Former Rep. Ron Paul, the father of presidential candidate Rand Paul, said on Memorial Day, we should honor people such as Pentagon Paper leaker Daniel Ellsberg and NSA leaker Edward Snowden. In a segment on the Ron Paul Liberty Report, the elder Paul noted it was "tragic" we only hear about "only those who are able to kill a lot of people in a war that makes no sense."

"Well, it doesn't," said Paul, in response to a question about how interventionist foreign policy and the U.S. approach to ISIS honors veterans on Memorial Day. "I mentioned the fact that to me one of the saddest things to me is that the propaganda says we send our kids over there to risk their lives, lose their lives, lose their limbs because they are protecting our constitution in an unconstitutional war. We are protecting our liberties as the NSA destroys our liberty and it's so little to celebrate."

Paul noted "it's very difficult to say" that none of the deaths in recent American military conflict would have occurred with a "non-interventionist foreign policy."

"But this has come up in the presidential campaign and it's very difficult to say, 'Well, in a truly free society, and a non-interventionist foreign policy, none of these deaths would have occurred, none of these injuries would occur and it would be quite a difference.' Because you cannot be insensitive and I'm not," added Paul.

"I claim that we who think that a different policy could have saved their lives are much more intense in our the concern for the military than those who say, 'Oh, this is an honorable thing and that's why Memorial Day is just great. We have to praise them, and thank you for your service' — that's a cop-out. They are hiding behind that. They are using propaganda for themselves to make sure that they don't feel responsible. Because I think they are sincere, but I think they are sincerely misled."

"So to me that's a rather sad story, and I think Memorial Day ought to be a day when we remember some of our heroes. As a matter of fact, I am still on the side of Edward Snowden — considering him a hero. Daniel Ellsberg — you know got a lot of bad press and almost went to prison," Paul said.

"There are so many out there that we don't even hear about that risk their lives," he said. "But only those who are able to kill a lot of people in a war that makes no sense — so it's tragic."