'On Land, Sea, and in the Air They Have Been the Guardians'

In honor of Veteran’s Day, at the American Enterprise Website, Ralph Kinney Bennett writes, “They have kept a rendezvous with death, stiffened their sinews in times of alarm, and made the best of the misery of the battlefield and the tedium of the long watch in wars both hot and cold:”

They have served with pride, with extraordinary courage, with a deep sense of duty. They have served with reluctance, with fear, with fateful resignation.

But they have been there.

They have always been where we as a nation needed them.

Yes, they get a little loud sometimes when they’ve had one too many down at the VFW. They look a little embarrassing to some when they try to suck in that paunch while marching with the American Legion on Memorial Day. And sometimes, in splendid detachment, we try to measure their pensions or medical benefits in dollars, totally ignorant of the fact that they must be figured in a dark hard coinage beyond our calculation—a coinage stamped at the cusp of harm and numbered in years lost in a Japanese prison camp or sleepless nights of cold terror on Pork Chop Hill or the hidden scars from that day the Humvee was ambushed in Iraq.

They have kept a rendezvous with death, stiffened their sinews in times of alarm, and made the best of the misery of the battlefield and the tedium of the long watch in wars both hot and cold. And all the while, the precious, irretrievable thing we call “everyday life” streamed unlived out of their lives.

Thank these, the Guardians, for their service and sacrifice. And pray for those who serve now, the new Guardians, who have taken up their positions all over the world. Pray that these men and women, too, may serve and live and one day proudly wear the title “veteran.”

Meanwhile, in a post titled “First They Came for Our Guns” at Ricochet, Adam Freedman writes, “While we honor our veterans today, let’s also spare a thought for the virtues of an armed citizenry.” It’s a reminder of a much darker anniversary this week.

And at the Washington Times, James Robbins’ new book, “This Time We Win: Revisiting The Tet Offensive “ is reviewed.

Update: Video at top of post by Tamara Jackson.