Joe Biden took office.

AUTHOR

HENRY RODGERS

Senior Congressional correspondent.

RELATED TWEET:

RELATED ARTICLES:

Biden’s Energy Sec Claims Biden Is ‘Obsessed’ With Lowering Gas Prices. So Why Do Prices Keep Going Up?

Gas Prices Hit Another Record High

The US Hasn’t Built A Major Oil Refinery In Nearly 50 Years. Here’s Why

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Memorial Day 2015

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We need to remind ourselves that Memorial Day is not just another three-day weekend or a day when all manner of sales are offered to those who want to go shopping. It is a day set aside to honor the ultimate sacrifice of those who have fought to defend our nation and take military action in foreign nations. We honor, too, those who suffered wounds and returned home.

america invades book coverWe like to think of America as a nation that has gone to war only when we had to, but a new book, “America Invades: How We’ve Invaded or Been Invaded with Almost Every Country on Earth” tells a different story based on history.

As documented by its authors, Christopher Kelly and Stuard Laycock, America, “has invaded or fought in eighty-four out of 194 countries (countries recognized by the United Nations and excluding the United States) in the world. That’s 43 percent of the total. And it hasn’t been militarily involved with just ninety or a hundred countries. It has had some form of military involvement with a spectacular 191 out of 194. That’s more than 98 percent.”

“Most people,” the authors note “would probably agree that much of what America has done around the world has clearly been wise and noble (as in helping liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny.) Some, however, have been wrong and/or unwise. And some of what America has done has been in-between. In some sense, it’s like looking at the history of one’s own family. And, indeed, all of it—the liberations, the fiascos, and follies—is, in some sense, part of the history of every American citizen.”

That’s why it is a good idea to pause on Memorial Day because as an American it is part of your history. “Americans are always hoping for peace but usually preparing for war” says the authors who remind us that “the American eagle is an ambivalent bird holding arrows in the talons of one foot and an olive branch in the other.”

Our natural instinct is for peace. Only aggressive nations, usually led by despots, want war. That is not a description of America. We have not, however, shied from war when the enemy was a well-defined aggressor.

“In the twenty-first century, the United States, though challenged by Russia and China, is the sole remaining superpower. The global responsibilities that we began to shoulder in the twentieth century seem today more burdensome than ever. The cost of being the world’s policeman seems exorbitant in terms of both lives and treasure.”

That’s why we need to remind ourselves that, as a former Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, has said of America, “We are the indispensable nation.”

We have learned what happens when our President has retreated from the responsibility to deter war. Since leaving Iraq with no U.S. military ground support that nation which was stable at the end of our war there has come under attack by the Islamic State. The President’s efforts to reach a deal with Iran that would allow them to become a nuclear power is causing Arab states to regard the U.S. as abandoning them and could lead to a nuclear arms race in a part of the world that is far from stable.

The U.S. in the wake of World War Two has a vast network of bases and alliances that span the world. Many of those bases were created at the invitation of the host nation. The result, as the authors note is that “The U.S. military, but virtue of its global reach, is almost invariably the first to respond to natural disasters as they occur around the world. If not us, then who will?”

On Memorial Day we honor our sons and daughters who gave their lives when their nation called on them.

“Today the sacrifice of over 218,000 American servicemen and servicewomen is memorialized in military cemeteries in twenty-four different overseas cemeteries in eleven different countries. The boundaries of Jefferson’s Empire of Liberty, therefore, stretch around the world.”

We worry about the emergence of other world powers, but I doubt that Russia which lost 127 million of its people in World War Two or China which is focused on building an economy based heavily on world trade are serious wartime threats.

That does not, however, exclude the likelihood that events may cause the next President to conclude that the only way to put the lid on the Middle East is to return militarily to Iraq and to make it clear to Iran that its nuclear ambitions are untenable and unacceptable.

The ancient Romans knew a truth they share in the phrase, “Si vis pacem, para bellum.” If you want peace, plan for war.

About the only thing that is predictable is that somewhere in the world there will be new wars and, given its power and its responsibility, America may well be engaged in restoring the peace.

© Alan Caruba, 2015

Memorial Day 2015: The saluting boy on Omaha beach [VIDEO]

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“And a child shall lead them” — those are the words that came to mind as I watched this video of a young man honoring the memories of those who perished on D-Day. It is well worth seven minutes of your time.

The simple act of devotion from this 11-year-old American boy is more than commensurate to honor the last full measure of devotion of young American boys some 70 years prior.

Every now and then, when there are times of despair, despondency, and desperation we just need a little reminder of the greatness and goodness of America.

Bravo young man, Steadfast and Loyal!

EDITORS NOTE: This video originally appeared on AllenBWest.com. The Publisher of DrRichSwier.com served in combat with the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. On the featured image you see this young American is wearing the Screaming Eagles patch. His heroes are those of the publisher and staff of this e-Magazine.